“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
Remember that Zune ad a few years back that showed that girl appearing to be getting raped? Now their sole eleven faithful customers have similar looks on their faces.
It’s this photo, from the zune social marketplace setup…
She’s definitely feeling the error…
That’s the one! Thanks for the back up.
It really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. There last major release of the Zune was in 2009. This after launching in 2006. That and the fact that the Zune was completely absent at CES.
This is a huge mistake by Microsoft, and shows how helpless the company actually is.
Microsoft needs the Zune, but a decent, updated version of it, to have a platform of which to connect to the Xbox and to WP7 phones and eventually a tablet. Take away the Zune, and there’s a huge gap.
Microsoft had a shot at capturing a significant share of the nonPod market and developing a user base connected with the Xbox that could then graduate up to WP7 and tablets, but now it seems like Microsoft won’t do nonPods, can’t do tablets and their phones aren’t getting any traction.
What a disaster.
You’d think Microsoft would want to copy Apple’s iPod touch, by creating a WP7 without the P, leaving a WinZune7 or something hideous like that. Why are these numbnuts not creating a Touch? That’s the first step in creating an iPad, or so I’ve been told, “it’s nothing but a big iPod touch”!
Simple. “Touch” models aren’t underwritten by a mobile carrier, and they’d never ever sell for what they really cost. What’s the incentive of a hardware builder to take that risk?
As an interesting bit of schadenfreude, I came across this today, looking for a cover for my (ordered) iPad 2. Note the list of deep discounted items…
http://www.zagg.com/j/blowout-sale/index.php
Notice, there isn’t a single Apple item on the list… not even an old IPhone or iPod.
Wow, almost 5yrs before it got canned, at least it beat the Kin!
Did the Kin even survive 5 weeks?
5 days?
When will this bloodbath end?
OMG, I just realized, there’ll be no more SquirtsForSure. Whatever will we do for song sharing now?
You’ll just have to go back to squirting on yourself.
or on each other…
Should we wait to add xoom in the box? That way they can lay 6th under together…
Time to get out the Zune Amnesty Bins at Redmond 😉
I feel sorry for the children of Gates and Balmer who will at last be able to ask their parents for an IPod for Christmas
– just when everyone else is moving to the iPad.
Shouldn’t it be changed to “more blood on the touch screen” now. How about a reader’s poll MDN?
I still love the clickwheel on my 5th gen iPod nano. I cant see how something touch screen can work for me when going out to do my 5 miles workouts. I even bought a second NAno in case I broke a nan but these are some tough cookies.
Darn I was just about to trade my iPod for a Zune.
Another one bite the dust.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irylEFW6KLs&w=480&h=390%5D
Wait a minute people!
Microsoft certainly won this round. Apple played right into their hands.
Now Microsoft can pound it’s corporate chest and proclaim that the Zune is as scarce as the iPad 2!
(Just for different reasons!)
I always thought zune tang was really pedrag. But that “zune tang is a chick” comment makes way toooo much sense. For sure, without a doubt, zune tang is Chrissy one. Same humor, writing style, and intelligence. You’ve been outted Chrissy tang!
I’m also Kaiser Söze.
Not sure when the Zune hit the streets but to this day, I have never seen one. I wonder how many were actually sold. I am guessing to people who would never ever consider an AppleAnything.
“Next on the chopping block: Microsoft Retail Stores.”
All 2 of them
Ballmer and gates’ kids:
: “Thank God! Than God! we can finally get an iPod”.
In 50 years will zunes be collector items, like edsels?
I don’t believe it. They must be coming out with something new….
Oh No. they can’t get rid of dog shit brown!
All this time and I still have yet to see a Zune in the wild!
One of my students had one a while back… only Zune I ever saw in the wild – a brown one to boot. Seemed normal enough otherwise. (The student, not the Zune.)
Went to the Microsoft store and asked, “What aisle do they keep the Zunes?”
The MS employee says, “Aisle 4…”
Then I went throughout the store shouting, “Clean-up on aisle 4! Clean-upon aisle 4!”. LOL…
Methinks Zune Tang really owns macs, iPads, and iPhones. In the closet. Maybe the next headline should be:
MacDailyNews pulls plug on Zune Tang….