Tuesday is the day that Microsoft finally confirmed the death of their Zune HD player. On Monday the product mysteriously disappeared from the Zune site and Microsoft was quick to claim it was “a mistake” but not 24 hours later the company announced it would no longer be making the Zune.
Originally Microsoft Zune team member Michael Yaeger claimed removing the device from the Zune site was a simple mistake. His Twitter message read, “Zune HD product page is still on Zune.net – publishing mishap when we pushed out the CA work.”
Tuesday a new post was added to the Zune support page detailing that the player would no longer be made by Microsoft. The reason is clear, Windows Phone 7 is the mobile platform that Microsoft wants to push and having a dedicated device for music by a different name is getting in their way.
“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. Customer service has been, and will remain a top priority for us.”
Microsoft is urging consumers to migrate over to Windows Phone 7 for the Zune experience in the same release saying, “See how Windows Phone isn’t just a phone,it’s also a great Zune music and video player!”
It makes sense that Microsoft would opt to invest more of their time and money in the Windows Phone 7 platform than continue to sell the Zune device. It’s difficult to compete with the iPod and the Zune hasn’t exactly been doing well on that front since it’s debut.
Do you own a Zune or did you just stick with an iPod? I personally don’t even bother with a dedicated media player anymore considering my phone can do everything these devices can do with the added benefits of making calls, sending texts, and sending email. Maybe Microsoft is on to something after all.
