If making heads or tails of all this Zune stuff is giving you a headache, here are the basics from the press release.
- The 30GB digital media player will come equipped with wireless functionality for Zune-to-Zune sharing of music, pictures and home recordings; a bright, three-inch LCD video screen that works in portrait or landscape mode to view pictures and videos; and a built-in FM tuner. It will be available in three colors: black, brown and white.
- A selection of preloaded content including songs, music videos and film shorts are installed on the device’s hard drive to help consumers discover new artists and entertainment.
- Its dynamic music service will be continually updated with new content and experiences so there is always something to discover. The Zune Marketplace lets users browse and purchase songs individually.
- A Zune Pass subscription gives consumers access to millions of songs for $14.99 per month.
- Users can purchase songs individually using Microsoft® Points for 79 points per track. Similar to a pre-paid phone card, Microsoft Points is a stored value system that can be redeemed at a growing number of online stores, including the Xbox Live® Marketplace.
This press release answers most of the questions that still remained about the Zune, namely price and release date. The Zune will sell for about the same price as 30 gig iPod, but it does undercut the price of iTunes by about 20 cents per song, and iTunes does not offer the subscription feature that the Zune service will incorporate. Will this be enough to lure people away from the iPod juggernaut?
For more, read the press release.
