> * The various iterations of Zune, even though commercially unsuccessful, laid the groundwork for both the "Metro" UI language and Microsoft's in-house hardwar

> * The various iterations of Zune, even though commercially unsuccessful, laid the groundwork for both the "Metro" UI language and Microsoft's in-house hardware design.* I think this is key. Microsoft has been selling keyboards and mice for a long time with probably a small team, but organizationally the Zune (and Xbox 360) efforts allowed them to staff up and work out a lot of the logistics.