Meet the New Zunes

Thanksgiving shoppers on the hunt for 'iPod killers'

(NEWSER) - Microsoft's new Zune digital music players have been flying off the shelves, reports PC World. But big retailers have been running out, frustrating hordes of Thanksgiving shoppers attracted by big discounts and plenty of hype. Microsoft, which seems to have seriously misjudged demand for the best-selling model, the Zune 80, said the shortages will be over in around a week. More»

(NEWSER) - Apple today unveiled the newest iteration of its iPod Shuffle, which is just 1.8 inches by 0.3 inches, can speak titles in 14 languages, and holds 1000 songs, Macworld reports. Smaller than a AA battery, it’s half the size of the last version, but more functional. The device retails for $79, the Wall Street Journal adds. More»

Apple, Microsoft take page from Pandora's book in broadening users' horizons

(NEWSER) - In test-driving new software from Apple and Microsoft designed to facilitate music discovery for users of their respective media players, Walter Mossberg gives the edge to Zune’s system over rival iTunes’ upgrades. “Though I didn't happen to have as much time to use Zune's software as I did Apple's Genius, I got more out of my Zune experience,” he writes in the Wall Street Journal. More»

Video game retailer will no longer sell Microsoft's feeble mp3 player

(NEWSER) - GameStop, a national chain of video game stores, has announced it will no longer carry Microsoft’s floundering Zune digital media player, TheStreet.com reports. "We have decided to exit the Zune category because it just did not have the appeal we had anticipated," a spokesman said of the iPod competitor, on shelves since late 2006. Microsoft seemed unfazed. More»

Ipad puts Apple ahead of rival for first time since 1991

(NEWSER) - Apple's profits have outstripped Microsoft's for the first time since Extreme was topping the charts and Mark Zuckerberg was in second grade. Microsoft's revenue and profits were actually up last quarter, but Apple managed to move ahead for the first time in 20 years with a $6 billion profit on revenues of $24.7 billion, reports the Guardian , which believes this may mark a key moment in the industry. More»