[the Graywolf]

This just hit me when I remembered Xbox Music exists on IOS and Android too, but purely as music streaming service and I thought, why not just have that on Windows phone? I'm in Kenya, I have an L1520. I have suffered all what you good people on the other side of the globe suffer with this piece of upstanding equipment except without the benefit of what Microsoft is pushing with it. We don't get music streaming down here, and even if we did, internet services are still pretty expensive.. So my thoughts are: give us two players, one baked into the OS. We'll be okay without without the constant updates (bring back the Zune people) and then the other app, with its Xbox music pass requirement for you guys people that it's really aimed at. Would that be so bad? Half the bad reviews in the marketplace are from people who have trouble playing their own music in their devices. Give these people something they can't complain about and save yourself some bad press.

[Mellifluous]

I agree with you, but MS are trying to differentiate from ios (where player and store are separate) and they want their player to also be the storefront so they can push their services.

If they had two players, the numbers for new subscribers etc to Xbox Music wouldn't really grow, through lack of awareness and lack of desire to use the app.

They won't abandon this concept so we just have to wait, really, until the app has fully matured.

[loofmodnar]

It is kind of crazy. Two separate apps means one of the following things happens:
1. Anyone using XBM can't use their local files in that app.
2. MS is developing the same functionality twice, once for the OS version and once for XBM.

I wish I could use XBM with my local files on Andriod. I prefer that interface to Play Music. (Related note: Zplayer is a fantastic alternative for Android)

I also prefer the music app be separate from the OS. Let's not forget that the while Music and Video hub were better than XBM now, they still weren't amazing.

[the Graywolf]

I understand. But I still think it would be a good move on their part. It doesn't even have to be a new app. They just push the old music hub, it seems to still work well but is harbored by the new app. Duplicate items in playlists seem to affect both of the apps and album art screwed up by Xbox Music is also screwed up in the music hub. But if they could separate the two, the Hub is functional enough by itself while they continue refining Xbox Music. It's just a shame how they bungled such a core app.. It's not helping the platform gain new users which we desperately want and the existing users are really frustrated..

[jhoff80]

Hate that idea. It's one of the things that drives me crazy about Android, the fact that there's so much duplication all over. (I might be slightly OCD on this one, but still :D ).

[the Graywolf]

Hate that idea. It's one of the things that drives me crazy about Android, the fact that there's so much duplication all over. (I might be slightly OCD on this one, but still :D ).

You call it duplication, they call it variety. Most of those apps try to bring a different experience to a diverse market. It's beneficial to a large group with different preferences. I'm only talking about the ones that actually try to differentiate themselves through unique services.. Like I use winamp on my PC, if they had a music app that enabled a similar synchronized experience on my phone, I would go for that..