From operating systems to videogames to music, Gates pretty much touches it all.  In an earlier post my colleague stated that “Nobody does it better than Jobs”, let’s find out if that’s true.

I read in today’s New York Times that Microsoft has revamped its slow-selling Zune digital music players and created a MySpace-style social-networking site in its drive to compete with Apple’s market-leading iPod.

Although many of the changes are to the Zune are stylistic (different colors and a change to the navigation button)  let’s break down the key new features and see if this is worthwhile:

• This version of the Zune was pulled together in about 6 mos.  In the NYT article Gates is quoted as saying “I’m sure a year from now we’ll do even better,” Mr. Gates said. “But I’m blown away by what they’ve been able to do in a year.”  This worries me just a tad. Does that mean I’ll have the blue screen of death and multiple viruses until next year? Sweet.

• A key change had to do with Microsoft’s effort to enhance the Zune’s coolest feature: the ability to share music files and other media wirelessly with other Zune owners.  Apparently, not many users took up this function because of crippling usage rules negotiated with the music industry (shocking, I know). Shared songs expired within a few days and a file acquired from one Zune user could not be shared with a third user. Under this new version, shared songs would have no expiration date and it would be possible repeatedly to pass along songs sent from one device to another. But a shared file can be played only three times on each Zune.   Finally, I can share Eddie Murphy’s “Party All the Time” with all my friends…three times.

• As we stated above, this version also includes a social-networking site, Zune Social, to encourage the sharing of samples of songs online, even for fans who do not own a Zune player (Really?). Members of the network will also be able to use a small application on their computers to display which songs they have been listening to, and that information can be posted on certain Web sites outside the network or sent by e-mail to friends.  Yes! People will know how hip I am as I post Kanye West’s Stronger everywhere.

The Price breakdown for the Zune matches up to that of the iPod at each storage level.  So I can’t poke fun there…although I’ve yet to see a phone…oh wait, nevermind there are the smart phones.  Yup, love him or hate him – this man is everywhere.  Actually, he’s already writing my next post.

Zune or iPod, who do you think will win in the end and why?