Zune HD Launches

The latest model of Microsoft’s portable music player, the Zune HD, became available at retail outlets on Sept. 15, 2009. The hardware has been redesigned to include a touch screen and built-in Web browser, which bring it closer to parity with Apple’s iPod Touch. However, the lack of lower-priced models—Microsoft is discontinuing earlier models, some of which were much cheaper—and a lack of a third-party application store remain significant handicaps in the struggle to gain market share from leader Apple and second-place SanDisk.

Starting at US$219

Announced in May 2009, the Zune HD comes in two models with storage capacities of 16GB (at a suggested retail price of US$220) and 32GB (US$280). Major new features include the following:

• A touch screen based on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, which Microsoft claims will deliver brighter colors and better battery life than the LCD screens used on the iPod Touch and many other portable devices
• An HD Radio tuner, which lets