In a dive bar in a parallel universe somewhere a group of people play music off their Zunes, the most popular portable media player in the world. In that same universe the New York Times publish a belated trend piece on singers who gain mainstream success through Zune commercials. They’re so ubiquitous that when people talk about music taste they say things like “the kind of track you might find on Natalie Portman’s Zune”. More than four years ago back in the real world, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer predicted that the Zune might one day usurp the iPod. It didn’t and according to Microsoft insiders (and everyone else) it never will. Microsoft have finally acknowledged this fact and today the Zune officially joins MiniDisc players and zip disks in the obsolete/unloved technology afterlife with the announcement that no new versions of the device will be developed due to “tepid demand”.
Launched in 2006 and spruiked as the Microsoft iPod-killer (ha!), the Zune failed to ensnare any significant market share past its fanfare-filled first year, suffering a steady decline in sales ever since. “We have nothing to announce about another Zune device – but most recently have introduced Zune HD to Canada via the Zune Originals store and remain committed to supporting our devices in North America,” Microsoft stated. “We are thrilled by the consumer excitement for Zune across many new platforms, including Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360. Our long-term strategy focuses on the strength of the entire Zune ecosystem across Microsoft platforms.”
See you never Zune, we hardly knew ye.
Via Bloomberg
Title Image by Stan Honda via Getty
