you asked but here is a LIST!!

(1). A way to download songs, MOVIES and TV SHOWS form the zune it self.

(2). A internal fm transmitter.

(3). Oh and a slimmer zune.

(4). but type of pionts system like 99 pionts per song.($0.99).

(5). Gap less play back.

(6). A way to make the sharing so say i made a song and i wanted the person who i sent it to to keep it forever how so that it wont do the 3 day or 3 plays thing.

sean, a good start. but these are too product-feature specific. think more long term. where do you see the industry going? what'll happen in 5 years?

Instead of going for the "Next Big Thing", here is my "FirmWare Wish List" -

*be able to change fonts (size, color, theme, etc.)

*yes, definitely, be able to use as an external hard drive. (other players can, so should Zune)

*more video formats, mpeg4, h.246, divx etc. (come on, only .wmv is really a pain in the butt to convert)

*be able to adjust video Brightness and Contrast while playing (sweet...)

*add another item in the main menu "Applications", where you can access your games, small applications such as calender, alarm clock, notepad, etc.

wow! you guys really don't like playing by the rules; vision! think vision! ;)

Where do I see the things going...hmmm... A few scenarios to ponder:

1)I walk into a store and see a Kiosk, which I could then walk up to and have new music and albums released that day/week loaded onto my device.

2)Im at a concert or other live event (sporting event, trade show) and upon walking in, my zune is sent information like what song is playing, and I can get exclusive tracks.  If I'm at a football game, I get up to the minute stats and replays while my music plays in the background during halftime.

3)My idea of connected entertainment allows me to see my friends on my device through some type of friends list wherever they are, show me what they're playing and I can interact with them, send them playlists, etc.

That seems pretty out there....maybe 5 or 6 years down the road at least.  And, they're not features per se, but just social or "connected" experiences that just seem cool to me. I think everyone, even the ifanboys as Cesar calls them, sees that the Zune has a lot of potential.  Not everyone agrees on how long it'll take for MS to realize this potential or if they ever will.  Well, I have 2 Zunes in my household already. The race is on to see who leads and who struggles to keep up in this Zune/Ipod battle.  The iphone will strike next, and hopefully the next big thing from the Zune platform will be on the horizon sooner than later.  Peace.

I'm carrying a PDA Phone, a Zune, my keys, my wallet...I'm simply running out of space.  I hope to see a consolidation of devices/items over the next few years.  

And get a Mic and a Recorder on ALL devices looking forward.  It opens the door to personal expression.  Today, passing along some Artist's song is not an expression of me (just an expression of someone else that I like/appreciate).  Provide this functionality and let consumers run free...

External Disk Hard Drive?

Firmware updates:

1) Ability to download content wirelessly from Zune, via my home network or a wifi hotspot.

2) Ability to sync wirelessly with my PC (including Media Center) and my Xbox 360

3) More Codec support, why not?

4) Games! (Live Anywhere?)

5) I should be able to share ripped CD music without any DRM limitations, if I paid for the CD, and I can let my friends rip music from my CD, why can't I send it wirelessly from my Zune without DRM.  I want freedom, afterall I paid for it ;)

6) Podcast support (not sure if it's there now.

7) Playforsure?

Hardware updates:

1) Slimmer player

2) Internal FM Transmitter

3) different player sizes

4) Cell phone style digital camera

Cesar, did you see Scoble's interview w/ one of your collegues?  I thought there was a great scenerio that came from his sending '1 to Many' question.  I'll paraphrase:

Imagine an artist at a concert telling everyone to turn on their Zune's and blasting out a song or a recording of a song during that concert to everyone's zune.

I know there are technical issues around that scenerio, but look at 1 to many opening up lots of doors...there's some very interesting monitization potential there too...

ok vision umm a instant messenger zune?

I forgot a few things:

1) allow it to act as a hard drive

2) removable battery

Oh yes the rules, sorry Cesar:

Interoperability with other online music stores.

2) I like having 1 gadget with me, not more than 1, so phone support would be nice, but I would like to see it on several cell phone providers.  I would also like my Zune to be my organizer, so a clock, calendar and all that stuff would be great.

