Infinite Path

Microsoft’s new ipod Touch competitor, the Zune HD, is set to launch in the United States in September, but will it really be a product that can slow down Apple’s dominance and progression in the portable music and video market?

The Zune HD will offer similar capabilities to Apple’s ipod touch and will include increased memory capacity and wifi.

Microsoft have been competing with Apple in the personal music market for a long time. They have not, however, enjoyed the same success that Apple has. The new version of the Zune is the third generation of the music player. It will be much cheaper than the ipod, in the US at least, which Microsoft hopes will give it a better chance of success in this hugely competitive space.

Microsoft has always been the company that produces operating systems for a computer. Most people use Microsoft operating systems and Windows has become synonymous with the term ‘operating system’. Apple, however, were previously relatively unknown by many Microsoft devotees. They have always produced personal computers and operating systems, but it was the ipod that really put the technology on the mainstream map.

Take-up of Apple’s ipod was huge. Microsoft were way behind and could not catch up fast enough. The ipod became synonymous with personal music just like the walkman did in the 1980s, even though the personal MP3 player had already been selling well. Microsoft could not do anything about the ipod threat and failed to present a product in time to compete on any level.

Other technology companies such as Sony have also failed to stop the rampant ipod domination. Sony was a big player in the walkman market so if any company was set to muscle in on the ipod action, it would have been a specialist like them.

Microsoft’s new product will have compatibility with its popular gaming device, the Xbox, which is something that could attract potential buyers.

It is fair to say that Microsoft’s new device needs to be something pretty special to get close to knocking the ipod off the top spot.