iPod的地位受到挑战！微软推出新款播放器--Zune，力撼对手苹果公司。

Microsoft Corp.s Zune players made a debut in U.S. stores last Tuesday, trying to break the dominance of Apple Computer Inc.s iPod in the digital music market.

“We can beat them, but its not going to be easy,” chief executive Steven A. Ballmer said.

Zune is Microsofts first product in the $4 billion U.S. digital music market dominated by the iPod.

“The market will have two big players for a long time, us and Apple,” Ballmer said. “Obviously were the David* in this one; Apples the Goliath*.”

Zune has a 30-gigabyte hard drive for saving music files and connects to an online music store called Zune Marketplace, which will compete with Apples iTunes. Microsoft adds an FM radio to Zune and also the ability to transfer songs from one device to another.

Zune sells for $249.99 in the United States, the same price as an iPod with comparable storage space, and will compete with video iPods released in September.

Reviews of Zune

Gadget reviewers have criticized the device for being larger and heavier than the iPod, as well as describing its song download service as more complicated than iTunes.

Others like the Zunes larger screen and the hand-held devices ease of use.

Microsoft may struggle to win sales. Apple has sold more than 67.6 million iPods since it went on sale in 2001, including 39.4 million in the past year.

文化链接——David and Goliath《圣经·因约》中关于巨人哥利亚(Goliath)和牧羊人大卫(David)的故事：Goliath是传说中的非利士巨人，他身材高大，骁勇善战，可勇敢的David凭借手中的石头和弹弓杀死了Goliath，David后来成为以色列的国王。