In advance of Apple's iPhone/iPod event on Tuesday, Microsoft announced on a support forum that it would no longer produce its standalone Zune player. Given the shift toward Windows Phone, not to mention lackluster sales of the device, the news was not all together shocking, but noteworthy nonetheless.
Now it seems that the Zune might still be alive. According to the official @ZuneSupport Twitter feed, Microsoft is "still supporting the Zune HD hardware. No official info has been released stating hardware is being discontinued."
When asked about the note on Zune.net that announced the discontinuation, @ZuneSupport initially responded that there "may have been an error" because the page did not appear to be live. Several hours later, the team posted an update that said the message "was added to the Zune website in error."
That page, which said plainly that Microsoft "will no longer be producing Zune players" currently goes to a dead link, but click the image below for a larger screen shot.
Microsoft spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on the issue.
In announcing the end of the Zune, that initial notice said that "Windows Phone will be the focus of our mobile music and video strategy," so Zune hardware would no longer be a priority. The Windows Phone platform launched last fall, with the Zune software included. At the time, PCMag said this was a good move because "software is Microsoft's strength, and while the Zune HD was an excellent device, it simply didn't matter because Apple's iPod lineup virtually devoured the entire MP3 player/portable media player market."
Microsoft just released the first major upgrade for Windows Phone, known as Mango. For more, see PCMag's full review of Mango, as well as a guide to when your device will likely see the update. For more on the Zune, see Why the Zune Couldn't Touch the iPod Touch, as well as PCMag's review of the Zune HD and the slideshow below.
On the Apple front, there was talk that Apple would also ditch its iPod lineup in order to focus on the iPhone, but at yesterday's event, Cupertino revealed an upgraded iPod nano and iPod touch. The iPod shuffle and 160GB iPod classic will also still be available, Apple said.