Microsoft gives Zune a 'B-' for its first year on sale, hints at ZunePhone

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zune-bgrade.jpgHere’s to consumer tech execs eschewing hype in favour of realistic assessments of their products. Mindy Mount is corporate VP and chief financial officer at Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, so you’d expect her to bang on at length about Zune’s zeitgeist-seizing iPod-slaying revolution. And stuff.

But no. Instead, Mount reckons Zune deserves a ‘B-‘ grade for its first year on sale, saying that “some elements of hardware were nice”, and that the Zune’s video screen is impressive. On the downside, she admits that the Zune is a bit too heavy, and the video service to use that screen isn’t up and running yet.

Windows Mobile is a bit focus for Mount’s division, and dropped a veiled hint that a ZunePhone could be on the company’s roadmap: “Clearly we do identify Mobile being more integrated with photos and music. It’s a natural thing to have in our product roadmap.”

(via ZDnet)

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Stuart Dredge
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