June 2009 is going to be a big month: WWDC (iPhone announcement), the Palm Pre will be in action and rumor has it Microsoft has big news for the Zune. While many would speculate that the latter would mean a Zune phone from Microsoft, we’re thinking more along the lines of a Zune HD. After all, Microsoft explicitly said, “Microsoft is not going into the phone hardware business. Microsoft is not building a Zune-specific phone.” Stranger things have happened though, right? This fire was started by a Twitter account that detailed what would be included in Office 2010, such as Twitter and Facebook integration. It then went on to say “New product launch, that’s all I’m allowed to say. Hold off from buying an iPhone/Pre.” That would imply a phone, so we’re not sure where things are headed at this point. Whatever it is, at this point the only real reason to hold off on buying a new iPhone or Pre is to avoid the lines.

Read

It’s not all good news for Redmond today, unfortunately. Tucked away in a SEC quarterly earnings report, Microsoft revealed that the Zune platform is faltering. Sales of Zune devices have dwindled and Zune platform revenue fell by $100 million, a 54%  decrease compared to the same quarter last year. Is this poor performance the death knell for the Zune? Its main competitor, the iPod of course, saw a 3% increase in sales with Apple selling 22.7 million units during its most recent quarter ending earlier this month. With iPods on the upswing, the Zune on the downswing and Microsoft cutting back, will the Zune end up on the chopping block like Microsoft’s Aces Studio or does Microsoft have an ace up its sleeve that will rejuvenate the Zune?

[Via Engadget]

Read