Zune service to bolster Windows Phone 7 launch

 

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By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 21 Sep 2010 at 11:36

Microsoft has finally confirmed it will bring the Zune music service to the UK, ending months of speculation over the subscription and download services.

The timing of the project – weeks ahead of the launch of Windows Phone 7 - suggests the company will use the service as a sweetener to boost sales of handsets.

This is one way that it can provide a device that might be able to take on Apple’s iPhone

“Clearly there is no point in launching these things over time - it [Microsoft] hasn’t exactly missed the boat but everyone else is catching up and moving on,” said Paolo Pescatore, an analyst with research firm CSS Insight.

“We’ve seen the struggles that Nokia has had and this is one way that it can provide a device that might be able to take on Apple’s iPhone.”

According to Microsoft, the Zune Pass - an unlimited download subscription service - will cost UK customers £9 per month to access the 11 million-track catalogue and the software to power the service will be available for Windows PCs, the Windows Phone 7 mobile platform, and Xbox Live.

As well as a subscription service, Microsoft says it will also offer the option to buy music and videos, as well as rent films ahead of DVD releases.

According to Microsoft the service will work on most MP3 players, but only by syncing with a Windows-based PC.

Microsoft has not revealed an exact launch date for Zune – so far detailed as “this autumn” – but the timing is coincidentally similar the expected October arrival of Phone 7.

“The integration between Zune, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox Live is an exciting advance in our entertainment offering,” said Craig Eisler, corporate vice president, Interactive Entertainment Business Group at Microsoft.