Yes you read that right. Microsoft today announced that they would be launching a new music service called Xbox Music, which is supposed to not only run on the Xbox 360 but also the Windows Phones and the Windows 8 computers.
With the Xbox taking over the entertainment category, we knew that the axe would fall any time on the Zune brand. And it did as the Redmond based company’s spokeswoman, Melissa Stewart, confirmed the news that Zune would be no more and it is being replaced by Xbox for entertainment services, including online video services as well.
Zune was launched amidst much fanfare by Microsoft’s Chairman, Bill Gates in 2006 to take on Apple’s iPod and the iTunes services. Though, the Zune players never really took off except for the Zune HD, which did fairly well against expectations. The Zune music players were killed by Microsoft in 2011. Still, the Zune software made it this far as a music and video service for Xbox and Windows Phones.
As the Xbox brand is rising, Microsoft seems to have decided to ride on its success and make it a more relevant and important name in its range of devices by integrating the entertainment services as well under the Xbox umbrella.
