Microsoft's No-Zune Zone

It's not looking good for the Zune.

Last Friday, the second-most watched clip on YouTube was about Microsoft's long-expected, if not necessarily anticipated, attempt to take on Apple's iPod digital music player. It showed a riff from late night talk show host Craig Ferguson who, if not quite a tech visionary, managed to strike a chord that resonated with some 225,000 online viewers.

"It has all the features of the iPod, only it's not as good, and it's five years too late," Ferguson said. "The name just makes me want to buy it," he added with clear sarcasm. "I think the market research guys said, 'What's going to appeal to the young people? Zune! It sounds good!' I'm gonna go on MySpace: 'Hey, the new Zune, it's really crack-a-lackin!'"

Just how accurate Ferguson's scenario is depends on how you define "crack-a-lackin." If you mean, as Ferguson did, a bit of recent slang that already feels stale -- well, that sort of applies to the Zune.

But what if we give the word a new meaning -- say, an unpleasant sensation somewhere between frustration and disappointment. In that case, the Zune is about as crack-a-lackin as it gets.

The Zune does have some enhancements over the iPod, and Microsoft has trumpeted them loud: a built-in FM radio, an appealingly large screen and the ability to beam music and photos wirelessly to other Zunes.

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