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Concept
Zune
Summary
Zune is a discontinued line of digital media products and services marketed by Microsoft from November 2006 until its discontinuation in June 2012. Zune consisted of a line of portable media players, digital media player software for Windows PCs, a music subscription service known as a "Zune Music Pass", music and video streaming services for the Xbox 360 game console via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie sales, and desktop sync software for Windows Phone. Zune was also the provider of music streaming for United Airlines in-flight, after a partnership in 2010.
The Zune started as a line of portable media players (PMP) created in cooperation with Toshiba. Microsoft aimed to challenge and beat Apple, whose iPod line held an enormous market share. Three hard disk players ranging from 30 GB to 120 GB were released, alongside six flash players. However, its overall market share in the U.S. remained low, well below Apple and also lagging the SanDisk Sansa and Creative Zen. Microsoft discontinued all Zune hardware in October 2011, with digital content distribution from Microsoft starting under the Xbox Music and Xbox Video brands.
Zune music and devices were follow-on to Microsoft's MSN Music service. MSN Music was created in 2004 to compete with Apple's iTunes services and used the Microsoft PlaysForSure DRM protocol. After only two years, Microsoft announced the closing of MSN Music in 2006 immediately before announcing the Zune service without PlaysForSure support. In 2008, Microsoft shut down the MSN Music licensing servers for PlaysForSure only two years after promising users the servers would be available for five years.
The first-generation Zune device was created by Microsoft 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 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) starting in 2006. Xbox 360 overseer J Allard ran the project, codenamed "Argo", staffed with Xbox and MSN Music Store developers who worked on "Alexandria", finalized as Zune Marketplace.
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