After rumours indicated Dell plans to launch a new MP3 player aimed at taking market share away from Apple, the company also is planning to unveil a new iTunes competitor that will be open to multiple platforms and MP3 players.
The new platform will reportedly be open to multiple MP3 players and different online music sharing programs, which iTunes has obviously not offered to consumers thus far. Dell will offer the consortium of companies any necessary software to help offer consumers a new way to acquire music, videos, and online podcasts for Dell, SanDisk, and other portable music products.
The new offering is being spearheaded by former Apple employee Tim Bucher, who settled with the Cupertino-based giant in 2005 over a wrongful termination suit. Bucher's company he founded after leaving Apple, Zing, offers software that is able to "zing" content between computers and multimedia devices.
Dell hopes to implement Zing software on all of its PCs before the end of 2008, and it will also be used in at least two new Dell portable devices that should be ready in 2009, with Dell not discussing specific details about either products.
Bucher's decision to try and take on his former employer is all business and it's not a personal vendetta against Jobs or Apple.
Dell may unveil the new initiative as early as September, BusinessWeek has written, though enthusiasm of the project may be limited due to the company's track record. Dell created the DJ Ditty music player in 2003, but it only lasted three years after only acquiring three percent of the MP3 player market.
