You don’t need us wags here at CrunchGear to tell you that Microsoft may have pissed off its PlaysForSure partners by locking them out of Zune. No, you need David Pogue of the New York Times to tell you. Pogue, who loves everything Apple’s ever done but hates everything else, including Democracy and soduku, respects the Zune as a true PMP, including its slick interface (we’ve seen it, it is slick). He continues by stating that it’s no iPod, even though it wants to be.
He’s not sure on the song-sharing via WiFi. He likes the idea, but not the execution, particularly the restrictive DRM scheme. He also notes that the Zune is lacking the cajillion accessories the iPod enjoys, but we personally find that a comfort.
Pogue goes on to compare and contrast the Zune vs. the iPod, with the iPod the obvious winner. He does, however, wisely proclaim that the Zune is young and derivitave, but, like most Microsoft products, it will probably grow over time to equal or better (or at least out-sell) its rivals, particularly those offered by Apple. He’s correct here; if Steve and company haven’t learned anything from the OS wars of the early 90’s, then they could be in big trouble.
Trying out the Zune: iPod it’s not [NY Times]