Zune
Manufacturer	Microsoft
Type	Portable media player
Release date	Nov 14, 2006 (Zune 30) [1] Nov 13, 2007 (Zune 4, 8, 80) [2] June 13, 2008
Connectivity	Wi-Fi (Zune-Zune, Sync-PC, Microsoft Surface) USB
Retail availability	since Nov 14, 2006 June 13, 2008
Units sold	+2 million (as of May 2008)[3]
Operating system	Windows Embedded
CPU	Freescale i. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer A portable multimedia player ( PMP) sometimes referred to as a portable video player ( PVP) is a Consumer electronics device that is capable Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Zune 30 is the first Portable media player developed by Microsoft. Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Spring is one of the four Temperate Seasons Spring marks the transition from Winter into Summer. Wi-Fi (ˈwaɪfaɪ is the trade name for the popular wireless technology used Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. An operating system (commonly abbreviated OS and O/S) is the software component of a Computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination Windows Embedded is a family of Operating Systems from Microsoft designed for use in Embedded systems Microsoft makes available four different categories Freescale Semiconductor Inc is an American Semiconductor manufacturer  MX31L processor ARM Core
Storage capacity	4 and 8 GB flash drive 30 and 80 GB hard drive
Display	1. The ARM architecture (previously the Advanced RISC Machine, and prior to that Acorn RISC Machine) is a 32-bit RISC processor architecture A hard disk drive ( HDD) commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a Non-volatile storage device 8in Glass LCD screen, resolution 240×320 (Zune 4, 8) 3in QVGA LCD screen, resolution 240×320 (Zune 30) 3. 2in Glass LCD screen, resolution 240×320 at 4:3 aspect ratio (Zune 80)
Online services	Zune Marketplace
Touchpad	Circular Directional Pad (30 GB release) Touch-sensitive Zune pad (4, 8, 80 GB releases)

Zune is a brand of digital music products and services sold by Microsoft. The aspect ratio of a Shape is the ratio of its longer Dimension to its shorter dimension Zune is a brand of digital media players and services sold by Microsoft. The Zune Pad is the primary control mechanism for Zune 4, 8, 16, 80 and 120. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer It includes portable media players, client software, and the Zune Marketplace online music and video store. A portable multimedia player ( PMP) sometimes referred to as a portable video player ( PVP) is a Consumer electronics device that is capable A client is an application or system that accesses a remote service on another Computer system, known as a server, by way of a Network. Zune is a brand of digital media players and services sold by Microsoft. ^[4] The devices come in three styles, all of which play music and videos, display images, and receive FM radio. See also Frequency modulation, FM band FM broadcasting is a broadcast Technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that They can share files wirelessly with other Zunes and via USB with Xbox 360s, and can sync wirelessly with Windows PCs. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. Microsoft Windows is a series of Software Operating systems and Graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft.

The Zune Software, which runs on Windows XP and Vista, allows users to manage files on the player, rip audio CDs, and buy songs, music videos, and TV shows at the online store. Zune is a brand of digital media players and services sold by Microsoft. Windows XP is a family of 32-bit and 64-bit Operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on Personal computers including home and Windows Vista (ˈvɪstə is a line of Operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on Personal computers including home and business desktops Ripping is the process of copying audio or video content to a Hard disk, typically from Removable media or media streams. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio

History

The first Zune models were released in the United States on November 19, 2006. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Zune 4, 8 and 80 were announced on October 2, 2007. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. All Zunes (new and older models) now offer the ability to sync wirelessly (automatically if connected to a power supply but can be manually started without it), a new touchpad-style input device, additional file support for H.264 and MPEG-4 files, podcast support, upgraded song-sharing licensing. H264 is a standard for Video compression. It is also known as MPEG-4 Part 10, or MPEG-4 AVC (for Advanced Video Coding) MPEG-4 is a collection of methods defining compression of audio and visual (AV digital data The Zune also allows a Zune to communicate with other Zunes. Zune 80 also has a large, 3. 2” screen. A free firmware update added the new software features to the original Zune (now called the Zune 30) and was released on November 13, 2007. The Zune 30 is the first Portable media player developed by Microsoft. ^[5]

