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I go away for a few days, come back to work, and as expected, Microsoft's stillborn wonder is still tanking/sinking/exploding/etc. BUT, whereas I half expected the Zune to be GONE by now, I'm instead seeing two signs of unnatural life:

1) On the Amazon lists, the "top-selling" Zune (Black) continues to float around the #20 spot among music players, and in the #60-80 range among all electronics. Pathetic, yes, but it's still bobbing – it's the one that didn't get flushed the first time.

2) Microsoft is making Big Boy Talk: "We're in it for the long haul, we're right where we hoped to be, we're going to win in the end", yadda-blah. Translation: "This is Windows all over again: quality doesn't matter. Our money and tactics will win."

Now, you're probably like me: When the lumbering dead bring their persistent hordes into town, I say there just can't be too many chainsaws. So let 'em rip, boys! bbbzzzzZZZZZZZ...

A royalty fee for Universal on iPods? Not likely

MS had to bend over backward to get Universal as a Zune partner. No, wait, that's not quite right; it bent over in the usual, prison-shower way. Apple's not likely to do the same for Big U. "The clear message for... Universal is that their best bet of getting a piece of the action on iPod sales is to buy some Apple shares."
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/7652/1023/

Zune is no PC

Windows executed brilliantly on a strategy to take over the IT world with an inferior product. Zune is trying the same, but with a stupid strategy. "... a Zune running Windows Media Player with PlaysForSure, with an option to buy music and videos from a wide range of stores would seem to make a lot more sense than what the company has in place now."
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/7559/1023/

Why consumers are angry with Microsoft over Zune

"...the much heralded launch of Microsoft's Zune music player has been a flop - they're moving about as fast as an elephant with arthritis."
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/7489/1023/

My, my. So much to make fun of. And the amazing thing is this: all this stories and links on Boycott Zune, and I haven't even once mentioned the word "squirt". (Oops.)