Has the Zune killed the iPod?

I’ve got a funny story I’d like to share with everyone. And it’s funny only because I just got done with the MP3 player buying guide and told you that the iPod is still pretty much the king of the hill. I had a lady come up to me today and ask me about an iPod charger that she was looking for as a gift for Christmas. I told her where she might be able to purchase one here locally and she kind of gave me a strange look. I only mentioned a couple of stores (since there’s only a couple in our area that sell iPods and accessories) and she said, “Yeah, I guess they’re going to be hard to find now, since they’ve got that new thing out.” Being the tech newshound that I am, I immediately wondered what big press conference I had missed. I wondered, “What new thing did somebody come out with that is going to boot the iPod out the window?”

Then she says, “Yeah, that Zoom or Zune thing.” Oh. That new thing.

I quickly explained to her that while the Zune is new, it’s not something from Apple and it’s not replacing the iPod.  It’s merely another choice in the slew of MP3 players available on the market.  But it brings up a good point.  Does the Zune have a chance to slay the iPod?  Can the features already in the Zune (wireless, FM tuner, widescreen video) be tweaked enough to actually make people think twice about buying an iPod?

At this point I’m not sure.  Personally, I think the Zune has great potential.  As a hardware device, the Zune is really great.  The sound quality is better than the iPod, videos look surprisingly good, and the case itself is made of much better material than the iPod (or scratchPod, if you know what  I mean).  I’ve had the Zune for just about a month now, and it definitely deserves its due.  Now if Microsoft will just figure out the fact that we actually want to be able to use the wireless to access the music store and spend money with them…

It’s always great when there is competition in the tech world.  When one product dominates a market, things can get a little stagnant.  Competition benefits you and I, Joe Consumer.  While I love my iPod and think it’s quite possibly one of the coolest devices ever made, I welcome the company that thinks they can outdo the iPod.  And you should, too.  Maybe then it really will be hard to find a dock for your iPod.