3) Internal Camera, like a cell phone

4) Bluetooth, if it's a phone, I want my wireless headset

5) Games!

6) Touchscreen

That's all I can think of for now :)

"instant messenger zune?"

-- I am pretty sure the next guy is going to ask:

"how r u gonna type the letters?"

-- then followed by another guy:

"FULL TOUCH-SCREEN ZUNE WITH TOUCH KEYBOARD !!!!"

good thoughts, folks. Keep em comin! and remember, we're nice to each other here. this ain't fight club.

The next big thing I hope for is the abandonment of DRM.

I would like to see the devices all open up their closed enviornments so the Artist and the consumers don't get caught in the middle of corporate wars between distributors that use DRM to restrict content to the competitors.

I would like to see ad driven music subscriptions and more attractive CD products.

I would like to have user friendly utilities for getting files on and off the devices. (Syncing is silly)

I think for the total social experience, wifi should be able to jump on a network and be able to see friends with zunes any where in the US.

1). Ok I see ipod and zune team up togather for once and bring a special edition zune/ipod that is just amazing!

2). Walk into a store and on my zune it has a list of sale prices and special sales.

3). GO camping look at my zune for the wather forecast.

4) Being able to see my buddies on aim and being able to chat with them on my zune.

5). Sync up my zune to my comp and it saying what I listened to , what time I listened to songs, and it ask me how was my day. lol

Well...honestly, the Zune has brought us no closer to the "connected entertainment" future Microsoft seemed to have been pushing.  We have no integration with Windows Media Player (as well as Plays4Sure), no integration with with Media Center, and very little integration with Xbox 360 (I was able to do the same with my iPod, on launch day of the 360).  

Instead, the Zune is most likely a place holder, so that Microsoft can later release a product that ties everything together down the line without having it be their first foray into these fields.

Honestly, I hope the Zune gets A LOT more features added...I understand that Apple has proven that simplicity is key, but out-simplifying Apple is not the way to winning...taking away the clock feature is not the way to do this (FYI).  

In the Short-term, the Zune NEEDS

-Podcasting Support

-Audible Support

-Gapless Playback

-Media Center Integration

-Allow the purchase of individual songs (having to buy in chunks of 5 dollars is...how do you say this nicely...RETARDED!)

What would be nice

-Some real integration with the 360 (show my friends what I'm listening to, what I've recently listened to, show my Zunetag alongside my Gamertag)

-Integrate the Zune with the Xbox 360 Marketpalce content (ESPECIALLY VIDEO DOWNLOADS!)

-Video Downloads (why have such a huge screen without a music store?)

-Wider array of Wireless Scenarios (the sky is the limit when it comes to this)

-Integration with Live Anywhere (Live Arcade Games)

-GAMES!!! How is it that the makers of the 360 couldn't fit any games onto the device?

-Better displays in stores (http://zunecorps.com/?p=212)

Unfortunately...even the basic updates won't come for almost half a year (tear http://zunecorps.com/?p=220)

So far...the Zune is off with a fizzle, hopefully you guys can correct this, because I'd love to see it do well.

But with the complicated and error prone installation of the Zune software, the annoying Syncing, terrible displays in stores, and bad customer support (I  Spent 20 minutes on the phone with a guy that asked me what my problem was...spent two minutes on hold...would come back and say "what was your problem??"...after about 4 of these I said "I give up, you are obviously clueless...which was when he began to care and asked me to stay on the line"...not a good start.

-Charlie

www.zunecorps.com

One idea that I completly forgot about was having your Zune setup a website or profile page in the marketplace, where it could show your favorites songs, reviews of songs, recently and most listened to songs, interact with others,show your community activity, and see who is online where.

It would be similar to a Myspace page, but actually be about Music.  You could have a small insert for this you could put on your website, myspace, blog, etc.

This would really promote the social aspect that the Zune is trying to convey, as well as bringing a very cool community aspect to the Zune.

-Charlie  

www.zunecorps.com

Here are a couple I have been thinking about...

