But don't expect to use Zune with Windows Media Player 11. I double-checked on this yesterday, and a Microsoft representative confirmed that the new program isn't designed to work with the Zune device. WMP 11 also doesn't include the Zune Marketplace. That's in keeping with Microsoft's separation of its new portable media player from the existing PlaysForSure devices and services.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/108143.asphttp://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1308498&SiteID=1 I don't understand the philosophy at Microsoft. They already had a very functional, universally accepted media player that's on pratically every PC in the known world. Why do you need to invent some wanna-be iTunes? WAKE UP! You're not ever going to beat Apple at their own game because you'll never win by reacting after the fact. The best step forward is to INCORPORATE all the Zune functions into Windows Media Player, and get your extra $$ through the stores by replacing that 'Media Guide' tab with one for the Zune Marketplace. I have already removed the Zune software because it cannot perform the simple functions I require on a daily basis that Media Player has provided for no other reason than someone gave it some forethought in the first place. In my company there is a group of us responsible for inventory that keep in constant communication using Live Messenger from 5 different cities. We all love that everyone can see what someone else is listening to because of that little plug-in that ties Live Messenger to Media Player. Each of us has found new music through the others and it's at least partly responsible for making us as much friends as we are coworkers. And most of us have never even met face-to-face! All because of a simple program update...
I have not followed my close friends into the world of iPod because I was much happier with a dumb media player I could just drag and drop to. What was the point of converting all those files when they could be enjoyed as is? With the Zune I thought it would be the ultimate 'plug-and-play' device simply because it would surely be as easy to incorporate as my Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse. Nope.
I was gullible enough to figure the Zune player update was going to be better, but it's really rather 'hollow'. Still less functionality than regular Media Player. This is an 'improvement' over the original edition? When I right-click on an album I expect to get the same options as a 'standard' player. Without that I'll never have the correct info and album art because no player ever has perfectly updated that info. You have to give the user the tools to manage their own music collection if they wish to do so. I'll soldier on with Media Player 11 until someone cracks its facade enough to get it to recognize the Zune. Microsoft should have done it already.
The new Zune software is very cool, however I agree it should be more fully incorporated into WMP. Zune should also fully support sync with Windows Mobile devices. I don't think Microsoft could get in trouble for bringing this all together because in this area they are a very small player at the moment. Apple is the one who has dominated the market and they are the evil empire in this case!
I do think Microsoft will bring the two together some day, but until then I will subscribe to unlimited music downloads in Zune and sync that music to my ATT Tilt phone in Windows Media player. It actually works quite well.
