Last Tuesday Microsoft released the Zune 2 devices in 80 GB, 8 GB, and 4 GB versions. Below is the front page of this week’s Target ad showing the flashed-based Zune device (4 and 8 GB).

Which item would you pick, the Zune (on the left) or the iPod Touch (on the right)? Did you even notice the Zune? (I thought it was the last generation iPod Nano until I took a closer look.)

I know there’s a $150 price difference between the two but that issue is answered when you turn the page.

This is what you see on the inside page. A nice ad telling you the iPod makes the perfect gift. So where’s the Zune? If I didn’t know better I would think this whole thing was an Apple ad and they included the Zune for comparision purposes.

The Microsoft Zune is so far behind the iPod in Marketing and sales, you would think Microsoft would pay to make a splash for the release of the Zune 2. I bet many won’t even notice the Zune but will notice the iPod Touch on the front page and the new iPod Nano and iPod Classic on the second page.

I paid $250 for my first generation 30 GB Zune over a year ago so I’ve been watching Microsoft and were they were going with the Zune. Where they went was reducing my Zune by $100. They finally released a product that competes with the last generation iPods but I don’t expect many buyers to get excited about this device and ads like this doesn’t help either. At least they provided the loyal first gen Zune users with a firmware upgrade so they could experience the new Zune 2 user interface.

Before this year I’ve never owned an iPod (or any Apple product for that matter) so I was really hoping Microsoft would make the Zune a success. I recently purchased an iPod Nano and iPod Touch because the Zune just didn’t do what I wanted. Time will tell if Microsoft can convince buyers that the Zune 2 is as sexy and cool as the iPod.

I’ve downloaded the new Zune Desktop software and upgraded the firmware in my older Zune and I plan to write up my experiences. I’ve also talked about my initial reaction on my last podcast and will talk more about it soon. I’ll let you know about the new Zune experience and how it compares to the iPod.

More to come. Stay tuned.

 Tags: zune zune2 ipod ipod+touch microsoft apple