P Diddy - Bad Boys For Life

As much as some love to hate on Zune, its lack of advertising, yearly release of hardware, fragmented mobile experiences, and all around unpopularity; Zune, as an encompassing service is holding its own. Name three other services that allow you to purchase music and videos (together) that you can play back on your TV, PC, and Smartphone, while including a social component? If there is one product at Microsoft that best embodies this song, would it not be Zune?

Let’s make one thing clear. Zune is not going anywhere. From an interface perspective, Zune moving under the Windows Live moniker does not work. First, Zune does not wave. Zune Live 2011 …really? Second, Zune.net looks nothing like Home.Live.com. There is no mistake, this is a good thing. Activity Feed? Zune did that and moved on. We have talked about the successes and shortcomings of the Social before. Third, if there is one thing we all chide Microsoft on it is consistency. Considering this, the desktop software does not have a ribbon interface emblematic of a Windows Live desktop program. One of the biggest tenets of each Windows Live release is the fact that all the programs tend to look alike. I think we can agree that Zune adding any ribbon, other than a rainbow streak seen along the bottom of older desktop releases, would be a step backwards in the war against chrome. Windows Live is ribbons and buttons. Zune is text and album art. If anything, Live Photo Gallery or Movie Maker could take a page from Zune.

Think for a moment about opposites. What if the opposite of what many are saying is true? What if the best things are under lock and key? Remember how nobody knew the new name Windows Phone 7 Series until Photoshop wizardry was used? Remember how we did not know what the interface looked like until hours before Microsoft surprised the world? What happens if Zune is getting the Windows Phone 7 Series treatment this year? Last year, Windows Phone kept a secret and it stunned everybody. Perhaps this year it is  Zune’s turn. How does that sound pappa diddy pop?

2/15 Update:

My what a day of speculation and gossip. Mary Jo Foley, of ZDNet, was the first to get an answer from a Microsoft representative concerning the potential demise of Zune. But we have a few late in the day statements from Michael Yaeger, of the Zune Team, and Zune on Facebook confirming my earlier thoughts and echoing the response Mary Jo recieved early this morning. Zune is not going anywhere. Be sure to click the link in the second tweet or read Mary Jo's article to get the full scoop.