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The Microsoft marketing staff must be getting paid per idea these days! How else can we explain the Seinfeld+Gates response to the “I’m a Mac” campaign?

Or the release of details about the new Zune media players, which comes suspiciously one day before Apple’s Let’s Rock event. Analyst predictions for the September 9th event include updated iPod nanos, refreshes to the iPod Touch, iTunes 8 with fancy new features, or even a Macintosh netbook computer. Oh, and let’s not forget Steve Jobs’ famous, “One more thing…”.  Obviously, nobody knows for certain what Apple will present to the world, but Microsoft sure knows how to try and steal the spotlight.

Microsoft confirmed widely circulated rumours about the next generation Zune models, including a 16GB flash-based and 120GB hard drive-based ($199 and $249) respectively. Storage increases aside, there is not much in the way of new hardware, except for refreshed color options. Software is the main focus of the new Zunes. New features include FM radio tagging, which allows a user to purchase a song in the Zune marketplace that they heard on an FM radio station (though coverage is spotty at best, because not all radio stations broadcast the required song information). Additional features include more social music exploration functions, including the ability to discover what music others are listening to based on common buying habits (much like the Just For You in the iTunes store, but this is explicitly a music recommendation service rather than an analysis of buying habits). Also new to the Zune will be “channels:” custom-mixed sets of music organized around a theme. Sounds a lot like iTunes Essentials, only these can be accessed directly from a Zune.

Whether Microsoft’s attention grabbing will work remains to be seen, but the numbers tend to speak for themselves. More iPhones have been sold than Zunes, and numbers from Apple’s recent back-to-school promos will likely boost the number of iPods sold. Microsoft seems to realize they can’t compete with hardware alone, as evidenced by the lack of touch screens on the new Zunes. The interface to the new software features also remains to be tested; Apple has evolved the iPod with the touch and iPhone, making yesterday’s click-wheels and manual buttons feel antiquated. The Zune faces stiff competition, especially if Apple’s event on September 9th really does “rock us.”

Via [cnet news]