According to an article on Cnet the device disappeared from the Microsoft Zune website, before suddenly reappearing. But later there was a statement released onto the Zune support stage, which seems to put a final nail in the Zune’s coffin. It confirmed the previous statement that the company was focusing on the Windows Phone platform for their music and video plans.

It then stated that Microsoft would no longer be manufacturing Zune players, but it did reassure consumers that current owners can still use Zune services. Microsoft also confirmed they would honor all warranties for units already purchased by customers, and those who purchase the remaining inventory.

Back in March rumors surfaced that the company was to discontinue the device and concentrate on Zune software, and at the time we wondered where Microsoft had gone wrong with the Zune music player.

When it was first released in 2006 it had some better features than its big rival the iPod, such as a bigger screen and an FM radio. But unfortunately the company was unable to take a slice of Apple’s market share. The hardware has been left untouched since the introduction of the Zune HD in 2009, and now the range is to be discontinued.

Why do you think the Microsoft Zune has failed to compete with the iPod?

Microsoft are yet to officially confirm the news, but after Bloomberg wrote their piece on it, pretty much every tech website and blog has has their say on it already. There’s obviously a lot of speculation going around that Apple’s iPod is the sole reason that the Zune Player has met it’s untimely death, while we’ve also read some user feedback stating that Zune isn’t dead – it’s just been transformed into Windows Phone 7.

One thing we can all agree on though, is that sales and popularity of the device aren’t as high as Microsoft had hoped, and if thats the case, then why continue to waste money on hardware that is going to end up costing more money than making a profit. According to the LATimes, the Zune HD player wasn’t even ranked in the top five portable music and video players, with the iPod enjoying 77% of all sales in 2010.

If the news turns out to be true and the Zune HD does appear to be the last Zune player that Microsoft bring out, what are your thoughts on this? Where do you think Zune went wrong? Is it an evident message that the iPod simply can’t be beaten, or do you think there are other areas in which Microsoft failed. Give us your thoughts on this.

Apple’s iPod variants dominate the music-player market accounting for 77% of unit sales last year, Microsoft’s Zune players didn’t even reach the top 5, however the Zune software still has a strong future on your Xbox 360s, PCs and smartphones.

Recently a Microsoft representative failed to confirm that the Zune music and video players were being axed, however did release this statement: “We are thrilled by the consumer excitement for Zune across many new platforms, including Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360. Our long-term strategy focuses on the strength of the entire Zune ecosystem across Microsoft platforms”, as you can see there is no mention of the Zune HD etc.

It is thought that existing Zune models will continue to be on sale, currently the top-end model is the 64GB Zune HD, however 32GB and 16GB variants are also available.

To be honest with you high-end smartphones running Windows Phone 7 pretty much rule out any need to buy the Zune HD, let’s face it any half decent smartphone you buy these days features multimedia capabilities which are comparable to the Zune HD.

Do you own a Zune player? Do you think they are underrated portable media players?

There is no exact date, but Stuart Miles from Pocket-lint believes that this could coincide with the UK launch of Kinect for the new Xbox 360. Zune is Micorsoft’s answer to Apple’s iTunes, but has never been able to make the kind of impression that iTunes has.

However, the idea of having a music service on three different platforms will certainly help Zune’s cause – especially if the Xbox 360 has anything to do with it. Zune does not only offer music but movies as well, so now Xbox 360 users will soon be able to buy movies via the games console in the UK.

Soon user will have the choice of purchasing individual songs or pay a monthly subscription of £8.99. Do you think that Zune has any chance of competing with iTunes with the help of the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7?