Everyone has a price, and Microsoft's Zune is no different: $249.99, about a buck more than the 30GB iPod. So much for "we won't be undercut."
Our friends over at Engadget have the skinny on all the Zune's launch details.
The U.S. Product launch date will be November 14th, you'll pay $.99 per song, or $14.99 per month for a Zune Pass.
And as for accessories, you can pick up a car charger for $24, a sync cable for $20, AV cable for $20, a dock with AV output but no cable for $40, and a wireless remote to control the dock for $30. The list goes on, with accessories maxing out at $100 for a Zune Home A/V Pack or a Zune Travel pack.
In other words, like with most consumer devices, you pay that $250 only to get your foot in the door. Sure, if all you want to do is rip your CDs and listen to them on your Zune, you're all set, but why stop there when you can spend hundreds of dollars on accessories and media? Wait, that first idea actually sounds pretty good to me.
Microsoft has a link to the press release, but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment.
Update: here's a complete list of the music that comes preloaded, as well as the available accessories.
