Zune Thoughts: The Girls at GadgetCandy Look at The Zune

"Out now in the states, Microsoft’s Zune is muscling in on iPod’s turf with a player that looks broadly similar but is actually pretty different... The Zune is a stylish little number with a round controller – a four-way job rather than a click wheel – mounted under a plush, three-inch screen. That’s only half an inch bigger than the iPod’s, but it shades it on video playback. You turn the player through 90 degrees and watch in widescreen, although that’s no boon if the footage is in 4:3 format. It doesn’t disappoint musically. The bundled headphones are surprisingly non-rubbish, rustling up a reasonable amount of bass. With a bought-in pair of ’phones, sound quality is very good."

It's not a very detailed write-up - and they have those irritating Flash ads that position themselves on top of the content - but what's interesting to me here is what women think of the Zune. Women tend to value style over functionality in consumer electronics, and shop based on benefits whereas men usually shop based on features. I'm generalizing of course, but I think that's generally true based on what I've seen from the women around me. When it comes to the Zune, the size was a concern for most reviewers when compared to the iPod. But in real life (reviews are rarely "real life") when I've handed my Zune to women, none have complained it was too big or too heavy. I think the large screen helps offset the size because the perception is that the big screen justifies the bigger size. For female Zune Thoughts readers, I'd love to hear your first impressions of the Zune and the reaction it has gotten from other women you've shown it to.