Remember that Zune I acquired a few months back? Well, it’s dead. Froze up during booting, and nothing can shut it down or restart it. And yes, I’m placing the blame squarely on Microsoft’s shoulders for this one; no, it’s not some ridiculous conspiracy theory, or the fact that I’m apparently a “Sony fanboy” and “Apple fanboy.” It’s the fact that I’m not alone with my Zune crash; it’s been happening to thousands of users worldwide. It seems to be a date glitch of some kind, as the Zunes’ mass suicide began at the stroke of midnight on December 31st. As of this post, Microsoft has posted no fixes whatsoever; just a brief message on the official Zune support site that says:

Customers with 30gb Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware. We’re aware of the problem and are working to correct it. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience!

Given Microsoft’s track record with hardware, I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Good thing my Zune was a freebie…