Can the Zune HD do to the iPod what the iPod did to... well... itself?

Microsoft's release of the new Zune HD may seem by some as a feeble attempt to jump on Apple's coat tails and try and scrounge up what few followers Apple has left behind. However, I see it as much more than that. Sure its touchscreen media player came a little late, and sure Apple's design of its products is second to none; but at the end of the day isn't it time for something new?

Just as the iPod revolutionized the way we listen to our music, then re-revolutionized the way we watch videos and finally took our fingers for a walk through its applications; the Zune can change the way we interact with the rest of our media.

Apple has built an iPod following based on a simple interface, clever and creative design and simple to use applications. But that which makes it great, also opens up cracks in strategy, cracks big enough, that the Zune may just squeeze through.

I applaud Microsoft's design and development teams. Rather than accept a music-player world dominated by the iPod, they've attempted to understand what the iPod was missing and deliver a new form of satisfaction. So maybe it isn't too late after all. We can never listen to anyone that says it maybe too early or too late for something- who are they to create our time frames? The time is always right at the right time.

Think about it.

DVN