Zune is this big?

I've deliberately not mentioned anything about Zune, the supposed new Microsoft way to upstage the iPod (again). Not that I don't think it might be great or anything (although if it blue screens, a lot of people might not be too happy), it's just that no-one really knows anything about it for definite yet, and until they do, it seems a little pointless to get all worked up. You see, Microsoft (to me anyway) just isn't Apple - anytime there's a hint of a new computer or gadget coming from Mr Jobs I get excited, and frantically search through my bank account looking for little pieces of change that might add up to enough to wander down the store. When was the last time I did that for a Microsoft thing?

Actually, thinking about it, I did get pretty excited about the XBox and the 360, and the same team or leader (can't remember which) is apparently involved in some way, shape or form. But I think the root of the problem has always been (up until now anyway), their stuff just isn't pretty enough. I love my XBoxes (has someone invented a different word for the plural), but they're not the prettiest things in the world. The 360 is nicer than the original, but nothing really special, and that's even when you hide the huge power adaptor away in some cool place so you can't see it (hearing it is another matter - this thing is the loudest accessory that sits close to any tv by a mile, even the TiVo). Compare this to the beauty of my metal stalked movable screen Mac, or my iPod, or how pretty OS X looks no matter what they do with XP (or Vista for that matter). Maybe I'm just a superficial kinda person, but the Macs do have a knack of backing up the good looks with some substance (hence the world domination of the iPod I guess).