据熟悉该项决议的有关人士透露，由于需求度不高，微软公司决定停止更新Zune音乐视频播放器，将公司关注的焦点转移至其他设备。因决议还未公布，知情人拒绝透露姓名。他表示，微软未来将注重把Zune软件应用于使用Windows操作系统的手机上。Zune软件为用户提供购买歌曲和电影的服务，用户也可以选择包月来享受不限流量的音乐体验。

游戏邦认为，发布于2006年的Zune并未冲击iPod在音乐播放器行业的地位。NPD公司表明，去年苹果iPod的市场占有率为77%，而Zune的销售量还未跻身前五。将Zune的特色融入Windows Phone软件中，微软希望此举能够夺回其在手机市场上的失地，与Google和苹果相抗衡。

Zune

微软拒绝对此项有关Zune的计划发表评论。公司在邮件声明中说：“我们不打算继续更新Zune设备，但最近已通过Zune Originals商店在加拿大发布Zune HD，也会在北美地区继续保持对该设备的维护。我们很高兴看到消费者对Zune跨平台运作的期待，包括在Windows Phone 7和Xbox 360上。公司未来长期的战略计划是将整个Zune系统运用于微软各种平台上。”

打败iPod

4年前，当首席执行官Steve Ballmer发布Zune时，他预言微软总有一天会赶超苹果。Ballmer在2006年11月的采访中说道：“我们能打败他们，但这并非易事。”

时任微软高级行政人员的Robbie Bach随后担任娱乐和设备运营部主管，当时他说公司计划在未来3到5年内投入数亿美元资金来与iPod竞争，但公司并没有具体说明将这些资金用在哪个产品上。

2009年，微软分拆Zune团队至各软件和硬件部门，让这些人更多地关注其他平台，如手机、Xbox主机视频游戏和个人计算机。游戏邦了解到，微软在10月发售的新Windows手机操作系统中，将Zune作为其特色之一。

Zune最新的硬件型号是Zune HD，发布于2009年。据该人士透露，微软还将继续销售现有版本的Zune播放器。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Microsoft Is Said to Stop Releasing New Models of the Zune

Microsoft Corp. will stop introducing new versions of the Zune music and video player because of tepid demand, letting the company shift its focus to other devices, according to a person familiar with the decision. Microsoft will concentrate on putting Zune software onto mobile phones, such as those running its Windows operating system, said the person, who declined to be identified because the decision hasn’t been announced. Zune software lets customers buy songs and movies, as well as pay a monthly fee to stream unlimited music.

Zune, introduced in 2006, never managed to break the iPod’s grip on the music-player industry and became the brunt of late-night talk-show jokes. Apple Inc.’s iPod led the market with 77 percent of unit sales last year, while the Zune failed to crack the top five, according to NPD Group Inc. By adding the Zune features to the Windows Phone software, Microsoft aims to gain ground in another challenging area — mobile phones — where it’s lost market share to Google Inc. and Apple.

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, declined to comment on plans for the Zune. “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,” the company said in an e-mailed statement. “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.”

Beating the iPod?

When Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer released the Zune more than four years ago, he predicted that Microsoft could one day overtake Apple. “We can beat them, but it’s not going to be easy,” Ballmer said in a November 2006 interview.

At the time, Microsoft executive Robbie Bach, then president of the entertainment and devices business, said the company planned to invest “hundreds of millions” of dollars over the following three to five years to compete with the iPod. The company doesn’t detail spending on individual products.

In 2009, Microsoft split the Zune team into software and hardware groups, letting the software people focus more on other platforms, such as phones, the Xbox video-game console and personal computers. The company touted the Zune software as a key feature in its redesigned Windows mobile-phone operating system when it went on sale in October.

Zune HD

The Zune’s last completely new hardware model, the Zune HD, was released in 2009. A version that featured more storage went on sale a year later. Microsoft will continue to sell existing versions of the Zune, the person familiar with the matter said. (Source: Bloomberg)