CNN Kill the Zune

Watching the CNN report today on the Zune - Microsoft's attempt to compete with the iPod - was a treat. Soleda O'Brien took out her new Apple Shuffle and cooed over the charming little device and Miles wondered why Microsoft couldn't get better designers. "It [the Zune] looks so clunky" he said, which appears to be just about everyone's impression of the device.

It is interesting, however, to note the design principles of Apple and Microsoft - and to wonder just why it is that Apple scores so highly and Microsoft scores so poorly. One force that is certain at Apple is, of course, the profound design influence of Steve Jobs, whose tech aesthetic sense is simply second to none and one that he is able to identify in others.

This influence shows in everything that they do, BTW, including Apple's presence at trade exhibitions - a place the public doesn't see them, but I can tell you that it is equally impressive.

So the bottom line about the Zune launch is that it immediately highlighted comparisons with Apple's successful product line and those comparisons simply led people to make love to Apple and dis Microsoft. There is a PR lesson in there somewhere.