Microsoft confirms Zune HD coming this fall | Beyond Binary

Looks okay, kind of like a more square version of the original iPhone. Love the OLED screen and touchscreen support (though who knows if it’ll be multi-touch). But here’s the major problem I see with this: Microsoft has created a competitor to the iPod touch two years after that hit the market.

It’s the same problem they had with the original Zune versus the iPod and then the flash-based Zunes versus the iPod nanos. They are playing catch-up. And not only does Apple have the momentum in the market, but it’s always a step ahead.

Microsoft is banking on the radio being one of the killer features of this device versus an iPod touch. Well I’d bet the iPod touch will gain the rumored camera, and many more users will care about that versus the radio feature.

The Xbox tie-in is potentially interesting, particularly the Xbox Live component, but I have little faith in Microsoft executing that well. Gaming is a key feature on these devices, but Microsoft would have to start from scratch on a new type of game different from Xbox 360 games to play on this. Will the Xbox Live Arcade games work? Maybe, but unlikely. I sense this being very confusing and again, the iPod touch has a head start with thousands of games. Not to mention other apps, etc.

So while it looks and sounds decent, Zune HD was always highly predictable. Microsoft is once again 2 years behind Apple to a particular market. And I’d bet it will once again fail to overtake Apple in that market. If I’m wrong, I’ll say so. But I don’t think I am.