Just Geeky

In light of Apple’s continuing iPod-led dominance in the digital music player arena, the belated arrival of Microsoft’s Zune multimedia device was met with, a perhaps predictable, ‘too little too late’ reception by the critics along with a less than feverish adoption rate by consumers. That said, the much-maligned Zune has this week surpassed Microsoft’s own expectations by ably breaking the 1 million sales mark just prior to the company’s initial June prediction.

Furthermore, according to Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices division, this million-strong landmark also represents the Zune successfully capturing some 10 percent of the total market share. However, despite those claims, the American software giant – which also has the market-leading Xbox 360 videogames console attributed to its Entertainment and Devices division – has a considerable mountain to scale should conquering the iPod be its ultimate objective, especially as Apple holds some 74 percent of the market.

“We’re still about nine months into having Zune in the marketplace. We’re very pleased with the progress,” commented Bach during an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. “We’ve sold a little over a million Zunes. In the category we’re in, the hard-disk-based category, we’ve got about 10 percent market share. It’s a good start.”

During the course of the interview, Bach was quizzed on a wide variety of technology subjects, over the course of which he revealed that a new Zune fabrication facility is being constructed in China for the production of second-gen HDD Zunes and also a new flash-memory version. The Microsoft exec also conceded that the hugely anticipated iPod-enabled iPhone was an intriguing entrant to the market, while also intonating that the American software giant has no current plans to introduce its own Zune phone by way of response.

With Bach also enthusing about the appeal and current success of the coloured Zune models (namely the pink and watermelon flavours), he also went on to state that increased Wi-Fi functionality for the Zune – in the face of the Wi-Fi superiority of Sandisk’s popular Sansa Connect player – would be a simple case of a quick piece of software writing, if the company should decide to implement such changes.

While the 1 million milestone has been reached in fairly good time by Microsoft’s Zune, the likelihood of iPod sales (ranked in the tens of millions per year) flagging in the immediate future is extremely low, and any feature-filled, flash-built, Wi-Fi- boasting second-generation Zune is unlikely to leave anything other than a grooved scratch on Apple’s otherwise pristine performance.

Sony is expanding the rather limited choices on today’s HD radio market. The company today announced a table-top radio as well as an in-car audio adapter, which is promised to be compatible with “most Sony car stereos.”

The XDR-S3HD comes in a form factor comparable to mini stereo systems and provides AM/FM/HD support with separate bass and treble controls. The device allows users to store radio 20 AM and 20 FM stations, comes with alarm clock functionality, a remote control as well as an auxiliary input jack. The XDR-S3HD is scheduled to ship in July and sell for about $200.

The model XT-100HD is a hideaway HD radio module that connects through the head unit’s bus interface to “most” Sony car stereos. Besides being able to receive HD radio, Sony says that the device “feeds rich information, including artist names and song titles, to the car stereo’s display.” It also can display radio station names and genres, if the information is provided by the radio station. The XT-100HD will ship for about $100 in July, Sony said.

The company promises that both HD radios will be providing a “crystal clear radio” experience. Compared to the Sirius or XM satellite radio services, which require a monthly subscription fee, HD radio is available for free. However, while satellite radio offers commercial-free music channels and a potentially greater variety of content in any given area, there are commercials on HD radio stations – just like on any other traditional radio station.

Sony said that there are 1300 stations currently broadcasting with the HD Radio system. An additional 2500 stations indicated that they will move to HD and more than 600 new channels are believed to go online within a foreseeable time. According to the company, approximately 90% of Americans will have access to HD Radio broadcasts within the next two years.

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