Can this really be? That Microsoft, the destroyer of type standards, peddler of 1990s design, and unrelenting internet troll, has somehow discovered nice typography? Colors other than the default "RGB blue"?

Digital hell may just hath frozen over, because with the release of Zune HD, Microsoft has created something that can be described as, well, good looking. Seeing "well-designed" and "Microsoft" in the same sentence would surely raise a red flag and stir up images of what may have been ripped from Apple. But, as it turns out, they have something stunningly original here — something that could perhaps even be described as the anti-Apple. Black instead of white, industrial versus minimal, and an interface driven by huge type instead of cute icons. Dare I say, the website is also nice, as is the packaging. All in all a very consistent brand.

Zune HD even has some interesting features it can call its own, like HD radio and HD video-out. What I enjoy most is the nicely executed and unique brand identity, and the beautiful big-type interface. What I respect most is their unique positioning instead of copycatting (Zune as a portable media center vs. iPod Touch being a portable computer). Now if only the giant of Redmond can bring this vision cohesively to all of their brands.

Your thoughts?

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