It's the end for Zune portable music player
Microsoft will not launch new versions of its music player, Zune
As Microsoft allegedly puts the brake on its portable music player, we bid adieu to the star product that could have been.
What is it?
Microsoft's star music player, the Zune, new versions for which will not be launched any further. Mind you, this has not been officially admitted by the tech giant but news reports have cited "people close to the matter".
Was it a bad product?
No. In fact, the Zune is an excellent music player, allowing, among other things, FM radio in HD and wireless transfer of files among compatible devices, features absent in the star product it unsuccessfully tried to compete with — the iPod.
Launched in 2006, four generations of the device have been introduced. The last one, the Zune HD, released in 2009, featured a full touch screen and access to the newly launched Zune Marketplace. More on that later.
So what went wrong?
To start with, the Zune was introduced when the iPod was already a healthy 5-year-old with a tight grip on the portable-music-player market.
The first generation lacked the all-important wow factor and Microsoft limited its geography to the North American market.
It did pick up on its features and design with subsequent versions, such as the funky Zune HD, but by then Apple had already launched the iconic iPhone and then its sister iPod Touch.
The elephant in the room had, by then, turned into a mammoth.
So is this the end of an era?
Kind of, but not entirely. The Zune ecosystem, which includes the Zune software, has successfully integrated with products such as Windows Phone 7's operating system and Xbox 360 consoles. The Zune Marketplace, Microsoft's answer to Apple's iTunes, also offers songs, television shows, movies, games and apps.
While Zune will continue to live in the form of software, so will its iconic user interface, which has been adopted into phones. But it seems like it's going to be the end of the line for the Zune music player.
Will I still be able to buy the Zunes?
Yes, they're available in online stores. But unless you're a collector, it might not be the wisest thing to spend your dirham on what will most likely soon be a relic.
