Microsoft's Zune to rival Apple's iPod

Since the news that Microsoft will develop a player around this September to rival Apple's iPod, more and more people focus on it. Here we will share the news with you.

DVD to Zune Converter and Zune Video Converter are in our develop strategy plan

DVD to Zune Converter will be one-click DVD ripping software which can rip and convert DVD to Zune Video formats and Zune audio formats played back on Microsoft Zune media Player. Zune Video Converter, i.e. Zune Media Converter is going to be an easy-to-use, all-in-one solution which will quickly create Zune movie from any other video formats like AVI, MPEG, WMV, MOV, RM, RMVB, DivX, XviD, ASF, VOB, 3GP, APE, VOB, VCD, or DVD to Zune video WMV etc and convert various audio files like WAV, WMA, MP2, MP3, AC3, RA, OGG, CDA to Zune audio WMA, etc. Both will also support batch conversion and super fast converting speed.

After trying for years to compete with the iPod through an array of partners, Microsoft confirmed its gameness plan to directly go after Apple Computer with its own rival which so called 'iPod Killer' - Zune.

Confirmation from Microsoft:

"Today we confirmed a new music and entertainment project called Zune," Chris Stephenson, a general manager of marketing for the software maker, said in a statement on July 21. "Under the Zune brand, we will deliver a family of hardware and software products, the first of which will be available this year."

"Finally, one of the things that we just announced last week is a move into the music and video space in portable entertainment, something we call Zune." Robbie Bach, the president of Entertainment & Devices Division, said in the Financial Analyst Meeting 2006 on July 27. "… I think the first thing to understand about Zune is that we are taking a more integrated approach to this. Microsoft will be involved in the hardware, in the software and the services…"

Because the product has not been released, everything is not clear enough at present. No one knows what Microsoft will develop indeed, and the exact time it will come out either. Here are just clues and tips we collected for some seems pretty sure, and others might just be rumors.

What seems pretty sure?

Zune is the name of the project, the brand, and the device. The first Zune device will be launched this year, with more devices to come in 2007.

The Zune brand encompasses not only the device, but the software that will drive it, as well as a music, movie, and media service the Zune device family will use for acquiring, sharing, and discovery of said media. Music will be the first angle of service that is launched, "connected entertainment" being the ultimate goal.

Video support will be the very important part of Zune. “And so figuring out how you help people discover the world of what they want, and then enabling them to share it with their friends are two sorts of sides of the same coin that are secret to what we have to do with Zune and the services that we're going to drive there.”

The Zune media service will heavily leverage community aspects and recommendation; Under the Zune brand, Microsoft is looking forward to building a community for connecting with folks, all to discover new music and entertainment.

The initial device will have Wi-Fi and use a hard drive to store music. The player will use wireless connectivity to sampling music from nearby devices.

Zune is under Microsoft's new Entertainment & Devices Division, and is headed by, among others, Robbie Bach, J Allard (Corporate Vice President and Chief XNA Architect), and Bryan Lee (Corporate Vice President and CFO, Entertainment and Devices Division), which accounts for the division of this project from the rest of Microsoft, similar to how the Xbox project was also strictly separated.

What might just be rumors?

They'll be showing off the device by the end of August, and will aim for a November release. Some media said that Microsoft's Zune player will be out in Nov. 14th this year.

The Zune will come in multiple colors. It will be in Dark, Grey and White. And any two colors can be combined together upon the user's favor.

Pyxis is the codename for their nano competitor, which would also include video capabilities; Alexandria is the codename for the software that powers the Zune experience.

The service and device will not be PlaysForSure compliant, meaning you will not be able to use your Zune player with Napster or Vongo, for example. This will be an entirely new system. Microsoft will continue to support and develop for their PlaysForSure initiative, but all things PlaysForSure are handled by two entirely separate divisions that will not have any crossover.

We cannot be quite sure about everything unless the player comes out finally just like that we cannot know the result before the end of a match. What Microsoft will develop in the end? Let's wait and see what will happen!

In order to provide our customers with the most up-to-date tools, Xilisoft Corporation always keeps eyes on the issues about all the multimedia industries. In the past days, we have cautch hold of the opportunity and released our iPod conversion software and PSP conversion tools in good time. Now we grasp the news about the Zune rapidly again. We also have the intention to develop Zune player related software, such as Xilisoft DVD to Zune Converter, Zune Video Converter or Zune media converter, etc., which is also a time-uncertain work as it is much determined by the publish of Microsoft Zune player.

At present, we are providing professional tools for Apple iPod player like:

• Xilisoft DVD to iPod Converter Free Trial

  Rip and convert DVD to apple iPod video MP4 and to iPod audio MP3, M4A, AAC

• Xilisoft iPod Video Converter Free Trial

  Convert video files like AVI, MPEG, 3GP, etc. to iPod MP4 and MP3, M4A, AAC

• Xilisoft DVD to iPod Suite Free Trial

  Including Xilisoft DVD to iPod Converter and Xilisoft iPod Video Converter