Microsoft Tunes Up Zune
With lackluster sales for what Microsoft had hoped would be its iPod killer,
the Redmondians are
giving
the pint-sized music vault a facelift and other updates just in time to
lure holiday shoppers.
Three new Zunes are set to go up against the forces of Apple's iPod. One of
the new Zunes has an 80GB hard drive and a 3.2-inch glass screen. This top-line
Zune comes in a shiny black finish. There will also be smaller Zunes -- clearly
positioned to do battle with the iPod Nano -- that use flash memory. These will
come with either 4GB or 8GB of space in a pink, green, red or black finish.
Like the original Zune, the new models all come with FM radio and let you use
wireless connections to share tunes with other Zunes. They also have an updated
display and menu structure. There's a touch pad interface you can use to scroll
through tunes or change the volume.
The new Zunes should be available for sale by mid-November, with prices expected
to range from $149 for the 4GB models to $199 for 8GB and $249 for the 80GB.
Posted by Lafe Low on October 03, 2007