Microsoft's Zune to rival Apple's iPod

update After trying for years to compete with the iPod through an array of partners, Microsoft confirmed Friday that it plans to directly go after Apple Computer with its own rival, Zune.

	Will Zune zap the iPod?

Confirming weeks of rumors, Microsoft said it will launch music software and players under the Zune brand, though the software maker left plenty unsaid in its confirmation.

"Today we confirmed a new music and entertainment project called Zune," Chris Stephenson, a general manager of marketing for the software maker, said in a statement. "Under the Zune brand, we will deliver a family of hardware and software products, the first of which will be available this year."

The initial device will have Wi-Fi and use a hard drive to store music, Microsoft said. Stephenson's statement also lent some credence to speculation that the company's player will use wireless connectivity to share music with other Zune devices.

"We see a great opportunity to bring together technology and community to allow consumers to explore and discover music together," Stephenson said. A Microsoft representative declined to offer further details, although Stephenson told Billboard magazine that other Zune devices, including a video player, are in the works.

The software maker has posted a teaser Web site, set to the song Us by Regina Spektor. Microsoft also noted its move on a blog, Zune Insider, whose author is part of the company's effort.

"So what's Zune?" writes Cesar Menendez, the author of the blog, who says he recently began working on the project. "It's Microsoft's new, holistic approach to music and entertainment. And yes, this year, we'll be releasing a device as part of the project. Under the Zune brand, we're looking to build a community for connecting with folks, all to discover new music and entertainment.

Microsoft is still apparently figuring out just how the wireless sharing will work. In the Billboard interview, Stephenson said the company is looking at several different options, including downloading music directly to a device, as well as sampling music from nearby devices.

Zune-branded devices are apparently only one part of Microsoft's strategy, though, with Stephenson telling the magazine that Microsoft's broader vision is to allow people to play and discover music from a variety of devices including computers, phones and the Xbox 360.

An Apple representative declined to comment on Microsoft's announcement.

This is not Microsoft's first attempt to go after iTunes and the iPod. Until now, though, the company has largely relied on partners to make the players and software that use its Windows Media digital rights technology and tie into the Windows Media Player software built into its Windows operating system.

More recently, the company had tried to modify that strategy. While remaining open to other players and services, the company had been focused on promoting more heavily certain products, such as iRiver's Clix player and the Urge service it helped develop with MTV Networks.