5 ms·

I remember Microsoft introduced a DRM / certification program they called "Playsforsure". Two years later they introduce the Zune, which could not play "Playsf

I remember Microsoft introduced a DRM / certification program they called "Playsforsure". Two years later they introduce the Zune, which could not play "Playsforsure" music people had purchased from MSN..

microtonal 22d ago
Heh, sounds like Windows Phone. Release Windows Phone 7, get early adopters and traction. Thank the early adopters by releasing Windows Phone 8, which is incompatible with existing Windows Phone 7 devices. Also make it use a new app development SDK so that Windows Phone 8 apps don't work on Windows Phone 7 (modulo some weird transition tech that almost nobody uses).
- cjarrett 22d ago
  The funny thing was they could have done the adaptation--instead of doing it they just presumed devs would transition. They were also done with the android-apps-on-windowsphone project but dumped it because PC marketplace managers got mad at it because then devs wouldn't use their sdk. Luckily we still got the first version of WSL because of that project's partnership with that linux team.
mrguyorama 21d ago
And the Zune ecosystem had it's own DRM music format that also died IIRC. However, what the Zune ecosystem DID have that was insane for the time, was a $10 or so monthly subscription that let you listen to and download ANY song, as long as you had Wifi, with the bonus that you could download completely unprotected MP3s of ten of those songs a month. Songs at the time were still $1 each, so this was essentially free music streaming for people who bought songs regularly, with no potential for rug pulls. Outside of this subscription, you could loan a song to your friend, who could listen to it on their Zune like three times. They also had a nifty procedural playlist feature. They were trying to do social media of music! Microsoft used to be freaking nuts.

5 ms·

I remember Microsoft introduced a DRM / certification program they called "Playsforsure". Two years later they introduce the Zune, which could not play "Playsf

by hex4def6 22d ago

microtonal 22d ago
Heh, sounds like Windows Phone. Release Windows Phone 7, get early adopters and traction. Thank the early adopters by releasing Windows Phone 8, which is incompatible with existing Windows Phone 7 devices. Also make it use a new app development SDK so that Windows Phone 8 apps don't work on Windows Phone 7 (modulo some weird transition tech that almost nobody uses).
- cjarrett 22d ago
  The funny thing was they could have done the adaptation--instead of doing it they just presumed devs would transition. They were also done with the android-apps-on-windowsphone project but dumped it because PC marketplace managers got mad at it because then devs wouldn't use their sdk. Luckily we still got the first version of WSL because of that project's partnership with that linux team.
mrguyorama 21d ago
And the Zune ecosystem had it's own DRM music format that also died IIRC. However, what the Zune ecosystem DID have that was insane for the time, was a $10 or so monthly subscription that let you listen to and download ANY song, as long as you had Wifi, with the bonus that you could download completely unprotected MP3s of ten of those songs a month. Songs at the time were still $1 each, so this was essentially free music streaming for people who bought songs regularly, with no potential for rug pulls. Outside of this subscription, you could loan a song to your friend, who could listen to it on their Zune like three times. They also had a nifty procedural playlist feature. They were trying to do social media of music! Microsoft used to be freaking nuts.