Microsoft is discontinuing the Zune media player, which it launched five years ago in the hope of taking on the iPod. This in spite of its earlier claims has said it would not be droping Zune players
The player was well reviewed when it launched in 2006, and it grabbed as much as 10 percent of the market for media players.
Microsoft Corp. hasn’t released a major update to the line in two years. Some of the look and functionality of the Zune has been moved over to Microsoft’s smartphone software, which it says in a support page “will be the focus of our mobile music and video strategy.”
Microsoft says it will continue to support existing players.