The first-generation Zune was created while Microsoft was in close cooperation with Toshiba, which took the design of the Gigabeat S and redeveloped it under the name Toshiba 1089 as registered with the FCC starting in the year 2006. ( is a multinational conglomerate manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The Gigabeat is a line of Digital audio players by Toshiba. Gigabeat The Gigabeat was first called the MobilPhile and later renamed to Gigabeat ^[6] Xbox 360 overseer J Allard ran the project, codenamed ‘Argo’, which consisted of some Xbox and MSN Music store developers,^[7] who worked on ‘Alexandria’ and finalized it as Zune Marketplace,^[8] then later unveiled both products united under a single brand in the U. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. J Allard (his legal name formerly James Allard) (born January 12 1969 in Glens Falls New York) is "Chief Experience Officer" and A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. MSN Music is a part of the MSN web services It delivers music news music videos spotlights on new music artist information and live performances of S. market as the Zune.

The second-generation Zune 4 GB, 8 GB, and 80 GB were announced^[9] on October 2, 2007. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The 4 and 8 GB Zunes are flash-based and smaller in size than the 80 GB version. The 30GB Zune was not redesigned.

Recently, Microsoft has announced that Zunes will eventually be able to play games developed using XNA. Games will feature custom soundtracks and 8-player wireless multiplayer using the built-in Wi-Fi. A multiplayer video game is one which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time It will also be possible to develop games that allow for Zune, Xbox, and Windows gamers to compete against each other. ^[10] An early version of XNA Game Studio 3.0 released on May 7, 2008 allows developers to work on Zune games. Microsoft XNA (" X NA's N ot A cronymed" in other words XNA is not an acronym is a set of tools with a managed runtime environment provided by Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[11]

Devices

Models

For the Main Articles, go to: Zune 30, Zune 4, 8 or Zune 80. The Zune 30 is the first Portable media player developed by Microsoft.

The 30 GB Zune was the first Zune music player. The Zune 30 is the first Portable media player developed by Microsoft. It has a 30 GB hard drive, 3” screen, and simple directional pad for menu navigation. The second generation of the Zune consists of the Zune 4gb, 8gb, and 80gb. The Zune 4 and 8 feature a smaller size and hold 4 and 8 GB of flash memory, respectively. The 80 GB Zune is the replacement to the Zune 30 that is also thinner and lighter. All three second generation Zunes have a Zune Pad instead of the simple directional pad that was included on the Zune 30. The Zune Pad is the primary control mechanism for Zune 4, 8, 16, 80 and 120. Microsoft did, however, distribute a mass upgrade for all Zune models (including the Zune 30) to the Zune's second generation software/firmware. On the back of all models it says "Hello From Seattle Model # Assembled in China", signifying that Microsoft is based in Seattle and the Zune is assembled in China.

Preloaded content

Main article: List of Zune preloaded content

Zune featured preloaded content in both audio and video formats from various artist like BT, Paul Oakenfold, CSS. This is a list of Zune preloaded content found on Microsoft's Zune music devices Brian Wayne Transeau (born October 4, 1971 in Rockville, Maryland) is an American music producer composer singer and songwriter better known Paul Oakenfold (born 30 August, 1963 in Greenhithe, Kent, UK) is a Record producer and a popular trance Cansei de Ser Sexy (kɐ̃'seɪ dʒɪ ser 'sɛksɪ literally "got tired of being sexy" in Brazilian Portuguese) better known worldwide as CSS, is a Special editions featured their own unique set of content.

Specifications

Accessories

The Zune comes with earphones, USB data cable, and carrying bag (Zune 30 only). Accessories sold separately include:

• Charging devices (car adapter, AC wall-socket adapters, external battery).
• I/O adapters (A/V composite, FM transmitters, headphones, USB data cable).
• Docks (charging, multimedia large speaker, vertical hands-free assist).
• Protection (glass screen protection, hardened/cushioning material case protection).
• Carrying cases (standard issue, armband type, and belt clip).
• Replacement parts and upgrades (battery, hard drive, LCD, etc. ).

