Zune does a bit better than expected

DESPITE GETTING a hammering in the tech press, Microsoft's Zune has had respectable sales last month according to data from market research firm NPD Group.

According to Mercury News, even though Vole didn't release the Zune until halfway through November, it managed to corner nine per cent of the US market.

The release did not even dent the market leader Apple's iPod sales, but NPD bean counters think that Vole had managed a pretty good performance on its first month out.

As most sane observers said at the time, the black version of the Zune is the best seller and accounts for 63 per cent of all sold. The shite-brown model, which Vole apparently released to 'stand out from the opposition', makes up 19 per cent of Zunes sold.

A spokesVole was happy with the position Zune currently holds in the market, and is pleased that it is on track to meet sales targets of a million units by end of the fiscal year.

Still, it is not clear what Microsoft is hoping to archive in 2007 with a player which is so far behind the market leader it is practically lapped. µ