Microsoft’s portable media player, the 30GB Zune, will be released on Nov. 14 with a suggested retail price of $249. This is a $50 drop from earlier reports.

According to TWICE, the Zune’s price point is a shot across the bow of Apple, which just announced a new 30GB iPod also priced at $249. Other key differences between Zune and Apple’s iPods/iTunes system include:

• The Zune has Wi-Fi capability.
• Zune offers two pricing plans: $.99 per song or $14.99 monthly subscriptions.
• It comes with a built-in FM tuner.
• Zune has a sharing feature that beams a song to another Zune player and makes it available for a three-day trial period.
• The unit is pre-loaded music, videos, film shorts and images.

And because a portable media player can’t survive without accessories, TWICE reports that a selection of speaker and car add-ons will also be released in time for the Nov. 14 launch.