From A Loyal Supporter From Day One - When Can We Expect A Statement?

 MrZoglog wrote:

wow, still can't believe we're waiting even for a statement or indication that things are being worked on.

I guess it doesn't surprise me you don't read anything on the forums unless it has something negative to say about the Zune Software/Hardware/Team so here I'll help you out

 Cesarisok wrote:

I also posted this on 'insider:

Good news for Zune 30 users! Following the Nov 13 firmware upgrade, a lot of people are noting an improvement in battery life.  To achieve this, we improved the Zune 30 codecs so they are more power-efficient, hence the better battery life.

That said, we have seen some reports of a separate battery issue related to the upgrade. This problem occurs when users suspend their Zune hard drives by holding down the play/pause button – in some cases the battery continues to drain. It seems to be affecting only a small percentage of Zune users at this point, but we’re working on including it in our December update (similar to last year) – stay tuned for details and specifics.

I even COLORED it for you and here's the thread it's in Ignorance is Bliss when you refuse to read anything that isn't negative about the Zune

---

Hold your breath someone is about to tell the greatest lie EVER!

I was over in the Devices froum and found this post:

http://forums.zune.net/17/65183/ShowPost.aspx#65004

 

While it is funny, I suppose we're asking the wrong people (find someone in marketing try to get a straight answer). I don't know if its ignorance, missing the post about a new firmware alluded to in a post originally intended for another website(same link as whats posted in the quote). Again, I would consider the announcement of a firmware release (or even the fact that the codecs on the Zune30 are improved) something that should be in the News forum ON THIS SITE, just so we don't run into problems of information dissemination like this. Whats the point of these forums if I have to go elsewhere for the latest Zune info?

---

Zune MVP
Contributor, http://www.insidethecircle.net

Stoic-

I love how you can sit here and defend what is known to probably be the worst update and software available.  I could put $ down that 3rd party developers of lesser knowns MP3 players could and do make better software than microsoft has. 

In this instance its quite obvious that MS was determined to get the "flashy" look with their software, rather than tweak the nuts and bolts.  We all know that MS is more technical than creative...I guess not this time.  To defend such an inferior product is a waste of your time.  I dont even have a zune yet, but was planning on getting one (NOT ANYMORE).  I only can base my judgements off of the software.  And with MP3 players, you can certainly judge one since they are soley run off of the software that it comes with.  How can you sit there and say these people have no right to complain about a horrible product they wasted, in some cases, $300 of there hard earned pay on?  They can't even enjoy something they were so excited to get.  Yet you have some balls to come on there and tell people that "this is a business."  No *** dumby.  They dont even have  technical support you can email, and there operators are just as naive to the situation as you are.  Microsoft's only solution to everyones problem is to make a public forum so that after endless hours of screwing around with the software WE can tell EVERYONE ELSE our "expert" opinions on how to get around the hurdles instead of jumping over them. 

You clearly work for microsoft due to your biased opinions and your clear rage to people that are complaining about the crappy software.  How bout you get off of the forums and start doing something about it?  The only reason you arent complaining like rest of us is because you have a nice working apple i-Pod to play your music while the zune team stares in the mirror and smiles. 

 ledexplosion wrote:

You clearly work for microsoft due to your biased opinions and your clear rage to people that are complaining about the crappy software.  How bout you get off of the forums and start doing something about it?  The only reason you arent complaining like rest of us is because you have a nice working apple i-Pod to play your music while the zune team stares in the mirror and smiles. 

Nah, he doesn't work for Microsoft.  Just someone with a lot of time on their hands.  Believe me, I share your frustration with the new software.  (and I'm only TESTING it with my test Zune 30, my main Zune 30 has been downgraded back to the 1.x firmware/software).  But I think that it is a bit unfair to slam the Zune team (especially the frontline guys like Cesar) for it just yet...or at least to the point where you think that they are proud of themselves.

Why?  Well, it is pretty clear to me that they had a hard-and-fast deadline to meet (probably set by the suits or marketing) and didn't have sufficient time to implement the vision they had.  Having this upgraded be a forced upgrade was a bad decision (but probably necessary one).  It's been a little over a month since the update.  If they can release another update within the next week or so that addresses the heavy hitting issues, then the worst will be over.  If they wait MONTHS to release a software update, well, then I think that it won't matter because the damage done will be irreversible. 
If you think the outcry is bad now... wait... wait until Christmas morning when a lot of those 2nd gen Zune devices get unwrapped and used for the first time.  It's not going to be pretty.

Well, that means they have less than a week to put out a Zune software update.

I dunno about you, but I've worked in software development for decades, and very little gets done right before or after Christmas, so I'm not holding my breath :-)  But you're absolutely right, that there's going to be hell to pay on Christmas morning if they don't at least get a decent bug-fix version out, so that people stop having so many problems with tags, album art, etc, etc.

I personally can wait a little while (say, until Jan or maybe Feb at the latest) for the features that I hope they're busy adding (smart/auto playlists, better tagging support, better batching support, better searching support).  But the bugs need to be fixed ASAP. 

I sure hope we see at least "Paste Album Art", "Update Album Art (from the web)", the ability to delete songs from the 'quick list' in the player, the ability to add photo folders to the 'root' level of the Zune menu (i.e. get rid of the unnecessary need to drill down an extra level for everything), and some better scrolling performance in the Zune software by sometime in January.  And if we don't have smart/auto play-lists, the ability to organize videos into folders, and the ability to tag/sort/etc photos and videos (categorize and organize) by February, things will be hurting. 

