Zune is the new Wii

Or something like that.

The new 80gig Zune was released on November 14th and is just about as hard to find as the Wii has been all this year. The reasons for the shortage are few and far between, in fact the only scuttle I've been hearing about it is that the manufacturing was started too late in the launch cycle to have a solid amount available right off the bat.

I'd hate to think that's true as it would tell me that Microsoft has very little confidence in the media player for the holiday season. Not something I would have thought as the original Zune sold quite well.

The other option is that the units are being shorted deliberately. This is a very real possibility that doesn't sit all that well with me. Nintendo has done it all year with the aformentioned Wii and Sony has done it with the PS2 and PS3. I know it's supposed to build a demand for the products but really, it's just frustrating for the consumer.

And these are quality items by the way. Microsoft would do well to get them out. The 4 and 8gig Zunes are terrific and the 80 looks to be of the same mold. The Zune 80's audio and video are actually better quality than the iPod classic and the screen is way bigger at 3.2" over the 2.5" display of the 'Pod. It even has some really neat built in podcast (audio and video) support.

Now all Microsoft has to do is get the product into the stores. Now.