This guy bought the new Zune music player, the latest innovative product from Microsoft. If you think you have seen product rip-offs, look again. It tries hard to look like an ipod, it includes a “zune” sticker in the box (just like the ipod sticker) and instead of Apple’s “Designed in California” they have printed “Hello from Seattle” on the back of each device (Update: Even their wording is an Apple rip-off: In Apple Mail.app’s icon it actually says “Hello from Cupertino”). Zune only connects to and only plays songs from the Microsoft-owned, propriatory zune marketplace.

However, they suceeded to differentiate themselves in one Microsoft-specific way! The software install will abort with errors:

That photo is part of the official installer. I wonder… no I better don’t….

It is interesting to note that MS supports no files others than those bought from their new music store. Even music files bought in the “old” Microsoft MSN music store (which has been closed to make place for zunes) won’t work. Don’t even bother thinking you could plug in this thing as a regular storage device and upload your mp3’s.

The Economist reports that Microsoft’s approach of doing everything themselves is controversial, because Microsoft’s pre-existing hardware and service partners are left high and dry, citing Peter Sealey, a professor at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business: â