Microsoft on Friday confirmed it will ship competitive offerings to Apple’s tremendously successful iPod and iTunes digital music products sometime this year.
In an e-mailed statement, the company said that under a new brand, called “Zune,” it will deliver “a family of hardware and software products” that will “bring together technology and community to allow consumers to explore and discover music together.”
Microsoft did not give specific information on exactly how the new products will work together, but said it plans to help build a community for connecting customers to new music and other entertainment in addition to offering new hardware and software.
Speculation has been brewing for some time that Microsoft was planning an iPod “killer,” but the company had remained mum on the subject until Friday.