iPod's Aerial Assault on Zune

Today, the day Microsoft's Zune hits the stores, Apple announced deals with six airlines to let passengers hook their iPods into in-flight entertainment systems.

Delta, Continental, United and Air France, among others, will enable passengers to hook their iPods up to seat-back monitors starting around the middle of next year. Apple already has deals in place to put iPod hook-ups in upcoming Ford, Mazda, and GM cars.

Microsoft, meanwhile, presented the Zune as a more social alternative to the iPod because it lets users to wirelessly transmit songs between their devices. In a gesture reminiscent of an Oprah giveaway, Bill Gates handed over his own Zune to a member of the audience at a promotional event.

--Benjamin Nugent