Microsoft to phase out unsuccessful Zune player
Microsoft Corp is not planning any more versions of its unpopular Zune digital media player, but is to continue offering music and video using the same software online, through its Xbox game console and on its Windows phones.
The decision not to further develop the handheld device effectively ends Microsoft's 4-1/2-year bid to unseat Apple Inc's iPod, which revolutionized the portable music market in 2001.
"We have nothing to announce about another Zune device," a Microsoft spokesman said in an emailed response to questions about the Zune. Bloomberg earlier reported that the company had decided to stop producing them He said Zune devices would still be supported in North America, and that Zune software would play a part in Microsoft's other offerings.
