“Microsoft Corp. will cease introducing new versions of the Zune music and video-player amid tepid demand, helping the company shift its focus to mobile phones, according to a person familiar with the decision,” Dina Bass reports for Bloomberg.
“The company will concentrate on putting Zune software onto mobile phones such as those running Microsoft’s Windows operating system, said the person, who declined to be identified because the decision hasn’t been announced,” Bass reports. “Zune software lets customers buy songs and movies, as well as pay a monthly fee to stream unlimited music.”
Bass reports, “Microsoft will continue to sell existing versions of the Zune, the person familiar with the matter said.”
MacDailyNews Take: Puleeze. To whom are Microsoft going to sell dead-end pretend iPods with no future development? The eleven existing Zune owners (a mix of IT doofuses and Ballmers)? Just grow a pair for once and issue the press release: Zune players are dead.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: By SteveJack: Told ya so. 😉
Next on the chopping block: Microsoft Retail Stores.
Related articles:
Opinion: More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Microsoft pulls plug on Zune – July 25, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Germany’s Maxfield files for bankruptcy – February 20, 2008
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Microsoft pulls plug on Portable Media Center – May 09, 2007
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Dell’s ‘DJ Ditty’ flash-based MP3 player is dead – August 22, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Dell dumps ‘DJ’ hard-drive MP3 player line – February 04, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: iRiver gives up on digital media player market – May 23, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Sony’s Walkman Bean is cooked – February 13, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: iRiver pulling out of Europe? – February 01, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Thomson gives up on MP3 player, CE markets – December 12, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: BenQ withdraws from MP3 player markets – November 28, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Olympus halts production of portable digital music players – November 09, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Rio is dead – August 26, 2005
Apple’s iPod has blood on its Click Wheel: Virgin Electronics is dead – March 08, 2005
Why am I not surprised?
What’s next Balmer?
Will Thurrott, Enderle, Dvorak, Bill & Melinda Gates & their two kids have to carry vinyl records under their armpits with them now whenever they want to listen to portable music in the absence of a Zune?
I almost feel sorry for the those MS children. Can you imagine what it must feel like when everyone else has iPods or iPhones and they have to walk around with Zunes. Well, I guess they really understand what Bill went through as a kid.
I have a friend who got a “zune hd” for christmas, I felt sorry for him 🙁
he told me that the “app store” for it has “20 games”…. all made by Microsoft (now /that/ sounds 1984 ish)
he has an old ipod but I think what he was looking for was more of a handheld computer (like an ipod touch).
He is a bit of a fan of Microsoft though…
What do they do now? Thank DJ Ballms for WP7 I guess…
Don’t feel bad, maybe now they can actually get an iPod now that there are no other options.
Nah.
Thurrott has been talking about the demise of the Zune brand for at least 3 weeks, but his kids all have iPod Touches, so he won’t be missing any tunes.
OMFG! Thurrott reproduced!
Re: MS children. No iPads either.
Beating a dead horse. I didn’t know you could still buy those things.
Mmmm. Barbeque!
Zune Tang, are you there?
Now he’ll be just plain old “Tang.”
or maybe Win7PhoneTang??
i may the only one, but i always thought zune t. was a girl…my gf thought the same..she said zt’s comments are the way a girl talks about technology…….then when i question her on something she says about computer stuff, she says i just don’t understand women ; > ( >
C1 ?
She’s funny too!
Please tell me you don’t talk to your girl about some dork in the MacDailyNews forums. Please Please Please tell me you’re joking.
not sure if you have a gf or have had a gf but sometimes they just go online on their own, and yes *gasp* some go to mdn…and some sit and talk (think that’s what she’s doing) while i cruise around peering at the screen time to time….she’s worth every minute of it, tho…. ; > )))
Hello Zune-Tang?..
Zunny-baby?
And the Zune was one of the better me-too M$ products…
Yep, shows how shit all their other stuff is!
Gota thank Microsoft for all the worthless crap tech that no one wants.
Next time do abit of consumer research before splashing your billions on shit that no one wants.
Who knows, you might actually sell something.
But….. but….
Where do I get *BROWN* MP3 players now?
🙁
Ding dong the witches dead….
“Microsoft Corp. will cease introducing new versions of the Zune … amid tepid demand”
– ‘Demand.’
– ‘You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means.’
“No more Zunes now, I mean it!”
“Anybody want a peanut?”
“Gaaaa!”
Ballmer ” Why are you smiling”
Jobs” because I am not left handed!”
@the Lone Ranger, prolly best comment on the thread
“Do you know what that sound is, Ballmer? Those are the shrieking iPods. If you don’t believe me, just wait. They always grow louder when they’re about to feed on Zune flesh!”
Nooooooooooooooooooooo!
