Starting August 22nd, Microsoft will continue it’s complete castration of the Zune Software client, when it kills nearly all of the app’s purchasing abilities.

Microsoft detailed the changes coming to the remainder of Zune users today through a new FAQ on Xbox.com. According to that FAQ, Zune Software users won’t be able to purchase music or television shows starting on that day. Users also won’t be able to rent or purchase any movies.

Instead users on Windows 7 and Windows Vista will be forced to purchase media through their Windows Phone 7 devices or on the web. Users who have Zune HDs will still be able to download and sync music from the Zune Software to their Zune HD using their now renamed, Xbox Music Pass. These users were already unable to download music directly to their Zune HD thanks to Microsoft killing that device’s mobile marketplace some time ago.

Users will still be able to redeem any 10 free song credits they have, through the software.

If the FAQ is an accurate indication, Microsoft seems to cutting the features so that it can advance it’s goal of eliminating Microsoft Points from it’s digital music platform.

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2 Comments on “Microsoft Further Castrates What’s Left of the Zune Software”

  1. Seems to me what they are doing (directly or in-inadvertently) is making Xbox the hub for ALL activities. With the IE app they added now (and the other apps for YouTube, Twitter, FBook, etc.) they control the TV, music, games, pictures, etc. from that one location.
    ++

    As an aside, I never did understand Zune’s social side. Unless you knew someone who had one, or were lucky enough to find someone who would communicate with you by message or message board, there was not a lot of things to do with the social side of Zune.

  2. I’m really worried about what this will mean down the road. For now, it looks like we can still download music through the Zune software. If they ever fully take away that ability, though, it means our classic Zunes and ZuneHDs will all be pretty useless for music; especially since any music we download through the Xbox Music app on Windows 8 doesn’t show up in the Zune software. 🙁

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