Among the firms that make Zune accessories are Microsoft, Altec Lansing, Belkin Corp. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer Altec Lansing is a line of professional home automotive computer and multimedia audio products beginning in 1936 Belkin International Inc is a global manufacturer of Computer hardware which specializes in Connectivity devices , Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO), Dual Electronics, Griffin Technology, Harman Kardon and JBL, Integrated Mobile Electronics, Jamo International, Klipsch Audio Technologies, Logitech, Monster Cable Products Inc. Griffin Technology is a privately-held US company founded in Nashville, Tennessee in 1992 by Paul Griffin Harman Kardon, a division of Harman International Industries, is a manufacturer of home and car Audio equipment. JBL is an American-Japanese audio electronics company currently owned by Harman International. Klipsch Audio Technologies (klɪpʃ is a consumer and professional speaker company based in the United States. Logitech International SA ( SWX: LOGN,) headquartered in Romanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland, is the Holding company for Logitech Monster Cable Products Inc owns the Monster Cable brand of consumer audio and video Cable, which is primarily used to connect audio and video components , Speck, Targus Group International Inc. The Targus Corporation is a United States-based manufacturer of accessories mostly related to Mobile computing. and VAF Research. ^[22]

Firmware

Users often refer to on-device software as firmware, differing from the desktop media player as Zune software. Zune’s operating system is based on Windows CE kernel for ARM architecture and uses a distribution like the Portable Media Center found on the Gigabeat S. Windows CE (also known officially as Windows Embedded Compact post version 6 In Computer science, the kernel is the central component of most computer Operating systems (OS The ARM architecture (previously the Advanced RISC Machine, and prior to that Acorn RISC Machine) is a 32-bit RISC processor architecture A software distribution, also referred to as a software distro, is a bundle of a specific Software (or a collection of multiple even an entire Operating Portable Media Center (PMC is a defunct hard drive -based Portable media player (PMP platform developed by Microsoft. The Gigabeat is a line of Digital audio players by Toshiba. Gigabeat The Gigabeat was first called the MobilPhile and later renamed to Gigabeat Zune’s native file compatible formats are

• JPEG for images;
• WMV, MPEG-4 and H.264 for video;
• MP3, AAC (. A native format, in the context of software applications refers to the File format which the application works with during creation edition or publication of a file Windows Media Video ( WMV) is a compressed Video file format for several proprietary Codecs developed by Microsoft. H264 is a standard for Video compression. It is also known as MPEG-4 Part 10, or MPEG-4 AVC (for Advanced Video Coding) MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a Digital audio encoding format using a form of Lossy data compression Advanced Audio Coding ( AAC) is a standardized lossy compression and encoding scheme for Digital audio. m4a), Zune Marketplace (restricted and DRM free), WMA Pro (2-channel), WMA Standard, WMA lossless for audio. Windows Media Audio ( WMA) is an Audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. Windows Media Audio ( WMA) is an Audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft.

The graphical user interface (GUI) (called the “twist interface” by Microsoft) has sections for music, video, pictures, social, radio, podcasts, and settings. It is said to provide “two-dimensional navigation” for scrolling through items with its directional pad. A D-pad (short for directional pad) is a flat usually thumb-operated directional control found on nearly all modern Video game console Gamepads Game ^[23] In the music section, users can add songs to a quick playlist without reconnecting to the desktop software. In the picture section, the background can be personalized using any image as wallpaper. The terms wallpaper and desktop picture refer to an image used as a background on a computer screen usually for the desktop of a Graphical user interface In the radio section, users can receive and play FM radio internally, with North American, Japanese, and European tuning ranges and show song information on supported FM stations. In the social section, users can broadcast user profile and current activity to others nearby. In the setting section, users can control backlight settings and output analog TV in with purchase of a separate connection. A backlight is the form of illumination used in a Liquid crystal display (LCD

The very first updates to the firmware added sharing features (send, community, list nearby Zune users) as described in FCC filings. ^[24] [25] Firmware 1. 1 allowed device to inherit sharing capabilities described by codename Pyxis. A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word Early firmwares patched software bugs. In Computing, firmware is a computer program that is Embedded in a hardware device for example a Microcontroller. A software bug (or just “bug” is an error flaw mistake Failure, fault or “undocumented feature” in a Computer program that prevents it Later, the much anticipated 2. 2 firmware released from about a year after first generation Zune added support for DVR-MS (Media Center Recorded TV) files, lossless playback, added wireless syncing, and GUI interface improvements.

