Microsoft insists Zune is here to stay

Following speculation that Microsoft

could be looking to ditch its MP3 player Zune

following a severe drop in sales, the platform holder has told MCV that it is committed to its digital music brand.

A spokesperson for the firm told MCV: Zune now has over three million devices, and more importantly more than two million people on Zune Social, and continued momentum in winning critical reviews, which is a big milestone for us. We are committed to the Zune business.

Zune continues to evolve as an end-to-end digital entertainment service for consumers. Our spring update added video to the marketplace, with over 1200 episodes for sale. We also launched in Canada, and continue to look at other markets as we build scale across the business.

As we look forward, we envision the Zune service delivering compelling digital entertainment experiences across a number of endpoints or ‘tuners’ – Zune as a mobile service is interesting, as is Xbox Live, Media Center, Windows Live and others.

The overall point is that Zune is built to put the consumer at the center of a rich set of entertainment experiences, and those will grow and evolve over time.”