Music player launched a year and a half ago in U.S.
Gillian Shaw
Sun
Canadians will be able to tune into Zune with Microsoft’s announcement Tuesday that its digital music player is hitting store shelves in Canada on June 13.
The announcement coincides with Tuesday’s launch of www.zune.ca, a music networking site where Canadians can download free Zune software and join an online music community.
The Zune’s arrival comes more than 18 months after it was launched in the United States. Canadians will be able to buy the player in three versions — starting at four gigabytes of memory for $140, eight gigs for $190, and 80 for $250. The suggested retail prices are close to the Zune’s sticker price in the U.S.
“Zune is more than just a music player for Canadians. It’s a shared, social experience,” Craig Tullett, group manager for Zune Canada said in a release. “We’re excited to offer people an innovative way to discover, share and enjoy their music wherever they go.”
Microsoft’s rival to the immensely popular Apple iPod supports video, audio and photos. Unlike the iPod, it comes with an FM tuner. Users can also synchronize and share songs and playlists wirelessly.
When it debuted in the U.S., the Zune quickly outstripped sales of other MP3 players. But with just three per cent of the overall MP3 market, it still lags far behind the ubiquitous iPod.
Elana Zur, Zune product manager for Microsoft Canada, said there is pent-up demand for the device in Canada.
“It’s amazing, there are a lot of [online] forums about Zune — and they are asking when it is coming to Canada; it is quite entertaining to see how excited people really are,” she said. “People want choice, and right now there is just one ubiquitous solution, and we are coming to the market with an alternative to that.”
Zur said Microsoft has no immediate plans to open its online music store for Canadians to buy music on the Web, but users will be able to play music downloaded from other sites such as iTunes or Puretracks or from their own CDs that they have copied onto their computers.
She said “Zune social”, a networking site launched last fall, has two million users signed up.
“Zune social is an online networking site specifically around music and around Zune,” she said. “You don’t need a Zune to join.
“The key reasons you would use it are to share and to discover music.”
The site lets users see what their friends are listening to, check artists’ pages and preview music.
Zur said some 87 per cent of people say they would trust a family member or a friend’s musical recommendation ahead of a recommendation from a music critic.
“People are intimidated at discovering new music on their own, so that’s what Zune social is all about,” she said.
The 80-GB Zune will be available in black or red, and the four- and eight-GB models will be available in black, red or pink.
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
