Tuned-out students may have a new best friend.

A new MP3 player built by Microsoft is set to challenge Apple’s iPod for portable media dominance.

The Microsoft Zune was released on Nov. 14, and has been selling well at Target, said Target Electronics Team Leader Mike Lynch. The Zune only comes in one model, has 30 gigabytes of storage and it is comparable to the 30-gigabyte video iPod. They have many of the same features, but with a few differences.

One thing is the Zune comes with a FM radio and has a screen that is about a half-inch bigger.

Sales of the Zune at Best Buy have also been well, said Best Buy Customer Specialist Pablo Castillo, junior in marketing.

“They’ve been pretty good,” he said.

Lynch said the Zune comes in three different colors: black, brown and white. The battery life is also long, lasting an advertised four hours on video play and 15 to 18 hours on music play.

“I have one, personally, and I love it,” Lynch said.

Apple has had a history of making very complex, digital technology easy to use, said John Wong, associate professor in marketing.

“iPod’s major strength is it is user-friendly,” he said.

Castillo said the iPod and the Zune have similar features.

The biggest difference between the two is the Zune can transfer selected songs wirelessly between different players, Lynch said.

Lynch said it is hard to compare sales to the iPod because the Zune only comes in one model.

“I don’t think they have a chance to compete with the iPod because they only have the one model,” he said.

Lynch said the Zune could be selling better, but Microsoft isn’t doing much to promote it.

He said this is because Microsoft is concentrating on Xbox sales competing with the arrival of PlayStation 3 and on the upcoming Windows Vista operating system.

The Zune doesn’t stand a chance without a good ad campaign because the iPod is in a different class from other MP3 players in customer’s eyes, Castillo said.

“I think it’s going to take a lot of advertising and good marketing,” he said.

Wong said the iPod has a “pioneer advantage” because it was the first MP3 player of its kind on the market.

For any company to compete with the popularity of the iPod, it would have to release an equal product at a lower price or a better product, said Kay Palan, associate dean of business.

“iPod was alone and enjoyed share for so long, they could capture share – it’s that much harder for a competitor to come in,” she said.

Wong said if the Zune is user-friendly, it could have a chance to compete with the iPod.

iPod owner Burke Sandman, junior in civil engineering, said he wasn’t impressed with the Zune or its ability for wireless transfers, because iPod users can do similar transfers with iTunes.

“I’m happy how my iPod works,” he said. “I don’t think people will be willing to change,” he said.

The Zune will also be compatible with Windows Vista without an upgrade when Vista is released at the end of January. After the Vista system is released, Lynch said the amount of Zune accessories and models will increase.

“Right now they’re waiting for Vista capabilities,” he said.