"It's only a flesh wound!"

And what does Microsoft itself have to say about the Zune disaster? Let the mewling begin:

Microsoft puts best face on Zune sales

Lonely farmer puts lipstick and garters on a pig. NSFW film at eleven.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/294973_msftzune07.html

Microsoft sees selling 1M Zunes by June

"Microsoft expects to eventually 'be the leader' in the category." If the category is unwanted, hated music players, then mission accomplished!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061206/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_zune

Why Is This Man Smiling? He Loves Microsoft.

Sorry, NSFW (non-pixellated Ballmer shots). The meat of this article is the comment by reader jbelkin, laying out MS's tremendous record of consumer product failures. Great read.
http://www.mac360.com/index.php/mac360/comments/why_is_this_man_smiling_...

Zunestory: Microsoft Talks Zune Expectations

Paul Thurrott gives MS a chance to explain itself. It's not one of his lapdog pieces; while this article is neutral, in an earlier article even Paul recoiled in disgust at the Zune. (More on that soon.)
http://www.windowsitpro.com:80/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=94475&Displa...

Amazon expedition discovers Zune outsold by iPod power adapters, armbands, obscure cables

My own article. See note at end in response to Microsoft's sniffle, "we are exactly where we hoped we'd be".
http://www.boycottzune.com/expedition

And thus does Napoleon Zuneapart march resolutely into Tsar iPod's winter.

How well will the damage-control spin play with MS shareholders? What will they have to say about this colossal waste of energy, money, and already-sinking corporate goodwill?