1)In an ideal world, where wifi points and data is plentiful, we would be able to download pictures, video, and music samples or "promotional" material from different sources. ( concerts, billboards, stores )

2) viral videos. please don't screw this up. I am talking mobile youtube videos/indie bands being passed around like free gum. That means you have to figure out a way to encode "special" songs and videos for unlimited share. I know this has the potential to be a problem, but in order to be successful, indie "garage band" songs and viral videos ( ala soapbox ) should be allowed to be transferred between multiple people. ( if I get a viral video, I should be able to pass it along )

3) Vending Machines and or wifi purchasing. I should be able to buy marketplace songs through my Zune. here is how it would work.

1. Shared music; if my friend shares a song with me, I should be able to go online ( in my wifi plentiful paradise ) and it would allow me to purchase that specific song.

2. top 10 lists; do a slimline version of the marketplace. with top 10 lists, genre lists, and artist/album search.

3. Vending machine/purchase center where i can plug up ( center includes zune dock ) and search the marketplace and either purchase songs or fill up/refill with my zunepass.

4) Friends list/Live Anywhere. Give me an option to send my friends messages, either text or voice with the voice recorder you will include in the next zune ;) . Whenever they reach a wifi network, they can choose to be automatically alerted of new messages, which can include songs. ( since they couldn't be sent a song file, it would instead direct them to the song in the mobile marketpalce, where they would be allowed one free sample 3x3 for each song ) This would expand the "social" aspect of song sharing.

Some of these you have already thought of and planned, but you need these in order to make the social work.

These are just some ideas I thought of right now, I could probably think of more if I had time. Feel free to send me an internship when you realize how great these ideas are =P

I really think Woody has some good ideas (the fact that we work on zunecorps together doesn't effect this)...He really has some cool ideas about how the social aspects of the Zune could be added to with his idea of sending people songs anywhere, and having them recieve them whenever they get a signal.  

Also, it seems like wireless is what the device was built around...yet there seems to be so few features that incorporate it.  

-Charlie

www.zunecorps.com

oohh...

I really like Charlie's idea of a personal Zune Page, similiar to our 360 gamercard page, only slightly customizable.

Example to further exemplify his point.

Woody56292 -23 songs,1 video,50 pictures shared

Last Song Played: Cry me a River - Justin Timberlake

Favorite Song: Set me Free - Casting Crowns

Favorite Genre: Hip-hop

Woody56292's Playlist - ( clickable url that shows a list of my personal playlist, limit songs to 25 ) allow this playlist to be downloaded ( not the songs just the playlist )

Woody56292's Reviews ( clickable url of my songs which I have reviewed, not just starred, but actually written a review )

Woody56292's Podcasts/subscriptions( would show my personal podcasts, if applicable, and also what podcasts I subscribe to )

I am sure Charlie could think of more to add...

also this information would be optional, you could turn it on or off. ( example: I wouldn't want people to know my last song played was by Justin Timberlake, so I would turn "last played" to private or friends only. )

I know, like the Xbox team, that you guys will listen to our advice and make the Zune great. You have given the Zune the ability to expand and update, and I have faith you guys will do an awesome job. ( just like how my 360 is now the coolest thing ever with all the new functionality being added )

Keep up the Hard Work...

-Woody

www.zunecorps.com

Wow...I am having flashback to the good 'ol days when Woody and I would bounce ideas off of each other through the comments here...I'm sure you remember them fondly as well Cesar,

-Charlie

a canadian zune. thats all i want so far. i donwloaded the software to use as a media manager but i am still waiting to buy a Zune in canada. or should i get an ipod.hm they are everywhere up here??? ok i'll wait a bit longer for a zune but hurry up. my dell dj ditty died and i am looking for a replacement.

I don't really like the idea of the zune being a cell phone as well. First of all, it would be big. Cell phone + Drive would be big and clunky. Unless it used like a lower capacity microdrive. But then if it is a cell phone, you have all of those buttons on the front. Not very good looking. Plus some people don't use cell phones(like me) and would be put off from buying one.

But I do agree with the zune also having a camera in it. It already allows pictures to be stored on it, why not add a camera? Plus you could share pictures you take with other zunes. And with wi-fi, you could also let it post the photos to a blog or profile. It would be a hit if it did all of that.

