Microsoft Reportedly Kills Off Zune Hardware

[aimran]

This wouldn't come as a surprise to many, but Engadget is reporting that Microsoft will kill off the Zune hardware and no more Zune media players will be made. However, Microsoft will continue to develop and focus on the Zune software for WP7 and Xbox devices.

[CrowdAds]

[RagingDaemon]

Expected news. Not even new firmware to fix the issues and shortcomings of the last one

[Alon93]

I was just about to post it, I hope it's not true.

[Lagoo56]

Yay!! Finally,no more speculations over whether or not Microsoft killed off the hardware or is making a successor.

[xxbraveguyxx]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...mand-ebbs.html

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2381945,00.asp

[JoshRead]

Great.

[Marine1]

I'm holding off until Dave or Microsoft confirms. This has been going on as a rumor for years.

[aimran]

I wonder if this will be part of Microsoft major announcement tomorrow. I think Zune will continue to be a service and software and that tomorrow annoucement will be that the "Ventura" cloud service will be coming to Zune. I also believe an Xbox Portable is coming to replace Zune devices.

[WalkGood]

I do see this as a shame, I always liked the look of their hardware but this comes as no surprise IMHO. How can a company introduce a product more locked down than the ipod and even remotely think that they are going to win a percentage of market share.

[lip]

I cannot imagine Dave would be allowed to comment on this...I'd be surprised if MS didn't release a new Zune based on WP7 but who knows....MS does not seem to have an idea of where they are going these days....perhaps it's all clear to those in the know but to me I'm losing faith in MS...their update history on the WP7 is bordering on a joke....

[xxbraveguyxx]

Zune is trending on Twitter WORLDWIDE..This goes to show you how much everyone loved Zune.. Im mad as hell right now becoz I always defended Zune, when someone said Zune is Dead..

[lip]

Read Dave's comment on the availability in Canada...he states that WP7 is their next hardware which basically confirms the Zune is dead.....
Oh well...

[McDougal]

Just as I expected. Although I really don't give a sh*t now, I'm happy that I've moved on to a device that's not as locked down and isn't dead/moved on to a more expensive option that I could never afford (WP7)....

[Flyordie]

This is really disconcerting. I am one of the group that doesn't want a monthly phone bill attached to my Zune device.

Now, if they can expand the market a bit to say.. US Cellular, then maybe.

As ATT and Verizon ect.. have crappy service around here, I can't get the WP7 and be happy with it. US Cellular is the only company with service around where I live and they use CDMA2000, a stupid, and obsolete cell technology invented in like the early 90s, its BS they still use it.

[RagingDaemon]

Originally Posted by xxbraveguyxx

Zune is trending on Twitter WORLDWIDE..This goes to show you how much everyone loved Zune.. Im mad as hell right now becoz I always defended Zune, when someone said Zune is Dead..

This goes to show the ifanbase and MSFT haters are happy....
next in line in this dead row that began with Courier and continued with KIN: Windows Phone 7

[fuzzypits]

It seems like there's more people without Zunes that come here just to say how much they hate the Zune for being "Closed off" versus people who actually own Zunes.

Coming from someone who owns one I love my Zune and I enjoy it more than my 4th Gen iPod touch, shame Microsoft didn't manage to keep the Zune players going. (If this rumor is true.)

[Blackwheel]

I called this one over a year ago.

http://anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52595

[Marine1]

So far, nothing from Zune on Twitter or Facebook. It's been two hours. That's an eternity in the social media world. Microsoft, SAY SOMETHING.

[berklon]

Just like I thought... making it available to Canada was just a way to dump off excess hardware.

Here's an idea... drop the price to $99. I'll take one off their hands easily.

[eddie.exe]

This is pretty disappointing. I was looking forward to a WP7 device without the Phone to come out. I hope this means we at least get a firmware update soon. The ZuneHD is probably the buggiest Zune player to have been released.

I feel like an orphan now.