The Zune is Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s long running dominance in the MP3 player market. It will debut to the world on November 14, 2006, and is expected to make quite a stir in the world of digital music.

Currently, although it’s available in black, white or brown, Microsoft is only offering a 30GB model. This model will be able to hold 7,500 songs, 25,000 pictures or 100 hours of video.

The Zune also features a built-in FM tuner, a feature which Apple has neglected to include in any of their iPods. It will retail for $249.99, which is the exact price of Apple’s 30GB iPod.

Slightly larger than the 30GB iPod, the Zune supports many of the same features as its Apple counterpart, but also offers several capabilities that are not currently present in Apple’s line of products.

At first glance, there are several physical characteristics that set it apart from the iPod and other similar MP3 players. The Zune is seven and a half inches long, and features a three inch color screen.

The screen is not only a half inch larger than the 30GB iPod screen, but also offers a landscape mode for video viewing. Although it is similar, the controls of the Zune are different than those of the iPod.

Instead of only featuring a click wheel, it gives users expanded operating capabilities by including a button on each side of the click wheel.

Although the software is similar to Apple’s iTunes software, there are several noticeable differences between the two. The software can automatically import any videos, music or pictures from Windows Media Player and iTunes, and then export this media to the Zune itself.

The software automatically updates itself, which means that users never have to worry about missing out on a new feature or important update. Finally, the software has Zune Marketplace built into it. The Marketplace is an easy and affordable way to purchase media for the Zune.

The most promising feature of the new media player is its wireless capabilities. Every Zune will have the ability to wirelessly share songs, play lists, recordings and pictures with other Zunes.

Shared songs can be listened to a maximum of three times within three days, and then easily purchased for permanent enjoyment from the Marketplace.

Microsoft has hinted several times that they have big plans for these wireless capabilities, which will be distributed in the future through the automatically updating Zune software.

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