Saw My First Zune

I saw my first Zune digital music player in the world today, on a US Airways flight from Washington, D.C. to New York. Guy across the aisle broke it out shortly after we boarded the plane. Brown, in a kind of boxy leather case (also brown) with that origami-esque "the future, man, we're down with the future" logo embossed on the cover.

It was an odd and unsettling moment, sort of like rounding a corner and observing a terrible car crash off in the distance, or watching someone walk up on a summer BBQ wearing a heavy wool sweater.

The owner was probably in his late 50s or early 60s. He looked a little creepy in an "international diplomat" kind of way. Almost completely bald, with a neatly-trimmed salt-and-pepper beard. Wore a chunky Sharp digital watch and was reading a John le Carré spy novel when he wasn't listening to music. I am not making this up.

So I guess we can assume that the promotional effort behind this revolutionary product is more or less hitting its target market right in the center of the bullseye.