“Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday its new Zune music player will be sold at a price matching Apple Computer Inc.’s market-leading iPod and, as a result, lose money this holiday season,” Reuters reports.
“Microsoft’s 30-gigabyte Zune will retail for $249.99 — 99 cents higher than the iPod with the same amount of storage — when it goes on sale November 14. Songs available for download at the Zune Marketplace service will cost about 99 cents a song, on par with prices at Apple’s iTunes, Microsoft said,” Reuters reports. “The world’s largest software maker faces an uphill climb in trying to topple the popular iPod after conceding a five-year head start to Apple’s media player.”
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft didn’t concede a thing. They tried PlaysForSure and got their collective ass handed to them by Apple.
Reuters continues, “Microsoft said it needed to put a comparable price on Zune, even if it meant that the company will suffer a loss from the device’s sales this holiday season.”
“The rectangular Zune media player has a round click wheel and is similar in appearance to the iPod, though slightly bulkier and has a larger 3-inch screen,” Reuters reports.
MacDailyNews Note: Zune “features” a fake click wheel that is really just a four-way rocker switch that’s presumably intended to follow the usual Microsoft strategy of trying to delude the buying public with products that are reminiscent of Apple innovations.
Reuters continues, “The music player is the first step in creating a new brand of portable devices, according to Microsoft officials, who also said a Zune phone is in the works… Microsoft said it will initially sell only music — and no video — at the Zune Marketplace. The company said it was negotiating with major record companies and labels.”
Full article here.
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