I am not following you on this one. I am running Vista RC2 (5744) and Office 2007 - legally for free. Have you paid for these for some reason (other than shipping or the bandwidth fee)?

Sorry, I should have been more specific and said proprietary technology requirements.

iPods need iTunes to load files, which requires PC owners to install yet another media player. I have 2300 + songs (all ripped from the original CD in WMA lossless format) which have to be in either .mp3 or .aac (.m4p) format to run in iPod. This took just over 24 hours for iTunes to convert to make them compatible with the iPod. The 'Zune' can read all three formats (.mp3, .aac, and .wma) making it more compatible with multiple media formats, and thus with more 'stock' computers.

I have never regretted buying my iPod.  The Zune is ok, but it's not going to replace anything I have.

Here is the audio file information page: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928191/en-us?sd=zune

Here is the video file information page: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928192/en-us?sd=zune

My point, which is clearly not well said, is that the 'Zune' is an alternative choice for a portable media device which includes software that can read files from both Apple and Microsoft default audio player file formats (as well as the .mp3) and then sync with the device. Therefore, one could simply copy ripped or downloaded library files of said file types onto the computer and the software will add them to the library, allowing for addition to the device.

As a Dead Head I am fully aware of the lossless file formats (no attitude here, just a fact). Are you saying that the iTunes program reads these? Or do I need to write the firmware to my iPod? I currently have about 140 concerts (GD) that I attended in 'shorten' file format which would be great to load onto my iPod. Any information on that would be welcome.

Thanks for pointing out how much better the iPod is.

Actually, the 'iPod' software is required for the 'iPod'. iTunes just recently (beginning with iTunes 7) incorporated this software into the iTunes installer. So you still need both the iPod software and the iTunes media player to load onto the iPod.

The big difference I see is that the new offering from Microsoft will allow you to use (without conversion) the native file formats - .aac, .wma, and .mp3 - where the offering from Apple will not let you use '.wma'. This again leaves the fence in place between Apple and Microsoft, and could be considered a 'proprietary' issue.

In the defense of your arguement, the fact that the 'Zune' software only runs on XP w/SP2 and MC, still leaves something to be desired in the search for a 'one size fits all' solution. Thus, the "I feel like I may regret purchasing an iPod, now that my freedom has been shown to be limited - but that is a personal issue" statement in my opening. I would not even consider another device if the iPod would also allow the use of Windows Media Player and '.wma' files. Sadly, this is not the case.

The wireless capabilities of the 'Zune' may compel many to consider it as an investment for future upgradability. Microsoft has indicated that it will provide firmware updates for the devices. I am not sure that this would be the thinking when purchasing an iPod (I bought one strictly for listening to music while working out or jogging, where it replaced the obsolescent 'Walkman').

I do agree that the iPod is more versatile in many respects, but it would seem that Microsoft is trying to; (1) offer an alternative option themselves to gain a piece of the market, and (2) offer a slow 'peace' path where more direct interoperability between Apple and Microsoft is possible for the end user. As always, consumers are going to be aware that this is just as much a plan to gain profit as it is anything else, but some people may see the subtle possibilities of a unified technical world.

This is due to my owning the discs and having Windows Media Player, which offered the lossless format for free. I started going to concerts and collecting music well before CD's and was using the original 'Walkman' with cassette tapes. The iPod (or any other portable digital device) did not exist (outside of the old Sony D series DAT machines used at Dead concerts to record the shows) when I made my original choices. This lack of options at the time left the WMA lossless format as the best path to save my music with the best integrity possible.

The purchase of the iPod was indeed a personal decision, which included being required to convert the files to ones that could be read and played with the Apple offering. I really do like the iPod, but as I have mentioned, wish it was compatible with Windows Media Player and the '.wma' file format.

I apologize if it comes across as my thinking the other devices are bad. I have an iPod, and consider the 'Zune' to be a decent alternative for those who do not want to go the iPod route. The Creative products are reported to be good as well, but the article is recognizing the release of the 'Zune'.

Good until July 2007. Not bad for free, and the purchasable version will be the final release, so I would expect to pay for the work done by the engineers.