What this does is give more value for your bucks. It says to the people for only 99 more cents you can have a slew of already installed movies, mp3's and other such content with an already roomy storage space. Its a definite plus for the rivals of Apple.

Yeah, I think I can guarantee that of the thirty free tracks that Microsoft or SanDisk would preload, there'd be about ZERO I would actually want to listen to.

iPodNN lists three examples: Hot Chip, Cansei de Ser Sexy, and Jared Leto's band, 30 Seconds to Mars. Looks like I'm right so far...

Preloaded anything is always a bad idea, whether it be a computer or MP3 player. It's good for the company; they make money, but bad for the consumer; its just plain annoying. When I buy an MP3 player I want 4GB of space for MY music, not the crap that the company made a deal with. Some might say that the effort to delete the music is negligible but it still leaves a bad taste in people�s mouths. I hate the fact that Dells come with some much preloaded software. That among other reasons is why I would not buy a Dell again. For MP3 players, I wouldn�t buy one with preloaded music simply on principle. Consumer electronic companies should not try squeeze out a better margin by filling our products with stuff we don�t want. Instead they should try better customer service and product quality to increase customer loyalty and brand preference. My advice to those companies competing to make their MP3 profitable is DO NOT PRELOAD MUSIC!!!!!!

It's important to note that when you sign up for iTunes, you are given what is the equivalent of a CD's worth of music in the form of the iTunes "New Music Sampler." The reason iPods don't come loaded with music is because the music cannot be moved from the unit onto the computer, so it would be stuck. (actually if you used iTunes auto-update function, the tracks would be erased the first time you synched the player because it would erase any tracks not in the iTunes library on the computer.)

This is a design issue, not an indication of stinginess on the part of Apple.

When will M-$oft learn? It's the software stupid! This is what has always made Apple so great with software such as iTunes. Until someone comes up with "The Total Package" like Apple does so seamlessly with the iPod & iTunes- they won't have a chance IMHO.

You're absolutely right - the Zune will be like the PC - the first hour is spent clearing the crap.