I actually agree that the Zune HD is a worthy competitor, at least from a hardware and UX perspective. In many ways, Apple plays it safe from a design perspect

I actually agree that the Zune HD is a worthy competitor, at least from a hardware and UX perspective. In many ways, Apple plays it safe from a design perspective with the iPod touch, and Microsoft actually went out on a limb and bet on the Metro UI paradigm. It wasn't a complete win, but I personally like many aspects of it, and am looking forward to seeing if Windows Phone 7 can successfully translate that into a useful phone experience.