“A senior Microsoft Corp. executive who oversaw the launch of its Zune digital music player plans to leave the company, the world’s largest software maker said on Wednesday,” Reuters reports.
“Bryan Lee, corporate vice president at Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, … is a key deputy of Robbie Bach, head of Microsoft’s entertainment and device division. J Allard, a rising star within Microsoft and one of the early Xbox leaders, will now take full responsibility for the Zune business,” Reuters reports.
Reuters reports, “Lee plans to leave the company in the next several weeks to pursue personal interests, Microsoft said.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Buh-bye, Bryan. Excellent work. By the way, Microsoft’s J Allard has 9 iPods and uses an Apple Mac.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “MrKruser” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Report: Microsoft Zune screens cracking from overheating battery pressure – January 31, 2007
Last quarter: Microsoft lost $289 million on Zune, CE devices – January 26, 2007
RealMoney’s Comeau predicts: ‘Microsoft will kill the first Zune media player by midyear’ – December 16, 2006
Desperation time? Microsoft Zune already being discounted by retailers – December 13, 2006
Microsoft Zune plummets to 5th place in U.S. digital media player market share with 2.1 percent – December 04, 2006
Analysts: Microsoft needs to ‘rethink’ as interest in Zune fades fast – December 01, 2006
Microsoft’s Steve Jobs-wannabe J Allard has 9 iPods and uses an Apple Mac – November 28, 2006
Amazon’s bestselling MP3 players list chronicles Microsoft Zune dud – November 20, 2006
Don’t let the doorknob hit ya where the good Lord split ya.
Looks like J. Allard wanted the kingdom to himself.
Look, Bryan Lee . . . I know Kevin Rollins at Dell. Kevin Rollins is a friend of mine. You, sir, are no Kevin Rollins.
Ooops . . . he’s out too.
Nevermind.
Thank you for making sure the Zune could not possibly be any real competition for the iPod.
J. Allard is a big headed egomaniac. He thinks he is in the same league with S. Jobs, but he’s not. He has a long way to go.
Triumph, great to see you back. You’ve been missed.
Bryan came by and picked up his new 80 GB iPod.
Thanks Bryan good job with the Zune, enjoy the vacation.
The Steve
I’m happy J Allard is taking over.
Soon the Zune will plop
like a turd
in TowerTone’s toilet
31 days old . . . . and this year is lookin’ fookin’ fantastic. It’s just been a great news day every other day. Same day, 2nd post, cutting the every other day to five time a week. . . . every day is brewing.
“Rising star…” soon to be “falling meteor” threatening to make all life extinct in Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division.
Imagine being in charge of trying to win against the Holy Trinity of iPod/iTunes/iTMS? (Not to mention the archangels of Apple TV and iPhone.)
I’d rather not be reminded that J Allard uses a Mac and owns 9 iPods. He’s about as fake as they come. Never seen someone try so hard to be cool.
Squirt…
WOW !!!
Great job and best wishes Mr. Lee! Thank you for your hard work which got Zune off to a fantastic start and Apple on the run. You iPod lemmings ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Allard is a true visionary unlike that moron Jobs. The trinity is now complete: Gates, Ballmer, Allard.
Cupertino, you might as well give up now. Your vaporware iPhone is dead in the water, the stale iPod is losing chunks of market share to Zune and Vista blows the doors off OS X in innovation, stability and security.
Welcome to the Social.
Zune Tang, you da bomb.
Zune Tang!!!
I actually hope M$ never gets rid of any of their brilliant talent. Hopefully Monkey Boy sticks around for another 5 to 10 years. I just hate to see visionaries leave….
“…Zune and Vista blows the doors off OS X in innovation,…”
ZT is right….Zune and Vista blows….
@Triumph…you slay me
Gawd help ya’, Zune Tang, if you’re one of the WinBlowsBoys that adopted Vista early. With its draconian DRM, license-killing restrictions, and inherent instability (first releases always are), be prepared to find your paddle. Being up sh*t creek, you’re gonna need it!
Zune Tang isn’t bad, but Triumph is better! Welcome back, Triumph.
Hey, Zune Tang! Still workin’ on that first million units of your beloved player? Think you’re going to make it by June, 2007?
Damn, but didn’t the ‘Pod sell 21,000,000 this past quarter? If the term “penis envy” EVER had any meaning, it sure does when it comes to the Zune!
(And, yes, the rats ARE deserting the ship!)
Hey, we have to listen to Zune Tang when he talks about vaporware! For the past FIVE YEARS–FIVE YEARS–FIVE DAMNED YEARS!–Vista has been just that. It takes one to know one!
The crappy truth is Vista will still sell a butt-load as time goes on….I really hope people are waking up to see what crap M$ has been giving us over the past decades. Give Apple it due. They deserve it. I hope Leopard just makes Vista look like the piece of doody it really is.
…what OS X: Lion will look like?! That should arrive about the same time as Vista SP2 I imagine.
Folks – welcome to MDN – Microsoft Daily News where you can read the most ridiculous gossip we can find about Microsoft, who’s doing who in Redmond, and who’s car is parked next door to Bill Gates’ mansion.
And watch the MAColytes go apeshit over it.
<sigh> In two years Apple is going to announce their exit from the computer business in order to focus their effort on the one thing they’ve ever done that was successful – being an iPod company. If you’re a Machead you should switch to Vista today. Resistance is futile.