After Zune's release in the United States delivered only a mediocre performance, Microsoft will in 2007 focus on the European digital music player market. That's right, the Redmond Company will welcome Europe to the Social.

Microsoft failed to point to an actual date when it will make Zune available over the pond, but the end of 2007 seems to be a fertile period for the media player's European release. Although in the United States Zune made only a superficial dent in Apple's dominance on the digital media player market, Microsoft representatives claimed that the sales only met expectations.

Although lagging in sales behind Apple's 30 GB iPod video, Microsoft's Zune 30 GB Digital Media Player performed according to the Redmond Company's predictions. Since Zune hit the shelves in November, it managed to get a hold of 10,2% of the US digital media player market in the 30 GB category. However, in the same range, Apple's 30 GB iPod video had the lion's share, budging but one or two positions in Amazon.com's best selling electronics list.

In the United States, Microsoft has already set a milestone for Zune, forecasting that the device will sell an estimated 1 million copies by the end of the current fiscal year, June 30, 2007. In this context, Jason Reindorp, marketing director for Zune at Microsoft, acknowledged Apple's dominant position and revealed that the Redmond Company is not only trying to equal sales volume but also to build a strong presence on the market.

According to Reindorp, Microsoft is going with the flow of the industry, and as the industry is moving in an annual cycle that coincides with the holiday season, Zune is scheduled to take Europe by storm by the end of this year.