Chief among the cheerleaders for the new Windows Phone 7 will be the team behind another Microsoft product: the beleaguered Zune music player.
Overshadowed by the supremely dominant Apple iPod, the Zune has — to put it gently — struggled to make a dent in the digital music player market.
But the Zune could see a boost to its platform when its software is integrated into Microsoft’s smartphones, set to be released next month.
Apple has sold more than 250 million iPods since 2001. Microsoft declined to release sales figures for the Zune, released in 2006.
That’s not to say Microsoft hasn’t built a solid media player. Released last fall, the Zune HD includes features still lacking on Apple’s marquee iPod Touch including HD radio.
And for the basics — music and video consumption — the Zune HD is a great experience. The screen is as vibrant and sharp as any music player out there.
But Apple has been able to make the iPod a platform for so much more than listening to music and watching video.
The iPod Touch is now also an HD video camera, e-book reader and gaming powerhouse.
If the Windows smartphone platform takes off, that could mean increased software options for the Zune line, pitting it more fairly against the iPod.
The current model, the Zune HD, comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB varieties and several colors, and starts at $179.