Microsoft's Zune media player will not be launched in Europe until the end of 2007, according to a senior employee.

Jason Reindorp, marketing director for Zune at Microsoft, said at the Midem Net conference in France that the media player would be launched in Europe in the run up to Christmas.

"The industry moves in a Christmas to Christmas cycle, so you can expect more devices and more features in the market at that point," he told delegates, according to reports in the Washington Post.

"Our next round of introductions will probably be in time for the Christmas holiday of this year."

Reindorp claimed that the Zune currently accounts for 10.2 per cent of the market for 30GB media players in the US, and is on course to sell a million units by 30 June.

This contradicts a CNBC interview with Steve Ballmer in which the Microsoft chief executive claimed a 20 to 25 per cent market share.

Reindorp said that Microsoft is not looking to overtake Apple's iPod in the short term but is working to a three-year plan.