Zune supports the Windows Media DRM (WMDRM) digital rights management system incompatible with other DRM systems and not part of the PlaysForSure platform or program. Windows Media DRM is a Digital Rights Management service for the Windows Media platform Starting in 2004 Microsoft PlaysForSure was a certification given by Microsoft to portable devices and content services which had been tested against several ^[26] [27] Multimedia content is transferred through Media Transfer Protocol (MTP); however, its proprietary MTP extensions ("MTPZ") place an interoperability barrier between the Zune and previous MTP-based software. The Media Transfer Protocol is a devised set of custom extensions to the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP

Zune Software

Zune Software version 2. 5. 447. 0 running in Windows Vista

Zune Software functions as management software for the device and library and as a client to the online music store. A client is an application or system that accesses a remote service on another Computer system, known as a server, by way of a Network. An online music store is an Online business which sells audio files usually music on a per-song and/or subscription basis The old version was a modified version of Windows Media Player 11, and the latest version is built from the ground up, with additional DirectShow decoders for AAC, MPEG-4 and H.264, it supports the following formats — for audio: MP3 (. Windows Media Player ( WMP) is a digital media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing DirectShow (sometimes abbreviated as DS or DShow) codename Quartz, is a Multimedia framework and API produced by Microsoft Advanced Audio Coding ( AAC) is a standardized lossy compression and encoding scheme for Digital audio. MPEG-4 is a collection of methods defining compression of audio and visual (AV digital data H264 is a standard for Video compression. It is also known as MPEG-4 Part 10, or MPEG-4 AVC (for Advanced Video Coding) MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a Digital audio encoding format using a form of Lossy data compression mp3), AAC (Low complexity) (. Advanced Audio Coding ( AAC) is a standardized lossy compression and encoding scheme for Digital audio. aac, . mp4, . m4a, . m4b, . mov), WMA (. Windows Media Audio ( WMA) is an Audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. wma); for video: MPEG4 (in . MPEG-4 is a collection of methods defining compression of audio and visual (AV digital data mp4, . m4v and . mov containers), H.264 (in . H264 is a standard for Video compression. It is also known as MPEG-4 Part 10, or MPEG-4 AVC (for Advanced Video Coding) mp4, . m4v and . mov containers), WMV (. Windows Media Video ( WMV) is a compressed Video file format for several proprietary Codecs developed by Microsoft. wmv), ASF (. asf); and for still images: JPEG (. jpg). It synchronizes music, pictures, videos and podcasts to the device. File synchronization (or 'synching' or 'syncing' in computing is the process of making sure that two or more locations contain the same up-to-date files. A podcast is a series of audio or Video digital-media files which is distributed over the Internet by syndicated Download It streams files to the Xbox 360. Streaming multimedia is Multimedia that is constantly received by and normally presented to an end-user while it is being delivered by a streaming provider (the The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. It organizes the media in its library and allows users to add to the library by ripping from CDs and to organize the metadata. Ripping is the process of copying audio or video content to a Hard disk, typically from Removable media or media streams. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Metadata ( meta data, or sometimes metainformation) is "data about data" of any sort in any media It can automatically pull down album art and metadata tag data for some content in the library. There is also an inbox feature in the desktop client software as well on the device, which keeps track of songs swapped with other Zune users. On the desktop client, the inbox also serves as a message center for Zune Social. Zune Social is the online component of Microsoft 's Zune initiative Although the Zune Software was originally a modified version of Windows Media Player, the Zune device was designed to only work with the Zune Software. Zune Software requires Windows XP or Vista. Windows XP is a family of 32-bit and 64-bit Operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on Personal computers including home and Windows Vista (ˈvɪstə is a line of Operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on Personal computers including home and business desktops

The current version of the software is 2. 5. 447. 0 released alongside 2. 5 firmware update.

