Microsoft Officially Kills Zune

[nsane.forums]

Microsoft will focus on Windows Phone 7 as its primary MP3 player.

It's finally official: Microsoft will no longer be producing Zune HD music and video players. Microsoft has officially confirmed that the company will no longer be making Zune players, and that it will instead focus on Windows Phone 7 for users' music and video needs. Microsoft's official statement went up on the Zune website Monday night, assuring current Zune users that the discontinuation of the product does not mean their devices will be defunct:

"We recently announced that, going forward, Windows Phone will be the focus of our mobile music and video strategy, and that we will no longer be producing Zune players. So what does this mean for our current Zune users? Absolutely nothing. Your device will continue to work with Zune services just as it does today. And we will continue to honor the warranties of all devices for both current owners and those who buy our very last devices. Customer service has been, and will remain a top priority for us."

This is not the first we've heard of the death of the Zune--and in fact, it seems to be a popular time for the death of other standalone portable music and video players (that is, music and video players not attached to a smartphone or tablet). It's recently been suggested that the iconic MP3 player, Apple's iPod Classic, is also on its way out. A couple of months ago, new apps released for the Zune (as well as updates to existing apps) had people thinking that perhaps the Zune had more time left after all. But, as it turns out, it doesn't.

Current Zunes will still work with existing Zune services, and Microsoft will honor all warranties. It looks like Zune's Online Service Center, which is where you can register your Zune or request and track a repair, will remain open for the time being.

Since Windows Phone 7 currently uses Zune software, current users can also rest assured that Zune software (which is much better than iTunes, in my opinion) won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

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[DKT27]

R.I.P. :rolleyes:

[Atasas]

youp! another one Rest In Pieces...:evil:

[majithia23]

never used it ,

but one of my friends had it and he said it was aesthetically more appealing than iPod and even sounded better than it ....

any takes ... :think:

( wouldnt matter though , but for archiving the facts .... :) )

[DKT27]

The Zune HD lives...again :s

There's a Mark Twain saying that would fit perfectly here, but let's keep it simple - the Zune HD isn't dead; or at least not yet.

Less than 24 hours after a support page sounded the death knell for the Microsoft music player, which enjoyed less-than-stellar sales figures, a single tweet appears to have brought the Zune HD back to life.

In response to a question from Australian tech site Windows Phone Down Under earlier today, a staffer on the official Zune support account replied that the support page announcing the discontinuation of Zune HD hardware was put up in error. The page has since been taken down. The staffer followed up an hour later with a further affirmation of Microsoft's commitment to the little music player that could:

''We are still supporting the Zune HD hardware. No official info has been released stating hardware is being discontinued,'' the tweet read.

Today's backpedal on the death of the Zune HD is no less than the third episode in what has been an intriguing - and confusing - few days. Yesterday it was reported that the player was on its death bed, after Microsoft pulled the ability to purchase a Zune HD from both Zune.net and the Microsoft Store. Just hours later, the company blamed the changes on an ''inadvertent publishing issue'' and reinstated the purchase links.

While the Zune hardware division today appears to be alive and kicking, its future is far from certain. At this point, the big question has to be: why was the page declaring the end of the Zune HD hardware created at all, if Microsoft doesn't intend at some point to kill off the player? A question to that very point by Windows Phone Down Under was met with little more than a generic ''we have nothing more to say'' style reply.

The now-removed support page expressed Microsoft's desire to focus on Windows Phone as the primary platform for mobile music and video, a logical move that many had been predicting for some time - and will likely continue to predict despite today's news. Lackluster sales and a growing mobile OS base do not bode well for a product's longevity and it's fair to say the Zune HD's days remain numbered.

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