Microsoft Doesn't Want Apps for the Zune HD?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=5541' target='_blank'>http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=5541</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"The current version of the XNA Game Studio suite (3.1) allows developers to build games that can run on Windows PCs, Xbox 360 and Zune media player devices. Version 4.0 is going to support Windows PCs, Xbox 360 consoles and Windows Phone 7 Series phones (but not the Zune HD), according to a blog post by Michael Klucher, Lead Program Manger for the XNA Development Platform."</em></p><p>OK, this is a bit of a head-scratcher for me. What I thought was going to happen was that when the Windows phone 7 ecosystem kicked off at the end of this year, we'd see a Windows Marketplace for Mobile that would address both the Windows phone 7 users and the Zune HD users. In fact, the millions of Zune HDs out there would serve as a good base for developers to code for. Instead, it's looking like XNA Game Studio Suite 4.0 isn't going to allow the Zune HD as a target platform...so now I'm completely confused. Microsoft doesn't want apps for the Zune HD? Or their plan is to continue the painfully slow process of building their app catalog one app at a time, all developed internally?</p><p>Or is it that second-generation Zune HD (presumably coming out in the fall of this year) will have a bigger screen running at WVGA resolution (800 x 480) and essentially be a Windows phone 7 without the phone components? And that's what Microsoft wants developers to code for - but not the Zune HD. If so, that sort of sucks - that leaves all the current Zune HD owners out in the cold in terms of apps. Is that really Microsoft's plan? What do you think?</p>

[albucian]

I think the zune HD is a bastard child, just a nice demo for WP7S.
Why would microsoft bother supporting an app market on such a different (and not so successful) hardware when they can start from scratch with the WP7S platform?
I'm a zune 80 user and fortunately I don't even have a Facebook app to mess around with... ;)

[Alber1690]

As a Zune HD owner, it saddened me to think that they want to carry out such plans. When the Zune HD came out, it was people like us who made it a hot item on Amazon and gave it the attention it deserves. Now, it's like we were just buying an interim product with no real future... *sigh* How is it that the Zune 30 had a longer lifespan (all those firmware upgrades) and they're already killing ours...

[albucian]

and they're already killing ours.

I do think they will continue to support the device with various firmware updates and perhaps some more apps and games from time to time...

[NSILMike]

...a bit of a head scratcher...? More like a huge head scratcher. I keep looking for a silver lining. I can't find one (yet?)

[The Yaz]

Maybe the Zune HD WAS the testbed for WP7?!?

Still, I can't seem to understand why they couldn't open it up for programmers to legitimately create and sell apps for it. I know the screen resolution is not WVGA but is it really that much work to give the programmer the option to offer his/her program to the Zune HD owners as well as WP7. I mean, if they choose to invest the time to tweek it to run on it, good for them...

(Now that Twitter & Facebook are finally out, I'm waiting for an e-book reader to capture all of my entertainment on the HD)

My real concern has always been Microsoft's view as to what is "disposable". If they thought the Zune HD was to bridge the gap to the WP7 devices or Zune HD V2, that's fine if they had priced the Zune HD agressively or come out with a reasonable buy back program to purchase the new version. Doing either or both would have been acceptable for me to consider moving up to a new player if the new investment was kept under $100 to $150.

Otherwise, like all of my tech from before, I'll be holding onto my HD for the next 3-4 years (or until my wife let's me buy a new one!) and I will sit and stew as everyone else has cooler toys to play with :(

Steve

[djrudiak]

Not to be a complete downer, but perhaps this signals the end of the Zune hardware?

As a Canadian Zune 80 user, I've pretty much gotten over Microsoft's insistance or inability to offer me the Marketplace, but when they decided to not offer the Zune HD here in Canada and completely shut down the older hardware as well, I had to wonder if that wasn't the end of the hardware.

They were in Best Buy, Future Shop and The Source by Circuit City here in Canada, pretty much the three (or two if you realize that FS is owned by BB) major electronics retailers in Canada. How you pull a product line from them after just over a year, not give them the newest bright shiny object and then expect them to offer your product line again at some undetermined time in the future escapes all my logic.

Listening between the lines of the Zune Insider podcast, I get the feeling that Microsoft is looking to make the money on mobile OS and content distribution, willingly leaving the hardware to others.

I can't say I disagree with that philosophy. There was a company up here in Calgary called Novatel that pioneered analog cellular, chugged along quite fine until they got into the handset business. Trying to stay competitive in that market pretty much killed them. I worked for Nortel at the time (actually Northern Telecom at the time) and they got out of the handset business when it became evident that it was a money loser.

Just my pessimistic $0.02 worth...

[wolfpainter]

I remember running out the first day the HD was launched to pick it up. At the time, I was under the impression that the HD would essentially mimic the new Windows Phone 7 when it came out and be able to take in apps and the like from that platform.
When I heard the HD wouldn't be getting that upgrade for whichever reason, I felt betrayed. I've been a long time supporter of the Zune ecosystem and expect that with the huge deal behind dropping support for the older models so they could focues on the HD going forward, that owning the HD would be an investment, something that would continue to grow over time like the Zune30 did for about three years. But now I see that the HD is just an expensive in between product, only to be completely replaced with the HD2 or whatever they will call it.
I hope Microsoft is happy backstabbing everyone who dropped the cash for the HD.

[Alber1690]

...When I heard the HD wouldn't be getting that upgrade for whichever reason, I felt betrayed [....] now I see that the HD is just an expensive in between product, only to be completely replaced with the HD2 or whatever they will call it...

You could have not done a better job of describing exactly how I feel as well...

[eleon]

I'd really thought that the Zune HD device was based on the Windows Phone 7 code base, and that when development on WP7 finished they were going to update the Zune HD with it (maybe that's still the case).

I've put some thought to the problem and I think it's really because of the form factor of the Zune HD device, the same thing happened to the HTC HD2.

I'll be happy if they continue to support firmware updates and other software upgrades for the long time run investment.

I'm a developer, and nothing hurts more to see a locked device in terms of apps capabilities. I just posted my feedback, feature requests and bug fixes to the Zune Forums for the Zune HD. These tiny things are priceless upgrades and fixes in an appless world; it would make me love even more my Zune HD.

Please check it out: http://bit.ly/aAPeid (And retweet to your colleagues, I really wish they take into account this things, or at least most of them :) )

[eleon]

Hey guys please support the list http://bit.ly/aAPeid I posted on the Zune Forums to see if the Zune Team can work on it in future releases.

It's a really good list! (Updated March 20th)

Thank you Jason and the Zune Thoughts community. You can reply to it and try to bring up your current issues or missing features from the player itself and it's software.

(Or maybe get it into the hands (or eyes for that matter) of the Zune Team)

Instead of 3rd party apps we can still help fix and improve the best pmp player out there.

Are you in?