Several versions of the software were released. A history of each version reveals:

Zune Marketplace

Zune Marketplace is an online music store that integrates with the software. An online music store is an Online business which sells audio files usually music on a per-song and/or subscription basis Initially offering two million songs it grew to more than three million songs. With the update to version 2. 5 the Zune Marketplace also offer Music Videos and TV shows for download. Music on the marketplace is provided by the big four music groups (EMI, Warner Music Group, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group) and smaller music labels. The music industry is the business of Music. Although it encompasses the activity of many music-related businesses and organizations it is currently dominated by the "big The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Warner Music Group (WMG is the third-largest of the "big four" major record labels, the others being Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal Sony BMG Music Entertainment is a diverse music and entertainment group Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry. TV shows are provided by NBC. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Like other tech companies in the music business, the Zune team at Microsoft had a team of music experts responsible for the Zune marketplace editorial content and programming. The team is led by Kyle Hopkins (also known as DJ “Kid Hops” on KEXP-FM ). ^[36] Music Content is offered in DRM-restricted WMA format (2-pass CBR @ 192kbit/s) or non-DRM MP3 format (320Kbps) for a per-song or per-album fee, or via a Zune Pass monthly/Quarterly subscriptions.

Songs downloaded from the Marketplace are restricted by DRM similar to yet slightly different from PlaysForSure DRM, meaning that songs purchased from PlaysForSure partners could not be playable in Zune Software, although the reverse is true. Starting in 2004 Microsoft PlaysForSure was a certification given by Microsoft to portable devices and content services which had been tested against several Internally, Zune DRM is referred to as “9. 1”, differentiating itself from PlaysForSure DRM, which is version “9”. While removal of PlaysForSure DRM has been facilitated with several tools, none would remove Zune DRM until July 14, 2007 when one of the tools (“FairUse4WM” [Windows Media]) was updated to support removal of the Zune DRM wrapper, thus allowing interoperability between the platforms. Windows Media DRM is a Digital Rights Management service for the Windows Media platform As of September 6th, 2007, an update from Microsoft has broken FairUse4WM once again, resulting in that anyone with the updated license cannot strip the DRM (presumably until FairUse4WM is updated again). Note that updating the Zune software to the most recent version (2. 1, as of November, 2007) will not affect previously functioning DRM components.

Purchases are made through a system called Microsoft Points, in which users prepay US$5 for a block of 400 points that can be applied to downloads at 79 points per song. Microsoft Points (denoted as) are the currency of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Windows Live Gallery and Zune online stores This works out to $0. 9875 per song, plus whatever remainder is left after a user makes his or her final purchase from the Marketplace. Cost and minimum purchase varies with foreign currency exchange rates and taxes. In Finance, the exchange rates (also known as the foreign-exchange rate, forex rate or FX rate) between two currencies specifies how The points used for the Zune Marketplace are the same points used to buy media from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Xbox Live Marketplace ( XBLM) is a virtual market designed for Microsoft 's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download Purchased songs can be burned to Audio CD.

As an alternative to the Microsoft Points, users pay a monthly flat fee called the Zune Pass that costs US$14. 99. This allows a member to download and participate in Zune Marketplace content for a flat monthly fee. The Zune Pass allows to download songs, with exceptions of those required to pay points for. Zune Pass downloads cannot be burned to Audio CD and will become unplayable when the subscription lapses, and while the subscription is up-to-date, it can not be burned or synced to anything but a Zune. The Zune pass allows for 3 Zunes to share the downloaded DRM content as well as the content to be downloaded on up to 3 computers. ^[37] Initially, Zunes included a 14-day Zune Pass free trial in the package.

