Ignoring the ignorant iPod, Sansa and Zen users, Zune is not going down like the titanic, as the dudes at some iPod fansites had hoped for.  Microsoft has said it expects to sell one million of its new Zune music players through the first half of 2007. That figure would pale in comparison to Apple Computer Inc.’s market-leading iPod, but Microsoft contends it would be a good start.

“We think that’s actually pretty awesome,” said Bryan Lee, vice-president for Microsoft’s entertainment group. The US$250 Zune, whose 30-gigabyte hard drive can hold 7,500 songs, debuted in mid-November to mixed reviews. One unique aspect of the Zune, its ability to let users wirelessly send songs to each other, has been panned for allowing shared music to be played only three times in three days before expiring.

Lets see, 1,000,0000 sold x $250 + 10 songs per user = $260,000,000 - thats not such a bad thing…  iPod lovers and Zune bashers, we laugh in your face.

After all the bitchy press from journalists who were either stupid (Zune doesnt play ipod music!!!) or mad (I had to buy my own Zune - not get a freebie!) it seems the public is taking to the Zune in pretty good numbers.  Latest sales-data shows the Zune in 2nd place with 9 percent of the U.S. market, measured by unit sales, and 13 percent of the dollar volume for the week ended Nov. 18. Not such a shabby start all things considered.  We’re pretty sure Microsoft will be offering firmware upgrades thoughout the life of Zune, so expect Podcast support in the new year, although we’re pretty certain that won’t include iTunes support!

So lets take a look at some of the amusing comments from “serious” journalists:

They Say: Doesnt Play iPod songs.
Zune Groove Says: PS3 doesnt play Xbox 360 games.  Here’s a Fix: Copy iPod AAC files to CD - then burn to Zune

They Say: Doesn’t play Podcasts
Zune Groove Says: Yes it does, dumbass. Save the podcast to your PC and locate with Zune software

They Say: Crashes My PC when installing
Zune Groove Says: Installed fine on my machine. iTunes has crashed many a PC

They Say: WiFi DRM is Terrible
Zune Groove Says: Do you really think it’d be ok to allow Zuners to send their entire (30 gig) collection over to countless other people?

They Say: Amazon sales are terrible - iPod is killing Zune
Zune Groove Says: Whoever said this was an iPod killer?  Patience my young music lover!

They Say: Doesn’t do email! (the girl on Good Morning America)
Zune Groove Says: Neither does your 8-track you silly, no-clue-whatsoever girl.

It seems as though Microsoft released 100 strictly limited edition Pink Zunes during the US launch a couple of weeks ago, and wouldn’t you know it, like just about everything else in this online world, you can pick one up on Ebay.  Microsoft packaged the Pink Zunes inside regular boxes and marked them as white… Quite how I’d feel if I got home and opened up the box to find a glowing Pink Zune is anyone’s guess, but putting it on Ebay wouldnt be one of the things I’d do… Then again, I still have my limited edition Halo Xbox, so I keep just about everything!

The ChannelCheckers are surveying sales staff at consumer electronics outlets and are reporting solid Zune sales, stating that Zune’s are selling about even with iPod’s. However, Zune sales at Best Buy appear to be hurt by limited quantities. Could Microsoft have understocked the Zune? We’ll see.  When I picked up my Zune on opening day, my local Best Buy didnt have any Zune’s out - they were all locked in a steel cage. When I asked one of the assoicates for one, he gave me the “what the heck are you talking about” look and had to get a supervisor… Oh boy….

We are working on our follow-up survey on iPod sales versus the new Microsoft Zune MP3 player. Our first survey revealed a strong preference for the iPod despite the buzz around the Zune. Now the zune has launched we are working on seeing what consumer preferences are as the Christmas shopping season gets underway.

Our survey questions were the following:

1. Which MP3 player do you recommend?
2. Do you sell the Microsoft Zune?
3. How well is it selling?

Our survey is not complete but the early results are interestng. First, iPod remains the dominant MP3 player, recommended by 70% of our respondents. The Zune was recommended by some who cited its Wi-fi connectivity as an attractive feature.

The Zune can be used to store and transfer file formats such as zip files, pdf files and word documents. Want to take your data with you when you travel - Check out this little mod where you can use your Zune as a portable hard drive -no Zune hardware or software changes are required at all.

Here’s the Step-by-Step guide

Important Note:  Make sure your Zune is not plugged in and your Zune software isn’t running

1. Open up regedit by going to the start menu and selecting “run”.
2. Type regedt32 and hit “OK”
3. Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\ControlSet001\Enum\USB\
4. Search for “PortableDeviceNameSpace”. This should be contained in the Vid_####&Pid_####\########_-_########_-_########_-_########\Device Parameters within the above …\USB\
5. (The ##’s listed above will be numbers and letters specific to your Zune)Change the following values:
6. EnableLegacySupport to 1
7. PortableDeviceNameSpaceExcludeFromShell to 0
8. ShowInShell to 1
9. Plug in your Zune, and make sure the Zune Software starts up. 
10. You can now open My Computer and browse to your Zune; note it is not assigned a drive letter.

Initial shopper interest suggested the Zune media player is off to a slow, steady start.  As expected, Zune sales didnt eclipse those of iPod, but as Microsoft have said all along ”It’s gonna take a couple of years”. An employee at the Best Buy store said two shoppers entered the place as it opened and purchased Zune players, and that about 20 were sold within the first three hours…

Customers touched and tapped Zune players on display, asking employees about the differences between Zune and iPod.  However, at the Virgin Megastore in New York’s Times Square two circular displays sporting Zune players with earphones attached were unmanned that morning, save for store employees restocking supplies

Microsoft itself has acknowledged that the Zune investment may take years to bear fruit, and analysts upheld the expectation. “Apple will not feel any bit of discomfort from Zune, certainly this holiday season and a good part of next year,” said IDC analyst Danielle Levitas.

“Microsoft is going to put tons of money in this over time, much like they did with the Xbox” video game console, she said. “It’s not about the first generation (of devices).”

Now that Zune has hit stores, we’re pretty sure everyone is busying uploading their playlists, music, pics and videos to their shiny new black, white or brown device.  One of the ZuneGroove forum members, Mrxxg has posted a very cool guide to help you conver DVD, AVI, RM - in fact, just about any kind of video into WMV - perfect for using on your Zune!