Zune may launch in Europe by end of 2007

Author: Tim Smalley
Published: 23rd January 2007
Comments (9) Stumble
Zune could be coming to Europe before the end of the year - would you buy one?

Zune could be coming to Europe before the end of the year - would you buy one?

A Microsoft representative has told Reuters that the company hopes to launch its Zune music player in Europe before the end of the year, while hinting that there are more devices and more features on the way too.

Although the company has said it is hoping to launch the Zune in Europe before the end of the year, the representative stressed that it wasn't an official announcement.

In order to make sure Zune is fit for the European market, Microsoft is planning an extensive market research scheme with focus groups in Europe. The representative said that this should help the company understand European consumers. In addition, it will also give Microsoft chance to make modifications to the device so that it is better suited for customers here.

Microsoft is realistic about the challenge it faces in trying to crack into the MP3 player market and acknowledges that Apple is its toughest competitor.

However, rather than going after the iPod brand, Microsoft wants Zune to make a name for itself and the company is upbeat about its prospects in the digital music player industry. "We are very realistic, we have what is essentially a three-year plan to firmly and solidly get on the radar," said the representative.

Ars Technica believes that Microsoft is planning a flash-based Zune in order to compete against the iPod nano, and there are plans for a 12GB model if the NAND flash memory market can cope. Ironically, the NAND flash memory sales generated by the iPod nano's success is likely to be the key to expanding NAND flash storage capacities.

Discuss in the forums.
Quote Flibblebot 23rd January 2007, 12:55
Is the European market really that different that it will warrant modification?
Quote poenanie 23rd January 2007, 13:39
About goddamn time , ipod just has the market here wich keeps the prices so high :(
Quote cyrilthefish 23rd January 2007, 14:13
Great, a DRM-crippled device to compete with another DRM crippled device ;)

I think i'll be sticking to music on my PDA-Phone :D
Quote <A88> 23rd January 2007, 14:43
About time really, I've been wanting one for ages but my only option's been eBay so far (not that I have the money for one anyway right now). If the subscription based download service is the same over here (ie about £7.50 for unlimited music p/month) I may well have to look into that, and hope that they've expanded the wifi abilities a bit by the time it's released here.

<A88>
Quote DXR_13KE 23rd January 2007, 16:39
will it come with tons of DRM? if yes, they can insert it in a certain slot.
Quote MrBionic 23rd January 2007, 16:45
Quote:
Originally Posted by <A88>
About time really, I've been wanting one for ages but my only option's been eBay so far (not that I have the money for one anyway right now). If the subscription based download service is the same over here (ie about £7.50 for unlimited music p/month) I may well have to look into that, and hope that they've expanded the wifi abilities a bit by the time it's released here.

<A88>
Same with me. I think they look great.
Quote MrBurritoMan 24th January 2007, 02:34
i just bought my Zune about a week ago and i can't stop using it. the screen looks unreal in its high resolution goodness. the most surprising part of this whole thing is the software that comes with it is actually not all that bad to use. the software actually allows you to edit (albeit automatically/manually) the actual ID3v1&2 tags. i think this feature is really impressive because my library is quite pitiful with all the holes in track/album/artist names. the software looks out on the net automatically and finds what it can and alters it (if you allow it via setting) to correct mistakes and add info. so far i have seen it name tracks and put albums together without mistake. if it can't figure it out then it will just move on.

about the DRM issue. all my music is ripped off of CDs and in plain MP3 format. so far i have had no issues with the software or the player. unlike media player versions of old this software will leave what you have alone and not try to convert or encode it. it will only wrap the file in encryption when it is sent to the player. i was quite amazed to the fact that it took about 0.5 sec a song to encode it and transfer. large video files just took a few minutes.

movies look good enough in fact that i don't mind watching a whole flick on the players screen. if thats not your cup of tea then just make or buy the video/audio out cable and plug that sucker right in to your TV. (the software to do encode DVDs & Movies is freeware found with a simple Google search.)

the device runs on a Windows CE / Media Center hybrid that makes independent software look like a definite possibility. in addition to what Microsoft could do with one simple firmware update it just boggles the mind to think about what this thing is capable of.

now all you nay-sayers out there who have heard this or that or whatever. look in to the device a bit more before putting it down. DRM incompatibility is the only issue i see and that is certainly a pain...if you leave your files encoded. i know i don't.

oh and for you modders out there (like me) check out this site:
ZuneMods.net
someone has already figured out how to do a painless upgrade to 80GB with only the purchase of a new drive and simple install.

plain and simple: The Zune is a iPod killer...that is if apple didn't have such a large advertisement campaign...

just my $0.02 :D
Quote brumster 24th January 2007, 03:26
Only moderately interesting thing about the Zune is its squirting and right now that looks like it's being sabotaged by the big labels anyway.
Quote DLoney 24th January 2007, 16:18
Quote:
Originally Posted by brumster
Only moderately interesting thing about the Zune is its squirting and right now that looks like it's being sabotaged by the big labels anyway.
what makes you say that. It has allthe features of the others plus a larger screen and wifi... not to men. a radio (something that most players dont have)
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