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The Zune HD is coming and apparently wants to shove all other Zunes out of the way.  With the impending release of the Zune HD on September 15th, Microsoft has decided that the HD shouldn’t have to share the same stigma of the rest of the Zune line.  The rest of the Zune line is now discontinued to make room for the Zune HD.

The Zune is generally considered to be a failure in its current form, even before this discontinuation.  Sales were never all that great and it failed to take any significant percentage of the MP3 player market from Apple and the iPod.  The move away from the old form factors seems to be the way the direction Apple is going as well.  The iPod classic has all but lost its appeal to the touch and even the nano.  The move makes a lot of sense given that fact, however, it also severely limits the option for those who don’t want a fancy touchscreen on their MP3 player.

Touchscreens, while very nice for allowing more screen area for apps, can be annoying for those who use their players mainly for music.  With a touchscreen there is no way to easily reach into your pocket and pause music or switch a track.  Of course, there’s also the fact that physical buttons mean you’re less likely to get fingerprints on the screen that can become so distracting while watching video.  Sure, the Zune HD looks great and is a product that is actually desirable (unlike the original Zune for most people), but it might not be Microsoft’s greatest move to make it the only option.  Of course, this also means that once the Zune HD is released, those old Zunes will be dirt cheap.

Read [Wired]