The Redmond giant has announced that, as of November 15th, operation of all Zune music services will be ceased, bringing the series to their inevitable termination after years of poor performance rates.
Microsoft has given birth to a plethora of products and services. Some have proven to be more profitable than others.
But we have to admit, the company has made some noticeable mistakes, and the Zune services is one of them. Now, the tech giant retires those digital music services, so all you Zune addicts out there will no longer be able to download and stream music to your MP3 player.
MUST READ: Microsoft shuts down Zune music service in November
On the bright side, you can still use your Zune as an ordinary MP3, only now you won’t be able to transfer music to and from your device from Zune services like Zune Music Pass.
Even though it may have ended up as a failure, Microsoft’s Zune gained some fast recognition at its first few years of life. It rolled out in 2006 for the first time, and its success was acknowledged fast. In fact, there was even a guy who tattooed his arm with its logo and reportedly tried to change his name to “Microsoft Zune“.
After five long years that didn’t evolve as expected, Microsoft decided to stop making the devices, but kept the services alive for the users that had already acquired their own Zune, thus allowing them to stream or download content on the device for a flat fee.
Current subscribers of the Zune Music Pass service will be converted over to the nearly identical Groove Music Pass service, which can be purchased at the Windows Store.
The Zune retirement FAQ reads:
“As of November 15, 2015, Zune services will be retired. You will no longer be able to stream or download content to your device from the Zune music service. However, Zune devices will still function as music players and any MP3 content that you own on the Zune device will remain there. You’ll also be able to transfer music to and from your Zune player.”
Have you been using any of Zune’s music services? Let us know in the comments below.
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