Dell is considering a return to the world of digital music players and music, according to Business Week. Dell pulled out of the business back in 2006 after failing to gain more than 3 percent of the U.S. market for digital audio players. This time, Dell is taking a page from the Apple iPod and Microsoft Zune playbook and planning to launch both hardware as well as software to allow users to download and manage music, movies and other media.
Last year, Dell bought Zing, another digital music service, and is looking at using the brand not only for the player and software but also for a new line of consumer computers. The service will also let users access content from locations and devices other than their own. Essentially, Dell is looking at a solution that would not lock a user’s media to one or two devices.
One or two media players are also in the works. One of them would sell for about USD$100 and come with a small navigation screen, basic button controls and a Wi-Fi connection, allowing it to connect to online services. Both are expected in early 2009, according to Business Week sources.
Dell is also considering giving other companies the Zing software in a bid to have it become a new standard and further enable users to share media, irrespective of the brand of their device.