I Changed My Mind

[David Tucker]

One of the new features we got in the second go-around of the Zune was the ability to wirelessly sync your library with your Zune. I really like the addition of this feature even if its not something that I use much. Not at the moment at any rate. I really wouldn't mind setting up stereo dock elsewhere in my house and since I have several floors to my house it would be a pain to have to go get my Zune just to put new music on it. So I appreciate the utility of this feature. <br /><br />The wireless sync, however, wasn't what some people wanted. No, some people wanted a wireless store. Now, at the time of release I was ok with not having it available. I didn't think WiFi networks were pervasive enough to make it really worth it. I still don't think they really are and I think the Zune team was smart to focus on more usable features for the moment. So why do I bring this up then? Here's a conversation I had at work last week: <br /><br />Co-Worker: &quot;So can you download music on it?&quot; <br /><br />Me: &quot;Well, no, but I can wirelessly sync it down from my computer.&quot; <br /><br />Co-Worker: &quot;Ah, that's cool. Too bad you can't buy music on it.&quot; <br /><br />Me: &quot;Yeah...&quot; <br /><br />I honestly felt a bit stupid since when you say it out loud you realize how much better being able to actually buy music right there would be. I really hope that this is a feature the Zune team can work into Zune firmware 3.0.

[Jason Dunn]

Indeed, it's definitely a "missing piece" they need to add...though until more of their catalog is MP3, I can't see myself using it much.

[Stinger]

Wireless store + subscription service would be a killer feature. You could ditch your PC completely!

[eufreka]

Well, given that the zune is a *subscription* device, I don't agree at all.

The realities of "collection management" suggests that it will be sometime until they tie together the three-way communiation to link up online store/wifi_device/collection_pc in a manageable way.

Eventually, it might make sense to allow device-based browsing the store, flagging tracks to download to the collection_pc for subsequent wifi syncing to the device, but that's sounds pretty "down the road."

Of course, the better answer is a question: "Why buy 15 tracks a month when for the same money I can rent millions?" Heck, the price differential between an iTouch and a comparable zune is enough to pay for a year or two of ALL your RENTAL...

So for me, I would rather download a whole album from home for "free" than buy a track wirelessly.

[Jason Dunn]

Well, given that the zune is a *subscription* device, I don't agree at all.

No, the Zune is a subscription *capable* device. I, and many other Zune users, do not have a Zune Pass. I have no statistics on this, but I'd be surprised if even 25% of all Zune owners use the Zune Pass option. The reality is that while some people love the Zune Pass, many others are uncomfortable with the idea of never owning their music.

[Macguy59]

Well, given that the zune is a *subscription* device, I don't agree at all. The realities of "collection management" suggests that it will be sometime until they tie together the three-way communiation to link up online store/wifi_device/collection_pc in a manageable way.

Because in reality you won't "rent" even a small percentage of that amount. What happens to the music you do "rent" if you were stop paying the subscription fee? Subscription model works for some but not for others. I haven't seen the numbers for last quarter but the public in general don't seem interested in renting the music they listen to outside of their automobile.

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[Rocco Augusto]

No, the Zune is a subscription *capable* device. I, and many other Zune users, do not have a Zune Pass. I have no statistics on this, but I'd be surprised if even 25% of all Zune owners use the Zune Pass option. The reality is that while some people love the Zune Pass, many others are uncomfortable with the idea of never owning their music.

Ditto. All of the stuff I purchase from Zune Marketplace, I am fortunate enough to purchase in straight MP3-non-DRM'd form. No "renting" required

Also, I would love to buy music form my Zune but before I would even consider doing so, they would have to create a Zune based interface that didn't require any humbug typing at all. I don't think I could stomach purchasing music by using a virtual keyboard and scrolling with the d-pad... it was annoying enough entering in my name in all those old video games I played on my old console systems :p

[andreD]

Excuse me for asking this but i am not very savvy when it comes to electronics, my one and only mp3 player does not even have a gig of memory, can they create an upgrade in the future which would enable the Zune to connect via WiFi to the internet?
That is something i would love to see, If the Ipod Touch had more memory or were cheaper i would buy it but the cost and small memory keep me from doing it. Although with my miniscule library of old radio shows i'm sure it would be a long while before i ran out of space.
Andre

[David Tucker]

The reality is that while some people love the Zune Pass, many others are uncomfortable with the idea of never owning their music.

I will never understand this line of thought but as long as I have subscription available I will be able to happily know that over the course of my life I'll have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars less than anyone who buys an equivalent amount of music.

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[David Tucker]

...can they create an upgrade in the future which would enable the Zune to connect via WiFi to the internet?

It is definitely possible as Microsoft released a very major update to the first generation Zunes giving them a bevy of new features and a new UI. However, I believe that since there is no real mention of this feature that you shouldn't buy into the Zune solely because it is possible but also make sure that you like the feature set that the Zune currently offers. :)

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[Jason Dunn]

I will never understand this line of thought but as long as I have subscription available I will be able to happily know that over the course of my life I'll have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars less than anyone who buys an equivalent amount of music.

Yeah, I understand where you're coming from - the problem for me is that if I were ever to stop paying that fee, all the music I had would stop working...and having to re-download all that music again, and likely correct the meta-data to my liking (with genres and such) would be a HUGE pain. When I did have a Napster account, I kept all the Napster music in a separate music folder because I didn't consider it "really mine" and didn't want it to pollute my collection. ;) But I'm also the guy with over 800 CDs and over 17,000 songs, so I know I'm not average. :cool:

[David Tucker]

Yeah, see, for me...I've owned about 20 CDs my whole life. So I eitherhave to spend a lot of money to get a good collection or just listen tothe radio. Subscription works for me.

[Jason Dunn]

Yeah, see, for me...I've owned about 20 CDs my whole life.

You are 100% the right type of person for subscription music!

[Chris Gohlke]

I wonder if statistically it is a generational thing. Those of us whose first taste of musics came from buying CD's/Tapes/Albums/8-tracks may feel more of a need to OWN the music whereas those that have grown up in the download era don't quite think of it that way. I like the idea of saving money over the long term, but I'm afraid of the idea that if I went that route and 10 years out they changed the rules of the game to a subscription model I was no longer comfortable with, or discontinued it altogether.

[Jason Dunn]

I wonder if statistically it is a generational thing. Those of us whose first taste of musics came from buying...

Oh yeah, absolutely it's a generational thing. Our concept of music ownership is very different from people younger than us. In fact, I'd say that someone ten years younger than me (or a bit more) would very likely have a concept of music ownership that involves P2P networks and not actually buying music. They grew up getting music for free, all digitally. Paying $15 a month is as close as they can come to free music if they want to be legit. ;)