Nobody wants to wait six months or a year for this stuff.

 

lol, I love how i'm talking about the software & 80GB Zune 2 and all St0ic can throw back is a completely unrelated snippet about battery life for the 30GB Zunes. Reaching much?

 SpryboyAustin wrote:

I dunno about you, but I've worked in software development for decades, and very little gets done right before or after Christmas, so I'm not holding my breath :-)  But you're absolutely right, that there's going to be hell to pay on Christmas morning if they don't at least get a decent bug-fix version out, so that people stop having so many problems with tags, album art, etc, etc.

Well said, spryboy, well said.  I've only been in s/w for 1.5 decades but I totally agree with you.   I'd like to see all the big ticket items sooner than later (ie Feb, not next Nov) but there are certainly some kinks to be worked out.  I had no trouble at all installing and configuring the v2 s/w (and I like it as a syncher/browser) but my dad's machine had a hell of a time with it.  His PC is lower memory and maybe didn't have a .NET or two installed, but geez.  The install took about an hour and we didn't know what the heck was going on because there was almost no feedback and the darned progress meter kept resetting itself... verrrry bad practice, that.  And when it did finally launch the GUI was really flakey because of his crappy onboard video.  Once I got into the settings and turned off the "bling" we were good to go, but for Christmas day those kind of issues need to be gone!

And, hey, I don't mind waiting till March(!) if it gets me a damned clock on the zune!  and a text browser, that was great on the iPod for holding my game FAQs and walkthroughs while I play xbox :)

 ledexplosion wrote:

Stoic-

blah blah blah

You clearly work for microsoft due to your biased opinions and your more blah blah blah. The only reason you arent complaining like rest of us is because you have a nice working apple i-Pod to play your music while the zune team stares in the mirror and smiles. 

You don't have to work for MS to be a Zune lover. And it's true that 3rd party developers have better softwares (Tried it, loved it.) But that's not to say that Zune had the worst update ever. The itunes is still not much of an improvement after many years of work (if they did work on it) and the Zune did make a nice software based on appeal and ease of usability for those who actually tries to see the improvement. The only trouble they encountered was the misnaming of files and incorrect monitoring files, which they have posted and stickied (put on top) in the threads, which mostly everyone had ignored and just rambled off complaining their problems to everyone and spamming the entire forum, which doesn't care. (welcome to the social)
And since you have not even owned or operated the Zune, I don't think you have the privilege of criticizing Stoic's opinion. After all, he has owned a Zune(probably more than one, increasing his knowledge and experience) while you could only base your limited experience on the software. Here's a comforting spot: the Zune hardware is actually much better and smoother, and in other cases, much more creatie than the ipod. (large fonts with purposely wrong captialization with cutomizable backgrounds compared to Ipod's black text with perfect punctuation and white background) It may be true they might not have email, but there are Zune posters working here who had actually posted solutions. Shouldn't the consumer be faulted a little bit for ignoring what they have to say?

---

Whee, I've gotz a siggy. Siggy siggy siggy siggy siggy. Sig.

This stuff makes me feel the need to jump in against my better judgement! I think in a community forum like this the best way to get results is to allow everyone to feel the way they feel about the software there doesn't need to be a unifying consensus of opinion. I for one hated the software update being an original 30 adopter and having my experience and my library/collection totally mangled by it with out a choice. But now a few weeks later and a lot of tedious work with mp3tag and manually renaming and organizing my zune folders (which should never have been needed) I am starting to change my tone about the software. The truth is the hassle and distaste from the software was and is real for a lot of people, and there are a lot of people who find the software sufficient and are happy knowing it can be updated/patched. I just think telling everyone who was unhappy that there feelings are invalid or expecting people to be happy with third party workarounds starts the great divide and expecting that everyone must hate it and there is nothing good to come from it just adds fuel to the fire.

Maybe this will help:

1. Allow people who were truly put through the ringer by the version 2 update to feel the frustration they truly feel. On the other hand just ignore the trolls looking for a flame war. The software should organize and protect your media out of the box not require 20 different work arounds and third party software and a media-collection rebuilding tool that most consumers will overlook and just assume that the software is broke and junk.

2. Those that don't like the software should understand that others might not have encountered their troubles with it and might really enjoy it and look forward to the potential the new program has being built from the ground up. Or understand that the might have found ways on their own to make it functional. Last but not least just ignore the blatant fanboyism that's bound to come up, like when someone tells you to shut up and download cause the software ROCKS!

---

And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky... A human being that was given to fly! E.VEDDER

Who said the software rocks?  I get tired of saying this because you negative nancies don't seem to get the fact that I have never ONCE stated the software was the best ever.  So again leave your rather narrowminded perceptions at the door and at least know what you're talking about before you start throwing around insults and if you're going to at least have the balls to take it like a man and not some nancy boy.

---

Hold your breath someone is about to tell the greatest lie EVER!

dont feed the troll. stoic... has been lurking since day 1 bashing people. ignore him.

 IWANNAGOLF wrote:

dont feed the troll. stoic... has been lurking since day 1 bashing people. ignore him.

Do you wake up everday and decide when you're going to forum stalk me?  You truely are the definition of pathetic.

---

Hold your breath someone is about to tell the greatest lie EVER!