My other idea could be done for the current zune too. At events(concerts, expos, premieres) there could be a zune broadcaster. Basically it would be a hot spot that finds all the zunes in the area and shares pictures, songs, and short video clips.

Hey Cesar, I have a total different approach on the "DJ" thing.

Why not make an internal FM transmitter that allow you to listen to your songs, AND broadcast it via FM? That way, you can enjoy your songs, and so can other zunes. Of course, the zune's must have an FM reciever inside as well. I'm not sure how much battery FM Transmitter takes, but that could've been a great alternative way of "DJing."

Regards,

LPX

www.ZuneBoards.com

Hello,

I think people have already covered a lot of features. I want to look at something else. Its got to do with promoting small artists.

A couple of years from now on I would like Zune eco system to be a place where artists could showcase their talent. For example if I was an artist:

1. I record my music in my own small studio.

2. I upload it to Zune server.

3. I give permission for this song to be shareable without any restriction (no 3 day or 3 play).

So now this song can move without restriction in the Zune eco system. This can be a great way to promote garage bands.

Secondly all devices in the Zune eco system (PC/xBox/Phone) should be able to communicate with each other. Not only that, I should be able to connect to my PC through the internet where ever I am. So the PC becomes my central server.

Right now these come to mind. I will post some more later.

Rohit

I'll be honest.  I haven't bought a Zune, and I don't intend to.

That is, until I see a Zune come out that I look at and say.."I have GOT to own that."  I'm very interested in the product(I'm here aren't i?)  But here's a few things i think that would make this a must-have item.

1 - you're right, Connecting IS the next BIG thing.  But I see it as bigger than sending songs, video.  Where's the FM transmitter?  Where's the store access from my zune?  Why can't i -e-mail- a freind a song, or send it to their phone?  Even better, why not Sidekick-like testing capabilities?  Oh, and lol I'm sure you've got this already 1000000 times - longer than 3 days please.  

2 - This is just a feature...that i think would put Zune way above the rest.  I don't know if you have heard, but Cingular has this new thing out for their customers...it's called Music ID.  Add that to Zune, i'll buy 50.  Two for me, and one for my all of my friends.  Here's more info on that http://www.cingular.com/musicid

3 - BIGGER SCREEN.  So long have I waited for a nice big screen for MP3 players.  All the coolest MP3 players have Video Playback now, but lol...Can't hardly see it.  How about a full size screen, no buttons on the front - all buttons are on the side, with a blackberry-esque scrollwheel.  Don't really need much more than that.  Oh, and touchscreen would do it too.

4 - I'll be honest.  Thin is nice.  But it's not everything.  For me, aesthetics are the top.  I have look at it everyday, i'd like it to be appealing.  (Btw, this would be a great time to mention my envy of the brown/green zune.  best color scheme EVER.)  I think the Zune could be prettier.  I'm NOT digging the black circle on the Zune.  And if there IS a black circle, why the other two buttons.  least amount of buttons possible.

5 - this one's simple.  bluetooth for comp sync and earbuds/headset.

6 - PLEASE NO CAMERA.  Let me elaborate before you and your readers laugh at me.  This is an MP3 player.  The more features you pack in, the less likely you are to do them well.  Unless you're packing a 5MP camera, I don't see the need.  It'll just take away from other features that I use on a daily basis, rather than that camera i whip out when i see will smith walking down the street.

7 - Wireless Charging.  (Joking, Joking, haha.)

8 - The Menu System.  I just wanted to touch on this and say it's lovely.  It really is.

9 - I don't know if this is included or not, but I like to sing(im not good at it, but i still like to) so is it possible that we have a lyrics feature?  It's kinda hard to describe but when you click on a song while its playing on an iPod, if you have perviously stored the lyrics, itll come up.  and you can scroll through them.  Also...ebook, text documents.  .docs?  .xcl?  .ppt?  Think about how great it will be to put a ppt on your Zune and use it as a wireless remote during your presentation.

