Microsoft has responded defensively to the news that Gamestop will cease to carry its Zune portable media player.

Last week retailer Gamestop revealed that it will stop selling Microsoft’s Zune portable media players because of what it called low demand.

"We have decided to exit the Zune category because it just did not have the appeal we had anticipated," a GameStop spokesperson told TheStreet.com. "It [also] did not fit with our product mix."

The company will keep Zunes in stock until its inventory is gone. But it’s left Microsoft very defensive.