Microsoft's attractive new Zune HD music player will be priced less than the iPod reports Wired's Gadget Lab. The 32 GB version for the Zune HD will be $290, which is considerably less than the $370 price for a 32GB iPod Touch. Wired says Microsoft's pricing move could give Zune a shot at gaining some marketshare in the portable music device segment.
Microsoft’s move will give Zune a real shot at catching up to its competitor. Since its launch in 2006, Zune has been struggling to make a dent in the iPod’s massive market share. According to research firm NPD, in the first half of the year Zune’s market share was about 2 percent compared to about 70 percent for the iPod.
But, clearly, Microsoft hasn’t given up on this battle. In May, the company announced a new version of the Zune media player called Zune HD. Zune HD has a 3.3-inch capacitive OLED screen with multi-touch functionality, Wi-Fi, HD radio and an Internet browser. The device will also have HD video output capability.
You can read about some of the many features on the Zune HD - which include touchscreen, HD Radio, web browser and downloads from Xbox Live - here on Amazon.com. Microsoft's Zune HD website can be found here.