With the launch of the new Zunes, the Marketplace was upgraded to support interface(as opposed to being a modified version of URGE), and drop DRM for around 1 million tracks (out of roughly 3 million). The URGE digital music store was a short-lived online music distribution service run by MTV Networks. DRM-free MP3s sell for a slightly higher price than protected tracks. Unlike DRM-free songs purchased from iTunes, DRM-free songs from Zune Marketplace do not have watermarks intended to identify the person who initially purchased the song. iTunes is a proprietary digital media player application introduced by Apple Inc Music Videos and Podcasts were also added to the Marketplace.

Sales and marketing

Marketing

Microsoft launched several campaigns to jump-start the Zune. The company had planned a $100 million campaign to promote Zune with "Music the way it wants to be" as a major theme and “Welcome to the social” as an advertisement tagline. ^[38] Also, the company had enlisted about 300 “Zune masters” to advertise the device on American college campuses, to promote the item, and to run Zune-related events as expected. In exchange, they have received free merchandise, including a Zune. ^[39]

The choice of branding and distribution were part of the Zune as a decision of “two strategies in the market right now: cross-brand ecosystems [. A brand is a collection of Images and ideas representing an economic producer more specifically it refers to the descriptive verbal attributes and concrete symbols such as a Distribution (or place) is one of the four elements of Marketing mix. . . ] and singular brand ecosystems [. . . ]. The former is gaining in share and units sold, but the latter has enormous share and won’t give that up easily”. ^[27]

Zune desktop theme.

Microsoft normally follows a platform (cross-brand) strategy, as exemplified by the PlaysForSure system. However, its Xbox division has gained some experience with the vertically-integrated strategy in which it controls everything end-to-end from the hardware to the online store. With Apple dominating the audio market with its vertically-integrated iPod system, the Xbox division won permission to try the same approach, separately from PlaysForSure and PlayReady. iPod is a popular brand of Portable media players designed and marketed by Apple Inc PlayReady is a Digital Rights Management (DRM product from Microsoft for portable devices

Microsoft also wanted to go beyond Apple’s efforts and promote the tagline “the social” and Wi-Fi (wireless sharing) as key differentiators. A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in Marketing materials and Advertising. Wi-Fi (ˈwaɪfaɪ is the trade name for the popular wireless technology used Chris Stephenson, leader of Zune’s marketing and manager of Global Marketing for the Entertainment Business,^[40] said, “we see a great opportunity to bring together technology and community to allow consumers to explore and discover music together. ”^[27]

Microsoft also released a Zune theme for Windows XP that replaced the appearance of the operating system. This theme includes an orange Start button and black taskbar/Start menu.

Zune has also expanded its brand efforts by creating a gen-y friendly website and campaign focused on emerging artist talent: Zune Arts

MySpace has added the feature to label music players on personal profiles to Zune-themed or a red Zune 8. MySpace is a popular social networking Website offering an interactive user-submitted network of friends personal profiles blogs groups photos music and

Sales

During its launch week, the original Zune, now Zune 30, was the second-most-sold portable media device with a 9 % unit share in the United States; behind the market-leading iPod’s 63 %. ^[42] For the first 6 months after launch, NPD Group figures show that the Zune 30 achieved approximately 10% ^{[41] [43] [44]} market share in the Hard Drive based MP3 market and 3% ^{[45] [46] [47]} in the overall MP3 player market. The NPD Group Inc (formerly National Purchase Diary) is a leading global market research company founded in 1967 and provides consumer and retail information to manufacturers According to Bloomberg Television 1. Bloomberg Television is a network that airs Business and Financial news 24 hours a day and is distributed globally on ten separate channels 2 million Zune 30 players were sold between November 2006 and June 2007,^[48] surpassing a milestone. ^[49] A price drop on Amazon.com during November 2007 temporarily boosted the brown Zune 30 to the top Sales Rank in electronics. Amazoncom Inc ( is an American electronic commerce ( E-commerce) company in Seattle Washington.

