A bug in the way its internal clock handles leap years caused virtually every 2006-vintage, 30-gigabyte Microsoft Zune music player to fail yesterday. Microsoft’s fix: wait until today and the problem should resolve itself. CNet coverage.

Two questions arise from this latest Microsoft fiasco. First, how did this get past testing? And second, how could there be that many Zune owners out there? You people bought one of these things? Willingly? With your own money?

Update: A Zune Boards post analyses the bug in the Zune’s source code: essentially, on leap years, “the Zune keeps looping forever and doesn’t do anything else.” Also, it’s not a one-time thing: “if Microsoft doesn’t fix this part of the firmware, the whole thing will happen all over again in 4 more years.” Assuming any are still in use then. Via Daring Fireball.