Following Apple's launch of new iPods and iPhone price cuts, The Vole has slashed the price of its Zune player by $50.

"It's part of the normal product life cycle, something we've had on the books for months," said Cesar Menendez. Sure you did.

The 30GB Zune now has dropped to $199 from $249, and don't expect Redmond to apologize for its price cut like Cupertino.

New Zune models are expected in time for the holiday season amidst speculation that Microsoft might even launch a Zune phone in the future.