SPOTLIGHT: Zune-iPod battle commences

Last week, Microsoft officially unveiled its Zune portable media player. This response to Apple's iPod features 802.11 connectivity, a FM Tuner, a 30 GB hard drive (surprisingly modest, by the way: What if you are a fan of Bach's Goldberg Variations?), 3.0-inch screen, and more. It also comes in three colors--black, brown, and white. The company says that users who download songs will be allowed to share songs with fellow "Zuners" for a period of up to three days, but then these friends will be prompted to purchase the song or it will be deleted from their devices. See this rather lengthy and detailed report [1]. The question now becomes: Need Apple fear Zune? Analysis [2]