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The new music player from Microsoft, Zune, has gone on sale in the United States, hoping to make a significant dent into the success of Apple’s iPod.

The launch of the portable player is Microsoft’s first direct attempt to topple the iPod, which has dominated the MP3 market around the world.

The Zune is only available in the US and there is just one 30-gigabyte model - in three colours (white, black and brown) - for $250 (£131).

The Apple iPod has a 75 percent share of the digital music player market in the US and more than half of the world market, so Microsoft has ambition plans with this product by taking on Apple in this key market.

Initially, Microsoft tried to top the iPod by working with third-party MP3 player manufacturers, but has now abandoned all plans by releasing their own.

The firm licenses software called Plays For Sure, which guarantees that digital music bought from a range of download stores works on players that have signed up to the system.

But Microsoft’s Zune is not part of the Plays For Sure initiative - so songs bought from Napster, Rhapsody, AOL or Urge, will not work with the player…

In addition, songs bought from Microsoft’s own MSN music store - which is being closed down - will not work on a Zune player as well.

Instead Zune users must buy and download music from a dedicated Zune online music store - or rip their own CDs and transfer them onto the player.

Zune owners can buy individual tracks using a points system - with 79 Zune points equals 99 cents which buys a single - or subscribe to the service monthly, giving users access to two million tracks.

The first reviews of the player have been mixed - praising some features, and criticising others.

“The player is excellent,” wrote David Pogue in The New York Times. “It can’t touch the iPod’s looks or coolness, but it’s certainly more practical.

“It’s coated in slightly rubberised plastic, available in white, black or brown, yes, brown.

“It won’t turn heads, but it won’t get fingerprinty and scratched, either. It sounds just as good as the iPod.”

Walter Mossberg in The Wall Street Journal wrote: “Zune has several nice features the iPod lacks: a larger screen, the ability to exchange songs with other Zunes wirelessly and a built-in FM radio.”

The unique selling point is the ability to connect wirelessly to other Zune users to share songs - one song can be shared three times and will only be stored on another Zune for up to three days.

But the practical limitations of the sharing option - even listening to part of a shared song counts as one listen - has been criticised by the reviewers.

The limitations are probably in place to prevent wholesale sharing of songs but the protection even applies to songs not downloaded or bought.

“What’s really nuts is that the restrictions even stomp on your own musical creations,” wrote Pogue, describing the protection as “draconian” and “as strict as a 19th-Century schoolmarm”.

Both reviewers criticised the lack of other features in the Zune.

Pogue wrote: “It doesn’t have a single standard iPod amenity: no games, alarm clock, stopwatch, world clock, password-protected volume limiter, equaliser, calendar, address book or notes module.”

You cannot download podcasts either, he pointed out.

“This first Zune has too many compromises and missing features to be as good a choice as the iPod for most users,” wrote Mossberg.

He added: “The hardware feels rushed and incomplete.”

Mossberg also criticised the payment scheme for the Zune Marketplace, pointing out that users have to buy £5-worth of points at a time, even if they intend to buy only a single track.

Zune users must use a new piece of library software - and not Windows Media Player.

Sadly, the two reviewers pointed out, Microsoft does not let music lovers share libraries across computers on the same network; one of the features of iTunes.

But Zune users can share their library with an Xbox 360 console.

Mossberg concluded: “Overall, the iPod and iTunes are still the champs.

“Still, I expect the Zune to attract some converts and to get better with time.

“And this kind of competition from a big company with deep pockets and lots of talent is good for consumers in the long run.”

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