Not a coincidence: The day before Apple is expected to update its iPods, Microsoft (MSFT) is reminding the world that the Zune still exists, via a handful of new features.

These include the ability to buy music over wi-fi, a new feature that lets you buy songs you hear on FM radio, casual games, and some music recommendation features -- which Apple's iTunes/iPods could also be getting tomorrow. We also hear that Microsoft will be lowering the price of its Zune Pass subscription service -- from $14.99/month -- sooner than later.

These are nice add-ons that should make existing Zune owners happy. But last we checked, you don't buy an MP3 player because it'll let you buy songs from FM radio or because it'll recommend music to you. So these new features shouldn't do much to disrupt Apple's (AAPL) market dominance.

Meanwhile, we see nothing new as far as the Zune's "social" features go -- sharing music between devices, etc. -- the features that were supposed to set the Zune apart from the iPod in the first place.

See Also:

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