The one Zune owner I know will be very disappointed when this goes public. I always enjoy watching him endlessly sideways-scrolling in attempts to find something, never finding it, and plugging in for a recharge.
Hahaha, sideways scrolling. Made me laugh..
The WOW stops now
I’ll never forget the original turd brown colored Zune. It was such a fitting color for that device.
Lol!
So true!
Shit colour for a shit music player – says it all really.
i vote to let zune tang keep his name.
Agreed! Also Ballmers Left Nut to grow his right one! LOL
Can you fly Bobby?
The distance between iPad2 and Zune is measured in parsecs.
Woah, who knew you could embed things into your post?
Yeah but this Zune joke is better:
Yes, yes it was.
Thank you for brightening my evening.
THE Steve is a Jedi Master & would NEVER use a gun to kill his enemies…Jedi Knight “mind tricks” or Light Saber YES! OR he could turn on his “reality distortion field” to “shock & awe” them to death!
Elegy for our Zune Tang …
Alas poor Zune, we hardly knew thee.
I didn’t know Microsoft ever “focused” on the Zune, so much so that it now has to “shift its focus” onto mobile phones.
Wasn’t Microsoft making software for phones prior to making the Zune. I seem to recall something like that . . . .
Let’s just hope that Microsoft’s new “focus” on mobile phones doesn’t take “focus” away from Windows development! Where will the world be if Windows 8 doesn’t arrive on time?!? (besides better off)
I can’t believe you gullible MAC sheep believe this sensationalist hit piece from Bloomberg, whoever they are. I wouldn’t be surprised that MAC was behind this with their RDF manipulating the truth. Typical MAC. They’re only good at marketing.
All I’m reading in these comments is wishful thinking from a bunch of cultist lemmings who can’t give up their dumpy I-Pods. There hasn’t been any innovation or imagination whatsoever in MAC’s 10-year old me-too Zunes. Fact is Zune is the future of portable media players with it’s ground-breaking color schemes, points system and delightful-to-use Zune Marketplace. Without Zune where is MAC going to generate new ideas for I-Pods?
Nothing to see here, just move along.
“Nothing to see here, just move along.”
Concise and appropriate description of the status of the Zune market. Very well put, bravo!
IT’S HAMMER TIME!!!
Zune has been caught up in such a whirlwind of success that I forgot the terms of our bet. Truth is these are exciting times to be a Zune enthusiast!
What MAC product will you be be putting out of its misery?
Nice try! But you might have lucked out today, because I can’t find the link to the original bet, no doubt because I didn’t store it in my Outlook calendar…
Maybe the MDN dwarves can help us? Searching for “Zune” “Hammer” and “Bet” turns up nothing.
In any case, if you’ll remember, the terms of the bet were something like thus:
If the Zune is ever the #1 media player by sales, I will smash my black iPod nano (still in use!) with an Estwing framing hammer.
If, conversely, the Zune is ever discontinued, you’ll smash your wondrous, award-wanting Zune.
Videos of either event were to be posted on the yootoobes.
I await your movie. =)
-c
:)p
Ah Zune…
We hardly knew ye…
That’s because nobody bought ye!
And yet, your memory will linger forever.
Farewell to the social. (And good riddance.)
But it died too Zune.
We still needed some comic relief. I guess the WonkiaSoft will provided that for a few more years. Along with HPalm, RIMQnx and MotoXoom.
I own a Zune.
It was a prize I won at Microsoft’s Scottsdale store grand opening. It took two-days to claim my prize because the store’s manager knew nothing about a Zune give-away.
Some of you might recognize her name; Lisa Seigneur. She was an Apple Store manager who was recruited by Microsoft for the Scottsdale store.
We should assume that you have kept that Zune for sheer entertainment value (as in, making fun of it, rather than using it for entertainment), and actually have an i-something device (or two)…
I’ve never been able to use it. That is until recently when Microsoft delivered an app that supports Mac.
Never bothered to download it, though.
It was a prize I won at Microsoft’s Scottsdale store grand opening.
Look on the bright side: at least, it’s lived past its warranty.
What was second prize? Two Zunes?
LOL
If I could work out Microsoft’s strategy, I’d probably like it a lot.
All that money on product development and marketing to develop a product that was practically a punch line from the day it was unveiled.
The only surprise to this announcement is that it took so damn long.
For anyone who needs a trip into the past, so that you can really appreciate this news, you can still visit
Feature Story
Q&A: Choosing a Digital Music Service for Windows Users.
“As the choices among digital music services for Windows swell, Dave Fester, general manager of Microsoft’s Windows Digital Media Division, explains how the services work and what consumers should consider when choosing one.”
Dave Fester, huh? Must be Ballmer’s illegitimate lovechild.