Recent whispers across the blogosphere that Microsoft currently has no plans to launch the Zune HD in France prompted us to prod Redmond impatiently for more information. We got it, but we're sad to say you probably won't like it if you live north, south, east, or west of the US border. Not only are there no plans for France, but Microsoft is excluding every single country outside of the US, at least for now.
"For the time being the Zune HD device will remain US-only," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. "Right now we are focused on deploying an exciting service in the form of Zune Video to 18 markets. We are looking at potential future hardware experiences for these markets, but do not have anything to announce right now." That's the official word, despite reports from April 2009 indicating that this year's Zune platform update would be an international one.
Microsoft first launched the Zune 30GB on US soil in November 2006. Cries to bring the devices overseas grew louder as time passed, but all the company managed to do was bring the Zune series next door, to Canada, in June 2008.
Earlier this month, the software giant announced that all the remaining Zunes (4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 80GB, and 120GB) were going the way of the dodo with the launch of the Zune HD next week in 16GB ($220) and 32GB ($290) flavors. When we brought up the rumor of an upcoming 64GB version, we hit the typical brick wall: "We are constantly looking at other options and evaluating what consumers are looking for," said the Microsoft spokesperson. "That said, we have not announced any plans to offer a larger device."
It looks as if Microsoft wants to start completely from scratch with the Zune HD; Redmond used the US as a testing ground for the Zune, and it looks as if it wants to do the same with the Zune HD. Microsoft is again entering a saturated market, just this time it's doing it with a device available in two sizes, instead of one. The Zune didn't get very far in terms of the number of markets, nor in the number of sales. Can Microsoft get it right on round two?
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