Another note to come out of this year’s Midemnet music in Cannes, France: while Microsoft hasn’t yet announced any official plans to market its Zune music player outside the United States, a Microsoft marketing director has said the devices could hit Europe by the end of 2007.
According to Reuters, Microsoft’s Jason Reindorp acknowledged Apple’s iPod as an “entrenched competitor,” but said the company was conducting focus groups in Europe to determine how the Zune can meet needs of European consumers, and expected its next round of Zune products to launch in time for the 2007 end-of-year holidays.
Reindorp also indicated Microsoft was pleased with sales of the Zune in the U.S. to date, saying the company was on target to move a million of the units by June 30, 2007, but added the company was “realistic” and looking at a long term, multi-year strategy to “get on the radar.”