Microsoft Zune
Forgotten Technology · 2006
Published
Microsoft unveiled Zune in September 2006 as a direct challenge to the iPod. The first model combined a 30GB music and video player with the Zune Marketplace, a subscription option and wireless sharing between nearby devices. It reached US shops on 14 November in black, brown and white.
Why It Mattered
Zune treated portable music as something that could be shared as well as carried. Its wireless features and subscription service looked towards connected listening, but entering a market already defined by the iPod made it difficult for Microsoft’s distinctive player to escape comparison.
Hardware
- The launch model provided 30GB of storage, a three-inch screen and a built-in FM tuner.
- It was sold in black, brown and white.
Wireless Sharing
- Nearby Zune devices could share selected music, pictures and home recordings wirelessly.
- Received full-length sample tracks could be played up to three times in three days and could not be re-sent.
- Microsoft also offered music access through a Zune Pass subscription.
Retail Launch
- The player launched in the United States on 14 November 2006.
- Microsoft announced an estimated retail price of $249.99 and availability through nearly 30,000 outlets.
Associated With
Microsoft - creator or operator
Defining Feature
A 30GB media player with wireless device-to-device sharing, FM radio and a three-inch screen
Status
Discontinued - Historical product; the selected records document its 2006 launch model
Primary Records
Image Sources
- **Zune 30 Menu.jpg — Wikimedia Commons**
- **Credit:** BulbousSum / Wikimedia Commons.
- **Photograph date:** 11 July 2022.
- **Licence:** CC BY-SA 4.0. Original photograph reproduced without changes.
Rights Notice
The photograph by BulbousSum is reproduced unchanged under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. Reuse is permitted under that licence, including attribution and applicable ShareAlike conditions. This image licence applies to the photograph.
Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.
Gallery
Credit
BulbousSum / Wikimedia Commons
Caption
A Microsoft Zune 30 displaying its main menu, photographed on 11 July 2022.