Microsoft may be putting together an “entertainment marketplace” tentatively named Zune VideoX, ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley reported Wednesday. In other words, it’s yet another digital content store trying to take a bite out of Apple’s iTunes.
Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Devices and Entertainment eHome division, is reportedly spearheading the project. But it goes without saying that as with any of these “iTunes killers” that seem to pop up like mushrooms after rain, well, it’s going to be an uphill battle even for Redmond.
Creating a solid digital download store is something that Microsoft has tried repeatedly, and hasn’t gotten right yet. Its Zune Marketplace hasn’t exactly been a resounding success. There has also been chatter about something called “eLive,” a marketplace of digital download content–music, video, games–for Zune digital media players, Windows-based PCs, Xbox gaming consoles, and Windows Mobile smartphones.
“eLive was renamed and recrafted to Zune VideoX,” a source told Foley, “and the eLive vision scaled down to focus on Zune.” Really? That’s too bad. The Xbox has been a much more resounding success than the Zune, and it already has the successful Xbox Live Marketplace as a starting point.
That said, there’s reportedly a third-generation Zune coming next year. And on another note, can somebody please outlaw the term “iTunes killer?”
Via CRAVE
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