The Zune is a portable media player and online media service created by Microsoft as competition to the Apple iPod. The original Zune player came in three colors and had 30GB of storage, a 3 inch screen, and could connect to other Zunes wirelessly. Over 1.2 million Zune units had sold as of July 2007. While the Zune market share is still smaller than the iPod, Microsoft indicated it would expand the Zune line for the 2007 holiday season.

1. Savanah Robles Interactive Media MCCNM 336 September 27, 2007

2. Zune Defined Zune is a brand of a portable handheld media service and device that is sold by Microsoft.

3. The Wonderful World Zune Zunes include client software and a digital audio player that incorporate an online music store. The Zune device can play audio, video, store photos and receives FM radio. These devices can also share files wirelessly with other Zune owners. It can also connect to a Xbox 360 via an USB cable. The Zune Software allows the user to manage their music on the device by ripping music from CDs and transferring files to the player.

4. Zune, A History Released in the United State on November 14, 2006, the Zune has sold 1.2 million units as of July 2007. This device was created while Microsoft was closely in co0peration with Toshiba. J Allard was the one who ran the project, codenamed ‘Argo.’ The team mainly had MSN Music store and Xbox developers. These developers worked ‘Alexandria’ and finalized the project as the Zune Marketplace. The team later unraveled the project in the US as the brand Zune.

5. The Different Faces of Zune The Zune came in three colors for the consumer to begin with: Light black, rich brown, and pearl white. In October 2006, the Red Zune was auctioned to various Los Angeles stores. The Pink and orange colored Zunes were randomly placed in Zune boxes that were shipped to retailers carrying the product.

6. Specifications of a Zune The Zune Contains: Files the Zune supports: 30 GB Hard Drive Weighs 5.6 ounces Screen is 3 inches Has 320X240 pixel resolution Wi-Fi connection to other Zune devices Rechargeable lithium-ion battery Store 100 hours worth of video Audio: MP3, Zune Marketplace, AAC , and WMA Pictures: JPEG Video: WMV (The Zune software does convert the H.264 and MPEG-4 to WMV) This product retails at $200

7. Competition The Zune was a new attempt to dominate the digital audio player market, which is mostly dominated by Apple I-Pod. The future for the Zune isn’t quite clear yet. With no real announcement of further development, Microsoft has indicated, though, that they will be expanding the Zune product line for the 2007 holiday season.

8. Giving Thanks To Those Sites That Helped! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zune http://www.zune.net/en-US/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_Allard