64GB Zune HD on the way
Microsoft has confirmed it will release a 64GB version of its HD edition Zune media player. There will also be a new firmware for existing models with several new features.
The 64GB edition, which goes on sale on 12 April, should plug a gap in the Zune range as the current highest capacity, 32GB, is not enough for people with large music collections who want to carry all their music at once and still have some room for videos, particularly in HD format.
The 64GB model will have a list price of $349.99. That’s $50 cheaper than the 64GB iPod Touch, the most obvious rival, though it has to be said that at those sort of prices, that discount is unlikely to be enough to sway somebody who has their heart set on an iPod.
At first the device will be sold exclusively online through ZuneOriginals.com. That seems an odd strategy, though it could be that Microsoft wants to test demand for such a high-priced device before committing to producing and shipping in larger quantities for retail stores. It’s also arguable that a 64GB model is much less likely to be an impulse purchase.
To co-incide with the release, the list prices of the 16GB and 32GB models will drop to $199 and $269 respectively, a $20 drop in each case.
Meanwhile the new firmware, Zune 4.5, will be released for the entire Zune range in the next few weeks and makes the following changes:
- Picks (a playlist generator) and Smart DJ (a recommendation engine) will be added to the HD editions of the Zune.
- Owners using a dock to connect the player to a TV screen will now be able to browse the Zune Marketplace and stream songs on the TV.
- Both AVI and Xvid format files will now work on the player, cutting out the need for transcoding.
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April 8th, 2010
If iPod is the innovation of mp3 players. Zune HD is absolute the innovation of mp4 players. It owns stronger functions which can beat iPod Touch. And the most important is its price is more reasonable than iPod Touch, despite a little pricy too.