Microsoft Zune takes on iPod with WiFi sharing and subscription plan

Microsoft came out swinging. The Zune arrived with WiFi sharing and a $14.99 monthly subscription, features Apple's iPod never offered. At $249.99, it aimed to shake up the digital music scene and challenge Apple's grip.

WiFi sharing was the Zune's big pitch. Users could send songs and photos to another Zune within 30 feet, as long as wireless was on for both devices. They picked a file and hit send; the other person then had to accept. But shared songs expired after three days or three plays. They turned gray and stopped working unless you bought them, while photos remained available. In practice, the feature rarely mattered: most people didn't know anyone else with a Zune.

Microsoft wanted to sell more than hardware. The Zune Marketplace launched with two million songs and offered unlimited listening for $14.99 a month. Single tracks cost 79 Microsoft points, about $1, but points came in $5 blocks, making a one-song purchase a hassle. The music library matched iTunes in size, but the Marketplace lacked podcasts and video. Users had to find and sync those files themselves, leaving the Zune behind Apple's smooth, all-in-one setup.

The Zune looked and felt chunky. About the size of early iPods, it packed only 30GB of storage, compared with 80GB in Apple's iPod with video. Its 3-inch screen was bigger than Apple's and displayed 320-by-240 resolution in both portrait and field, making video easier to watch. The shell came in white and black. Brown was another option. Made of translucent plastic rather than glossy material, it resisted scratches better. The navigation wheel stood out but wasn't touch-sensitive: users had to push, not glide. Some liked it; others didn't.

Sound quality was strong, especially with good earphones. The Zune played unprotected AAC and MP3 files. It also handled WMA, but didn't support lossless formats, Audible or .WAV files. Video support was limited, too. The Zune played .WMV files natively; MPEG4 and H264 videos had to be converted to .WMV before transfer. DRM-protected videos didn't work at all. Microsoft called the Zune a viral video device, but users had to bring their own clips.

Battery life fell short. Microsoft claimed up to 14 hours with wireless off. Real tests showed just under 12 hours with wireless on and 13 hours with it off, while the iPod lasted 21 hours. Video playback ran for four hours. With no movies or TV shows to download, though, that feature felt wasted.

The Zune did have some wins. It came with an FM radio and RDS data support. Reception was clear, and track information appeared on screen, something Apple's iPod didn't offer. The interface was clean and easy to use. Users could set any JPEG as the background, and syncing with PC folders worked well. But the Zune didn't support PlaysForSure or WMA-DRM9, so music from Napster and Urge wouldn't play. The same went for MSN Music. DRM confusion only grew.

The Zune was bold, trying features Apple didn't offer, including WiFi sharing and subscriptions. But weak battery life and a smaller media library held it back, as did missing podcast and video support. Until Microsoft fixed those gaps, the Zune remained an interesting side option, while Apple kept the crown.