Change is in the air.. Microsoft has announced that Bryan Lee, who is the current Corporate Vice President for the Entertainment Business (which includes the Zune), is stepping down and retiring to pursue “personal interests”. Taking his place and managing the Zune product line will be the Xbox wonder man himself - J. Allard - the man credited for the success of the Xbox platform.

According to Microsoft, Bryan Lee’s retirement is not indicative of the performance of the Zune player thus far in the marketplace. Microsoft has repeatedly announced that the Zune will face an uphill battle against the iPod and other competitors butthat it’s here to stay for the long haul. No doubt, J. Allard will face a tough time in building up the Zune brand name but honestly - if anyone can perform this task, it would have to be J. Allard.

What’s particularly interesting about this move is the following. We know Allard’s background with the Xbox console and with the Xbox Live Network. Now that he’s with the Zune team, could there be a closer synergy as a result between the Xbox and Zune product lines? Could those rumors about making the Xbox a critical component for the Zune be real? You never know folks!

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