Microsoft has begun offering an annual pay option for its Zune Pass, after over a year of only offering a monthly option.
The monthly pass was $15 per month but now subscribers can pay for one year upfront for $150.
Ars asked Microsoft for comment: “It went live yesterday in the US, UK, France, Italy and Spain. The monthly subscription is for $14.99 in the US and €9.99 or £8.99 in European markets. The annual Zune Pass subscription is the same monthly offer, at a discounted price of 12 months of music for the price of 10 months.”
The updated Zune Pass subscription option comes right on the heels of the release of Windows Phone 7, which integrates the service.
A Microsoft Zune Pass gives you unlimited access to 10 million songs while you are subscribed whilst also getting to keep 10 songs as free downloads per month.
Result for: Zune
In Mid-April, Microsoft announced that it was releasing its formerly dubbed ‘Pink’ phones the Kin One and Kin Two, aimed at the teenager set.
Today, reports are stating that the phones go on pre-order this Thursday, with a May 13th release day.
Microsoft has not confirmed the dates, but the reports stem from leaked Verizon posters showing off the dates, so they seem pretty set in stone.
The phones will be available in the U.S. via Verizon and in the UL, Italy, Spain and Germany via Vodafone.
The Kin One specs:
- Has a compact full QWERTY keypad
- Multitouch screen
- 5MP camera with LED flash
- 4GB memory
- “Media player powered by Zune.”
The Kin Two specs:
- Full QWERTY keypad
[More]>>
Result for: Zune
Although set for launch next week, it appears Microsoft has jumped the gun and begun selling the 64GB model of the Zune HD early.
The model sells for $349 USD, which is a $50 discount from the comparable iPod Touch model.
Additionally, Microsoft has dropped the price of smaller capacity models, with the 16GB model dropping to an MSRP of $200 and the 32GB model to $270. Of course, Amazon has the players for much cheaper, ($170 for the 16GB for example) but seeing the MSRP drop is a good start for other e-tailers.
Check it here: Zune HD 64GB model
