Dell Hopes New PMPs will Challenge Apple

Pieced together details show Dell getting ready to launch new MP3 players and a distribution system to challenge iTunes.

After letting word slip last month that it would return to manufacturing MP3 players, Dell has revealed more about its planned line of PMPs in a BusinessWeek article published on Thursday. According to the magazine, Dell will attempt to topple Apple by rallying its biggest competitors to build a more flexible system for music distribution than iTunes.

The company has rested its hopes on Zing, a software company it snapped up in a year ago which is headed by former Apple employee Tim Bucher. In theory, Zing will allow consumers to buy content from a variety of sources and “zing” them from computers to MP3 players and other portable devices, with a focus on compatability.

As for when the players – and the new content distribution system – will be debuting, Dell has kept mum. According to anonymous sources cited by BusinessWeek, though, we could be looking at them two different players early next year.