Whatever you do, don't get a Zune

[Undertoad]

Zune is Microsoft's answer to iPod. And all signs say this thing is going to suck hard. To start,

It’s true: The Zune is incompatible with Vista

It may be because the Zune does not support the DRM in Windows Media Player 11. (In other words, in attempting to prevent you from stealing music, they are making it harder and harder for you to actually play music, an increasing trend.)

Incredible! But what about XP? Well, Engadget tried it on a Media Center XP system:

Installing the Zune... sucked

But wait, there's more. MS is making agreements for licensing music from the major record labels. NY Times:

Universal Music, a unit of Vivendi, will receive a royalty on the Zune player in exchange for licensing its recordings for Microsoft’s new digital music service, the companies said.

Universal, which releases recordings from acts like U2 and Jay-Z, said it would pay half of what it receives on the device to its artists. The company is expected to receive more than $1 for each $250 device, according to executives who were briefed on the pact.

It's like buying a refrigerator and paying extra because you might to use it to keep cheese.

In discussing the rationale for the royalty, Chris Stephenson, general manager for global marketing in Microsoft’s entertainment unit, said the company "needed people to rally behind" the new device and service.

"It’s a higher-level business relationship," he said.

You may notice that, as a consumer, you are not a part of this higher-level relationship.

Even with all these complaints, I would vomit all over it for the ultra-stupid marketing "Welcome to the social" they came up with, which shows happy young people being social while listening to their in-ear bud headphones. Right, that's what we want from our music players; social activity. Except that we can't hear each other, and we're using a device that expertly prohibits sharing. Social, that's what we can't get from an iPod but can get from a Zune?

We'll be social all right... to figure out how to make the thing work.