Move over iPod - there's a new digital media player in town.
Microsoft Corp. hopes to take a bite out of Apple Computer's share of the digital music market with sits new Zune multimedia player released Tuesday.
The 30-gigabyte Zune offers wireless technology, a larger 3-inch screen, an FM radio tuner and storage space for up to 7,500 songs or 100 hours of video.
The Zune is currently priced at $249.99 - the same as a 30-gigabyte iPod - and is available in three colors with a look similar to the standard iPod.
Despite those similarities, Microsoft will face a challenge in competing with Apple, whose various iPod products hold more than 75 percent of the U.S. market for digital music players, according to research firm NPD Group.
Microsoft's marketing campaign emphasizes the device's wireless ability to share songs between other Zunes.
"Welcome to the social" and "beam your beats" are the catchphrases on promotional fliers and signs, said Dominic Wilkinson, a product specialist at Circuit City in Scottsdale.
The wireless component enables owners to swap songs from Zune to Zune. Shared songs, as opposed to purchased songs, can be played up to three times in three days, before they're automatically deleted from the device.
That's an exciting new feature because listeners can preview full-length songs by sharing with their friends, Wilkinson said.
"Everyone can be connected," he said.
The Zune's wireless capability also means owners can share songs with Microsoft media centers on computers, without having to connect through a USB port, said Austin Olson, a sales associate at Best Buy in Scottsdale.
"You can walk into somebody's party and it will wirelessly transmit the music on your Zune to the media center on their computer," said Olson, a journalism and mass communication junior. "If the person who's throwing a party doesn't have good music taste, just bring your Zune."
The 3-inch LCD screen will also be a selling point, even though its resolution is slightly lower quality than the iPod's 2.5-inch screen, Olson said.
"I don't find that to be a big deal because on three inches of screen, you don't exactly need the best resolution," he said.
Video footage on the screen can be viewed in landscape or portrait mode, unlike the iPod's screen, which is strictly horizontal.
The Zune is also slightly larger and heavier than the more compact iPod.
Size may be a turnoff to some consumers, but there's also an anti-Apple market out there that prefers the Microsoft name, Olson said.
Plus with iPods breaking down and losing battery power, many consumers may want to make the switch, he added, referring to a bin where he stores malfunctioning media players.
"When my open box cage is full of iPods, it's full of iPods for a reason," he said.
Despite that, the iPod is phenomenally marketed and has a plethora of compatible accessories available, Olson said.
While Microsoft is also releasing accessories like carrying cases, speaker docks and premium earphones, it won't compare to the iPod's line just yet, he said.
Jorge Castaneda, a 19-year-old Scottsdale Community College student, visited Circuit City in Scottsdale Tuesday to repair his iPod.
Despite the iPod breaking down, Castaneda said he would rather wait for Apple to release their next generation player instead of making the switch to Microsoft.
"I like my iPod," he said.
Rumors are circulating on technology Web sites, Castaneda said, that Apple will release a full-screen iPod in December.
If that's true, the Zune's competitive edge may not last long, he said.
The ASU Bookstore's Computer Store did not have the Zune in stock on Tuesday, however, it will carry the multimedia player soon, said Terry Corbin, purchasing manager.
Reach the reporter at annalyn.censky@asu.edu
