Microsoft Corp. could launch the Zune in Europe before the end of 2007, said Jason Reindorp, Zune's marketing director. Microsoft is not, however, ready to make an official announcements regarding launching the Zune service in Europe. Microsoft planned extensive research with focus groups in Europe to see how it could be modified for a European consumer. According to the latest data, Microsoft claims the Zune has a 10.2% market share in the U.S. in the 30 gigabyte category and that selling over a million units by June 30 is still the probable target.
Reindrop said that Microsoft acknowledged the difficulty in gaining market share due to Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod: "You couldn't get a more entrenched competitor. But we feel really good about the first steps that we've taken. The industry moves in this sort of Christmas to Christmas cycle. So you can expect that there will be more devices, more features in the market at that point. Our next round of introductions will probably be in time for the holiday of this year. We're not simply trying to play catch up with Apple. We are very realistic, we have what is essentially a three-year plan to firmly and solidly get on the radar."
News source: eWeek
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