Critical reception for the new flash based Zunes and the Zune 80 has been much more positive than with the first generation Zune. While some reviewers concluded that the iPod is still superior, others deemed the Zune to be better. ^[50] [51] The Zune 80 was initially in short supply due to a combination of low production output and stronger-than-expected demand, but many retailers now have it in stock as of December 7, 2007. ^[52]

On May 6, 2008, Microsoft announced that it had sold just over 2 million Zunes. Roughly one million of those were sold since the second generation Zunes launched in November 2007. ^[53].

On May 22, 2008, TheStreet. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common com reported that GameStop "has decided to stop selling Microsoft's Zune players at its stores due to what it sees as insufficient demand from customers. GameStop Corporation ( is the world's largest Video game and entertainment software retailer " TheStreet commented that "GameStop has hundreds of stores across the country and losing that distribution channel could hurt Zune sales," but quoted Adam Sohn, Zune marketing manager's response "We have a set of great partnerships . . . Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, and others. "^[54]

Availability outside the U. S.

Microsoft announced plans at CES 2008 to release the Zune to Canadian consumers on June 13, 2008, marking the first time it will be available outside the U. S. ^[55] A Microsoft spokesperson said a European launch might not occur until 2008. ^[56] Microsoft has even made efforts to ban visitors outside the U. S. from http://www.zuneoriginals.net. Users wishing to sign up for a Zunetag can easily circumnavigate most problems by signing up for a US based account. ^[57]

According to Microsoft France's Francois Ruault, Zune will debut in Europe Fall 2009, along with the release of the third generation Zune ^[58]

Criticism

Digital rights management

Several entities have expressed the effect of Microsoft imposing Digital Rights Management (DRM) passively to the customer before and immediately after the introduction of the Zune. Digital rights management ( DRM) is a generic term that refers to Access control technologies used by hardware manufacturers publishers and Copyright holders Digital rights management ( DRM) is a generic term that refers to Access control technologies used by hardware manufacturers publishers and Copyright holders The Electronic Frontier Foundation, in opposition to the Zune’s DRM, wrote:

The EFF calls this “a stark example of DRM under the DMCA giving customers a raw deal. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA is a United States Copyright Law which implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property ”^[60] Technology reviewer Leo Laporte of G4techTV Canada said in his November 11, 2006 radio show that Zune may be the “beginning of the end” for DRM as a business tactic. Leo Gordon Laporte (born November 29, 1956 in New York City, New York) is an American Technology broadcaster and G4techTV Canada is a Canadian English language category 1 Digital cable Specialty channel co-owned by Rogers Media and ^[61]

Before the release of Zune 2. 0, restrictive wireless-transfer policy and “three days or three plays whichever comes first” rule were noted. ^[62] [63] Extra restrictions resulted for (1) those with a Zune Pass;^[64] (2) all songs regardless if the song had copyright or DRM or even if the user created the song; ^[65] (3) a registered “play” for any portion of a song;^{[66] [63][67]} (4) prevention in song re-trades. ^[67]

Later on 40% of popular Zune store downloads were discovered non-exchangeable, triggering a “cannot send some songs due to rights restrictions” message. ^[68] Microsoft attributed the problem to a “new experience, and its implementation is in a version 1. 0 stage [. . . ] working to expand the number of songs that can be shared. ”^[69] Initially, observers criticized music publishers, UMG and Sony, for what was assumed to be an intentional restriction, while complaining why not disclose which songs could not be shared. ^[70] Music publishers denied having placed any such restrictions. ^[69]

Microsoft later became less strict in its use of DRM. With the introduction of the Zune 4G, 8G, 80G devices and a firmware upgrade to 2. 0 for Zune 30, the next version of Zune Marketplace dropped the DRM for around a third of its tracks. Also, the “three days or three plays” rule were cut to simply “three plays”, with no timed expiration, and traded tracks will be able to be re-traded on.

See also

• Comparison of portable media players
• Comparison of Online music stores
• Online music stores
• Comparison of Wi-Fi handhelds

References

External links

• Zune.net — Official Site
• Zune Insider – Insider blog
• Zune Podcast Support – An interview with Rob Greenlee, Podcast Programming & Marketing Lead for the Zune about the second generation Zunes' support for podcasts.
• Zune at MySpace