Pink outsells brown, and other Zune tales
It's Wednesday afternoon, do you know how the Zune is doing?
If not, Microsoft is happy to fill you in. The pale pink version, which hit shelves earlier this month, is outselling the white and brown shades, according to the company, which sent out an update on the music player today. It doesn't want you to forget that the Halo 3 Zune is just a couple of weeks away. w00t!
(Credit:
Microsoft)
The Zune in all colors (expect to see red this summer) is holding on to its No. 2 spot in the U.S. retail market for hard drive-based music players. NPD numbers had the player at 9.1 percent market share for April, and it's still hanging steady.
After an initial marketing campaign aimed at familiarizing consumers with the brand, Microsoft this month launched a second push for the Zune that stressed the "Sync Pink" print campaign and a TV commercial that spotlights the player's wireless sharing, FM radio and LCD screen.
Of course, the ascent of the pink Zune could mean that people are feeling rosy about the shade, or that they just aren't warming up to the other hues all that much. No word yet on the next pretty-Zune-color marketing campaign.
Leslie Katz, senior editor of CNET's Crave, covers gadgets, games, and most other digital distractions. As a co-host of the CNET News Daily Podcast, she sometimes tries to channel Terry Gross. E-mail Leslie. 
Microsoft, you DO have this habit of treating your hardware development like how you patch your software...S.L.O.W. and lethargic.