Text Size

Microsoft plans mobile Zune store, third-gen player

updated 12:30 pm EDT, Thu March 13, 2008

Mobile Zune store coming

Microsoft is planning to launch a mobile Zune portal sometime in 2009, according to the French newspaper Les Echos. The site would extend the reach of the company's iTunes rival, the Zune Marketplace, and allow users to download games and music directly to various platforms, including computers, Windows Mobile devices and for the first time, Zune players themselves. While Zunes have always come equipped with a Wi-Fi module, they have never had Internet access, a prominent feature on Apple's competing iPod touch.

The availability of Windows Mobile access is said to be tied to the release of Windows Mobile 7, a follow-up to the yet-unreleased Windows Mobile 6.1. In the same year, Microsoft is expected to release its third generation of Zune players, still wrapped in secrecy. Compatibility with a Zune Marketplace, however, may suggest web-browsing ability. [via Generation NT]

 
Previous Comments

pffff, "rival..."

03/13, 12:58pm reply

Hardly a rival in any real way- perhaps a small marketplace participant. It sounds like M$ will once again be doing the "me-too" shuffle and lunge to try and catch up. Small surprise there.

danviento

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Dec 2005

-1

I'm planning...

03/13, 01:09pm reply

...to go to the Moon!...and I'm going to bring my bicycle and a trampoline and...and...and...

Feathers

Forum Regular

Joined: Oct 1999

0

zune marketplace

03/13, 02:00pm reply

let's see, $5 buys you 400 points and a song costs 79 points which means $5 buys you... ummm...

retarded.

(yes, I can do the math in my head but it's still stupid because most people are put off by this garbage)

climacs

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2001

0

but of course they are

03/13, 02:40pm reply

they're committed to this market. no matter how much money they've lost.

they're committed to games (closing in on 6.5 billion in losses)

they're committed to "search" (they'll buy Yahoo since they can't make headway on their own).

they're committed to buying their way into whatever someone else does first and better.

it's simply the MS way!

nat

Junior Member

Joined: Mar 2002

0

Zzzzzzz Store

03/13, 03:54pm reply

Move along nothing to see.

But I hear in 2011 they are planning some great features.

russellb

Junior Member

Joined: Sep 2001

-1

Re: zune marketplace

03/13, 04:29pm reply

The points system isn't retarded! It's great!! See, by making everything points-based in price, they can raise the cost of each point, so 79 points costs $1.29 instead of 99 cents.

This way, as a consumer, you're not bothered by little details like worrying about price increases, since the price is always the same (79 points)! It's pure genius!

What will make this even better is what will come with Zune Marketplace 2.0! By then, the cost of a point will differ depending on where you are. So 79 points in "new music" may cost more pennies then 79 points in "c*** music from Bill's Zune!" area. This way, they can give the labels the flexible pricing they've wanted, but give the consumer the 'one price for everything' model!!

Now, the other side is how they're helping our kids. By not following the lame Apple way of pricing music using standard currency, MS is helping kids improve their mathematics abilities by teaching them fractions, multiplication, and division.

testudo

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

0

In 2011

03/13, 04:31pm reply

"But I hear in 2011 they are planning some great features."

They sure are! Ones that iPods have or will have long since had. They just have to wait for Apple to innovate a few more of them so they can figure out what to attempt to copy.

Foe Hammer

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Feb 2005

-1

"zune" aramaic for "uh"

03/13, 04:52pm reply

I actually like some parts of the zune hardware/software interface, but with iPods moving to intel and OSX, what will they do in the future - migrate to Vista Touch?!

Nice point, testie, I like how the Zune Marketplace keeps its sense of reality and aesthetics in line with that of D&D level generations and WoW experience points. My parents really would be able to relate to these.

MacnnChester

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2007

0

late again MS

03/13, 05:57pm reply

I wonder what cooler wi-fi features iPhone and iPod Touch will be offering by then?

cblackmo

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2006

0

Why The f***...

03/14, 11:21am reply

is this news for a Mac based website?

Article on MacNN again!

Zune does not work with Macs_ Zune is not a viable iPod competitor_

MacNN - why are you so retarded?

UberFu

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2002

-1

Popular News