I suppose you can look at this a few ways: Microsoft Zune HD Is Officially Dead, Company Confirms [Microsoft Puts an End ...

Microsoft Zune HD Is Officially Dead, Company Confirms [Microsoft Puts an End ...

Recent reports suggested that Microsoft is discontinuing the Zune PMP line although the company quickly denied the rumors. Only a few days later we hear that the Redmond-based corporation is no longer interested in launching new Zune hardware in the future.

A statement from the company reads:

We recently announced that, going forward, Windows Phone will be the focus of our mobile music and video strategy, and that we will no longer be producing Zune players. So what does this mean for our current Zune users? Absolutely nothing. Your device will continue to work with Zune services just as it does today. And we will continue to honor the warranties of all devices for both current owners and those who buy our very last devices. Customer service has been, and will remain a top priority for us.

No Zune product, including the Zune HD, were really able to steal market share away from Apple, no matter how hard Microsoft marketed it. Considering the evolution of Apple’s iPhone, and of Android smartphones in the last few years, we’ve witness a decreased demand of iPods, of all kinds and sizes although the iPod touch HD is still a best-selling device for the company. Therefore is certainly easy to assume that Zune sales also dropped accordingly in the recent quarters.

At the same time, Windows Phone smartphones also pack the capabilities of the Zune and I’m sure Microsoft would be more interested in selling more handsets instead of multimedia players. Not that Windows Phone sales are doing that great anyhow.

Apple on the other hand will not discontinue its iPod line. Sure there’s no real iPod nano 7G or iPod touch 5G as the new iPods unveiled during the “Let’s talk iPhone” event are almost exact copies of their predecessors, but the company will continue to sell such devices, for lower prices, to those consumers interested in purchasing a music/multimedia device.

Will you miss the Zune HD or are you buying a Windows Phone handset instead?