Zune 14-Day Pass

Wal-Mart on Wednesday inadvertently revealed additional details of the Zune ahead of its official launch. While news that the Zune would ship preloaded with music has long since been established, an update to Wal-Mart's pre-order page for the Zune this morning reveals Microsoft's plans to spur subscriptions by offering a 14-day trial subscription to its Zune Pass. The $15 per month service mimics the subscription features of existing stores such as Napster and URGE and will let Zune owners download an unlimited number of songs while their subscription remains active, deleting the songs afterwards. Microsoft has often cited the Zune Pass as an advantage over the iPod and iTunes, which typically require a-la-carte sales.

Details of the official Zune website follow after the jump.

Notably, Wal-Mart also refers to Zune.net, a currently inactive website where buyers can subscribe to a Zune Pass. The approach contrast sharply with Apple's iTunes, which can handle new account creation entirely within the music player itself. Microsoft has not confirmed any details of its Zune Marketplace beyond initial pricing, though this latest news indicates that the company may point users to a store accessible from outside its custom Zune software.

By Electronista Staff