Microsoft's Zune - Long Term Effort

ZDNet reports on Microsoft's recently revealed audio player initiative known as "Zune". Last week Microsoft confirmed that they were entering the music player market with an integrated solution for music, called Zune:

"We do need a more consistent experience," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a January interview. "That doesn't mean it's bad to have a variety of devices. I think that's great. But there are some things we need to make sure are more consistently delivered across the portable devices."

In the latest article, Microsoft's president of the Entertainment and Devices Division states that the Zune initiative is a long term effort with tie ins into other Microsoft projects including the Xbox, Media center and Live Anywhere gaming.

Bach didn't offer new details on Zune but said creating a sense of community and making it easier to find new music are central to it. "We're not just introducing Zune to do the same thing other people do," Bach said. Still, he said, the company expects it to take three to five years for the effort to really pay off.