Why did Microsoft discontinue the Zune HD?

I am afraid that microsoft is lacking in the kind of imagineering that Steve Jobs brought to Apple

with Ipod and Iphone, Ipad.  Microsft invented the Tablet computer but failed in the implementation.  Microsoft seems to be lacking in the ability to make things happen.

And is being led by people who lack enthusiasm and ability to get great product ideas to

the market place.

i agree microsoft has been letting me down lately.  i really enjoy my zune, i would much rather like to buy zune players than a windows phone because the price for a windows phone is pretty much rediuclous.  apple seems to have their act together i just might have to make the switch over to them.

i see. you are mistaking steve jobs for someone that worked at disney. imagineering is something disney employees do. and you are also mistaking microsoft for a hardware company instead of the software company they are. maybe making the zune was the real mistake in the first place but it doesn't matter now because they aren't making them anymore. you don't see apple making a console to compete with xbox do you? oh, and have you heard that apple will be discontinuing the ipod? it's just a rumor for now but will probably come to pass and apple will probably say they have decided to focus on ipads and iphones. and will you say then that apple is lacking in vision when they are following microsoft's lead?

and saying you're going to switch to the iphone because the price of the windows phone is ridiculous shows you haven't researched the prices for either.

I agree with you. I would love to have separate device for playing music and video as well! To bundle everything in one device is nice, but sometimes too much is too much. My HTC (same with my past iPhone) can last only few seconds (ok maybe minutes) when used as a phone (with G3) and a player at the same time.  I like to listen for longer period of time to music or voice books and a simple thing like nanoPod is superior than heavy equipped and to cary around smart phone.

Then Microsoft, as you say, invented Tablet, first real smart phone with touch, amazing sound system (luckily I still have the speakers themselve!), and dropped everything dead to others. The question remains, are they going to half-develop windows phone as well? Kind of start and never finish? Synchronization of contacts sucks, copying files is impossible, organizing music on Zune is a chore and I can't even organize contacts by the last name! 

I didn't check it recently, but not long time ago, when I exported contacts from Windows Live or Outlook to "csv" or Excel file, all leading zeros in zip code numbers were eaten up. It is a horror if you live in Massachusetts and have a lot of addresses from there. THIS ERROR PERSISTS SINCE THE WINDOWS 3.0 or earlier. Where are the people who check fidelity of Windows?

There is no direct phone support for Windows Phone software other than through manufacturer!  I think, most of us would pay for support, as iPhone users do. It took one month before I got an answer from HTC to a very simple question about their software, not Windows itself.

I would like to stop here with hope that Nokia will take over and makes it really usable.....