Microsoft's Zune music player won't arrive until months after the November 14th North American launch, reports Britain's New Media Age. Citing the delay in finding a partner to help build the Zune Marketplace online music store that forms an integral part of the the overall Zune strategy, Microsoft's Dene Schonknecht indicated that preparations have fallen far short of expectations.

"The earliest date it will be in the UK is towards the end of 2007. However, it could easily be 2008... we're way off launch," he said.

Microsoft has yet to officially reveal the Zune Marketplace beyond providing details of its points-based system, which resembles the company's existing Xbox Live Marketplace. This latest news, however, confirms that Microsoft is outsourcing the infrastructure of its music store in the same way it has based the Zune player around Toshiba's earlier Gigabeat S. [Subscription required for full NMA article]