Redmond, Washington — Software behemoth Microsoft Corp., last week unwrapped several of the secrets, intensifying its chase with rival Apple’s iPod as it announced the lates version of its Zune HD digital music player, slated to go on sale in the United States on September 15.
Microsoft hopes the new Zune HD, which comes in two versions, with capacities of 16 and 32 gigabytes, would enable users to stream and download music from its Zune Marketplace, will succeed in disrupting Apple’s dominance of the personal media player market.
The black 16GB version of the Zune HD media player has a 3.3-inch OLED touch-screen, built-in wifi and radio receiver. Among the aesthetic features of the Zune players is its OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display, with a vast storage and play back video content in 720p to a HDTV (using a dock, sold separately).
Microsoft’s new Zune HD digital music player could rival Apple’s iPod touch.
Microsoft has aggressively priced the Zune HD and is cheaper than the iPod and will sell for $219.99 (£132), while a 32GB version in “platinum” color will cost $289.99 (£175), around $80 less than what Apple charges for its similar iPod touch.
Microsoft will begin accepting pre-orders in the United States for the device and starting September 15, it will be able to be ordered in five colors from Microsoft’s Zuneoriginals.net site, with the option of adding one of 10 engravings by guest artists to the back of the device. No UK launch date for the device has been set.
“The Zune experience is growing beyond a music player in the United States,” Chris Stephenson, a senior executive at Microsoft said in May.
“Zune’s international expansion starts with video on Xbox Live; eventually we will offer the full digital entertainment experience spanning screens, devices, platforms and geographies, delivering on Microsoft’s connected entertainment vision.
“This news marks a turning point for Zune as it brings cross-platform experiences and premium video content to living rooms around the world.”
The Zune HD is developed to function at length with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 games console. Customers for films and TV shows downloaded for rental from the Xbox Live Marketplace will be able to transfer the content to their Zune.
The new Zune represents the third version of Microsoft’s portable player. So far, the device has failed to achieve anything like the success of Apple’s ubiquitous iPod range, which commands around 70 per cent of the market for portable players.
Nevertheless, Microsoft unquestionably believes that it has finally come up with a serious iPod competitor, any triumphalism may be short-lived. So, if you cannot resist the temptation until September, here is a video that gives hands-on demo.
Hands-on with the Zune HD: