Alas, poor Zune: Microsoft Corp’s long-doomed answer to the iPod has finally given up the ghost, according to a quiet and brief eulogy posted on Microsoft’s support pages on Sunday.
While the company will still allow the remaining Zune-enabled devices to function, it will not be possible to stream or download music to them anymore.
“As of November 15, 2015, Zune services will be retired,” Microsoft’s post said.
“You will no longer be able to stream or download content to your device from the Zune music service. However, Zune devices will still function as music players and any MP3 content that you own on the Zune device will remain there,” it said.
The company is still pushing its own music services, but it is not trying to take share from iTunes anymore, opting instead to put its muscle behind its streaming service, Groove.
CONVERSION
Zune accounts, as well as Xbox Music accounts, are to be converted to Groove accounts.
Users can scarcely say they did not see the approaching demise of the service: Microsoft stopped making Zune devices in 2011.
The original Zune was one of a half-dozen digital media players that either predated the iPod or hoped to take a bite out of the popular device’s impressive sales figures, but Apple Inc was already well ahead of the curve by the time the Zune arrived.
FIRST ZUNE
The first-generation Zune — a lightly retooled Toshiba Corp Gigabeat S — debuted on Nov. 14, 2006. The first-generation iPhone came out seven months later.
At the time, Microsoft had already tried to launch an aspiring iTunes-killer called MSN Music; with the launch of Zune the name of the service changed to Zune Marketplace and included videos.
In 2012 it changed again, to Xbox Music, with Xbox Video, and Xbox Music Pass.
Now, as Microsoft embraces Android devices more fully and works on retooling its own mobile hardware, the Zune is probably just a reminder of a time the company would like to forget.
However, at least one fan, who celebrated his enthusiasm with a Zune tattoo, will remember the music player for some time to come.
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