However, Microsoft's Zune music player and accompanying music store fragments the Windows Media market--and that's bad for everybody, whether the company or its partners and customers.
On Thursday, I cited Zune as one of 10 things for which Microsoft should be thankful. The player's introduction has given Microsoft me-too presence alongside iPod and the iTunes music store. Competitively, Microsoft badly needs this position. The long-term costs, however, may overwhelm the short-term gains.