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!'" ...