Microsoft's release of the Zune player, of course, has drawn a number of comparisons with Apple's iPod. With no official numbers yet available, many interested consumers are looking at other measures of comparison between the two product lines.
Several readers point to Amazon's Top Selling MP3 Player list as an informal sales ranking which shows that the Zune falls in 23rd place (after reaching a peak of 6th) behind many iPods as well as MP3 players from Creative and SanDisk.
Meanwhile, one analyst surveyed consumer electronics retail stores for comments and recommendations about the Zune player. According to their research, the iPod was recommended approximately 75% of the time, while the Zune was recommended about 8% of the time. As well, many of the quotes indicated that some sales people didn't even know what the Zune was:
"In fact, some MP3 player salespeople had not even heard of the Zune, despite the fact that they sold it in their store," he wrote.
To be fair, with the recent launch date for the Zune, such comparisons are hardly fair. After the initial launch, analysts expect the Zune to build gradually, with initial marketshare coming at the expense of other MP3 manufacturers besides Apple.
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).
