After Unsuccessful Run, Microsoft Discontinuing Zune Media Player.

Posted at 8:33 pm March 14, 2011 by | 2 comments

In sea of smartphones each more than capable of managing multiple gigabytes of music, stand alone mp3 players are a dying breed. Even Apple’s might iPod — long the symbol of a truly digital world — has been waning in popularity and sales over the last couple of years. And with a device that is exponentially better (the iPhone and many other current smartphones) it makes sense. So it seems Microsoft is finally realizing the cold hard truth: They never had a chance at cracking Apple’s 3/4 market share of media players. And in the smartphone world of today, no body or mp3 player will.

Earlier this evening, Bloomberg published a report that Microsoft will discontinue Zune hardware development and new releases. Instead, the Zune team will refocus on bringing everything that made the Zune great (the software) to their Windows Phone 7 platform. It is here that Microsoft’s latest fight is currently waging against Apple. For the iPhone and its integrated iPod software are an extremely powerful 1-2 punch. While Windows Phone 7 already makes use of the Zune software, having the full Zune team focus solely on the WP7 platform ensures faster, more innovative updates and added features in the coming months and years (in theory).

So we have to ask old, famous Zune tattoo guy: Was it worth it in the end?

Via: Bloomberg

Image Credit: Cnet

  • Lionprince

    A very biased report that only shows how much you narrowmindly love apple and want microft to fail. You also seem overjoyed by your misperception of microsofts failure. It’s microsoft adapting to inevitability as smartphones assume multifunctional capabilities, divices like MP3 players, PDAs and GPS units, fade into obsolescence. IPod is fading as fast.
    You are a microsoft basher and you are as a result extremely myopic and lack credibility..

    • Mike

      Hardly. I Bought the very first Zune the hour it went on sale and got a Zune HD later on. Loved both of them. But Microsoft never aggressively pursued the media player business like Apple did. And anyone who’s lived in the connected world over the last 5 years knows the Zune was never as popular as the iPod. You can dispute that all you want. It’s common knowledge.

      As for wanting Microsoft to fail — is that all you’ve got? That’s a very tired and overused excuse. I want Microsoft to succeed in bringing the Zune team onboard with the Windows Phone 7 team. The Zune’s original UI was awesome (and I preferred it the iPod — some Apple fanboy). Hopefully with all the Zune/WP7 braniacs inside the same office we can see WP7 and the Zune software within WP7 itself really take off and give Apple a good run for the money.

      The competition will only benefit us all.