According to mobile developers and market observers, though Microsoft's Tuesday-released new media player, the Zune HD, is packed with attractive hardware features, the glaring lack of a persuasive software market might make it a repeat failure!

Despite the fact that the new Zune HD, available at $290 for the 32GB version, boasts rather impressive hardware features, the main hitch associated with the device is Microsoft's Zune Marketplace - which is actually not a store, since third-party developers cannot easily create apps to be sold through it.

In complete contrast to other mobile stores, Microsoft's Marketplace does not allow the entry of outside developers. As such, practically no apps will be available for purchase for the Zune HD - the Marketplace will offer only free apps developed by select third-party companies.

Going by the reported initial software to be available for Zune HD, it will comprise games, a weather app and a calculator, with the proposed addition of Facebook and Twitter apps as well as some 3D games which the Marketplace will launch in November.

Talking about the Zune Marketplace, Brian Seitz, Microsoft's marketing manager for Zune, said: "The thing that Zune HD is made for is really rich music and video playback experiences for people. We know there's other things folks want to do with these devices that are sometimes connected … and those apps are typically games."