Business Week is skeptical about the prospects for Microsoft’s upcoming Zune.

Business Week’s take on the Zune is scathing. “The Zune will be seen for what it is: a me-too product that is expressing Microsoft’s envy at not being cool. It will carve out its own niche of the market, but by this time next year, it will be considered a dismal failure.”

“The device doesn’t have much to offer compared with the iPod,” writes BW’s Arik Hesseldahl. “It will come in only one storage capacity, and that isn’t all that high, especially when you consider that it’s intended to play a mix of music and video. The Zune won’t have all that many accessories, won’t integrate with any cars, and doesn’t support any language other than English.”

Microsoft may be prepared to deal with a product that, at least initially, is a dismal failure.

Microsoft is willing to lose money on the Zune for up to five years in order to establish a bigger presence in the portable media world. Microsoft also plans to make deals with major music labels to secure favorable deals that would allow it to offer exclusive content for the Zune, or to get first access to content for Zune users.