Microsoft: ‘We will no longer be producing Zune players’

Microsoft Corporation, on their Zune website today stated the obvious. Zune hardware is dead:

“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.”

MacDailyNews Take: It’s dead. No, it’s not. Yes, it is.

Microsoft. Can’t even knife the baby cleanly.

One last time, for old times’ sake:
Microsoft Zune, docked.

[Attribution: AppleInsider. Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]

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77 Comments

  1. Have to agree, Microsoft did a really poor job of killing the Zune. Just like their whole approach, who cares about quality and doing things right……. Just muddle ahead and make money…

    Just a thought,
    en

  2. I did not know that Microsoft was still making the Zune. That and I have never seen a Zune on the streets. EVER!

    Did they give them away as Christmas gifts to the employees on the west coast?

    So now they are going to give the Windows Phone a try. Idiots, haven’t they done enough damage already?

  3. WAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Say it isn’t so, Microsoft! Both of your existing customers r going to be ticked!! The POOP BROWN ZUNE will have to go to the Smithsonian now! Right down the toilet!!! Ha!

  4. I bet you smug MAC lemmings think your lame I-Pod killed the ultimate I-Pod killer. Think again. Have you seen the Terminator movies? It’s like that. Zune will be back better and stronger than ever. I think we’re witnessing even more brilliant strategy from Microsoft. All this announcement says is ‘Zune II’ can’t be far away. It’s loud and clear, and hopefully Zune II will be ready for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

    Here’s my wish list for the next Zune: bring the classic brown color back, Microsoft makes another audio format like WMA-plus which is only playable on Microsoft devices, Points in the form of printed stamps you collect at retail outlets, Special Zune social nights at Microsoft stores, Office integration like PowerPoint mobile…

    Microsoft you know what to do. Now quash those dumpy I-Pods once and for all.

    Your Potential. Our Passion.

    1. Zune, ma man! When they bring it back, you will have your chance to promote a powdered breakfast drink, available only in brown “with a delicious ‘shitrus’ flavor: Zune Tang, of course!!

    2. ZT is right. I would like for MS to rename the unique feature “Squirt” to “Ejaculate Your Songs”. Instead of firing off one song to a friend in a stream, it should go in spurts until all the song data has been spent. Then they can add haptic feature with it. As your Zune Ejaculates the song you can feel it’s working because your Zune throbs as each data stream is shot to your friend. Cool right?

      1. Hardly. Zune is a PLATFORM! You can’t kill a magnificent ecosystem like Zune with its points and super awesome integration with all things Microsoft! Consumers everywhere are asking “how can I extract myself from MAC’s oppressive iTunes tyranny?”—especially after a decade releasing a horrifying plague of I-Phones and I-Pods, each more disappointing and disaterous then the previous one.

        There’s a way out. Thank goodness there’s Zune.

  5. someone better tell the BBC, still have podcast link for Zune, I suppose Zune will live on in WinMo. In contrast with the Zune ( which I have never seen in the UK), there must be thousands of WinMo phones in the UK.

  6. Microsoft announced this today to upstage the iPhone/iOS 5 announcement.

    Absolutely brilliant! Everybody will be laughing so hard that they will forget this is iDay!

  7. “…we will continue to honor the warranties of all devices for both current owners and those who buy our very last devices”

    Just in case you thought that they discontinued Zune because they were no longer delusional.

  8. That was predicted since its start… M$ should shut down and give its money to the sh…… NO: to the US government. It’s not even a trillion, but it could help to, at least, fill the GWB gap!

  9. iPod Killed. Not the first mobile device from Microsoft that will suffer ignominious defeat at the hands of Cupertino. Their hubris shot down in flames. Great timing noting Apple’s big mobile event today and more proof of the new tech Kingly reign going forward of the vastly superior Apple. (Microsoft will continue playing the part of the terminally late Village Idiot.)

  10. Actually, I wished MSFT would have kept producing Zunes. If nothing else purely as a sign of MonkeyBoy’s incompetence. Oh well. All good things have to come to an end I suppose.

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