I could go on, but lol I'm prolly coming off as an arrogant guy right now with my list of demands haha.  But anyway Good job and continue the good work.  = )

-C

Alright, I'll add to the list as well then ;)

1. I'd like to see some expansion, which in this case, being available worldwide(though I do live in the US)

2. Design refinement & hardware selections and improvements

3. Larger selection from the Zune Marketplace

4. MORE TELEVISION ADS (for the sake of expanding zune)

5. Events and concerts (for the sake of expanding zune)

6. Software refinement

7. New models

8. New technology integration

9. Language support

10. Custom EQ

11. Asking for what people demand (just like this, which I think is a major difference from Apple)

12. Ability to be used as an external HDD

Albeit, I didn't specify in many things, but this is what I believe is required in order to keep Zune popular.

To create a sort of myspace/youtube/IM environment on the player...

To be able to purchase music anywhere wirelessly from any internet hotspot with my Zune.

To be able to write/type on my Zune, sort of like a palmtop

HD radio

internet

Subscription network so that my Zune would download a TV show from Zune nearby.  Sort of a neural net/torrent network of Zunes.

GPS linked to a mapping system that identifies where your friends locations.

There was a post further up in the list on phone, PDA, etc, etc.  Phones have gradually done away with the PDA.  If they can make that next leap and cover the song space that will be big as well.  The iPhone is on the right track there as well as MotoQ, Treo680 etc.  Those devices would also make the post on an instant messager zune unnecessary since the SMS features are there.

I like the wireless piece.  There a lot that can be done there in the future but most has probably already been covered here and elsewhere.  Such as direct connection to hotspots for:

-downloading music directly

-emailing/sending songs (including to a group)

-streaming music (ZMP streaming songs with 'learned' features like pandora, etc.)

I also like the concept another company is doing with integration to make the device a server of sorts.  Playing movies from the device on a bigger screen in airplanes.  As a traveler you ought to be picking one of those up Cesar.  (or at least looking into how it can be done with the Zune as well).

I really don't see myself getting an iSomething or other but I think my biggest beef on both sides is DRM.  It's just plain EVIL.  If I find music I like I go the half.com route and just get the CD.  I don't care about busted cases, missing cover art, etc.  Just tell me I can buy the CD for $1-5 and that it's MINE, no DRM.  I do have a lot of DRM music but it's YMU subscription (which thanks to you guys is now magically going up to $14.99/mo) so I know it's borrowed.  Might as well call a spade a spade.

No rants, just reality....

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2530173&Tab=1&NoMapp=0

a canadian estore is selling imported Zunes. if i buy one from them can I use the marketplace when it comes to canada with that zune?

I'll start out by showing iPod's 'next-big-thing'

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/apple-patents-another-touch-sensitive-ipod-concept-210398.php

... yes an all screen, touch sensitive iPod.

Put it this way. If this is released before the Zune 1 gen (or even 2nd gen) hit Australia, I'll be buying it despite my hatred of iPod.

That is what I see for the immediate future (1-3 yrs) of Portable Media Devices (PMD) being in. What I'm thinking of is a PMD that is similar to a PDA in design (touch screen, size) but have 80G HDD, full screen touch screen, full screen video playback at a high resolution, WiFi connectivity, a buddy list system (for id-ing friends with wireless - even like the Xbox friend system), ebook abilities, basic internet access (even WAP/3G style), no camera's (I rarely use the one on my cell as it is).

Wireless sharing is supposed to be THE big feature, but your current scheme is too restrictive to be any fun.

Zune Pass members should get unlimited plays / unlimited days on wirelessly received songs, as long is their subscription is current. It's illogical and unfair to "DRM-expire/kill" any song on a Zune Pass member.

As for owners who don't have a Zune Pass, the  curent "3 times in 3 days" isn't enough. In addition, the fact that "recipients cannot re-send music that they have received via the sharing feature." is also wrong.

The current scheme is just, um, anti-social. :-)

In the short run, you should license Zune-DRM to Sandisk. Just as there is a Sansa-Rhapsody player, there could be a Sansa-Zune player. That way, you could immediately get a flash player on the market. On Amazon.com a Sandisk player is currently outselling the Zune.

ASAP, the music industry desperately needs a Universal DRM. Right now, there is an Apple-DRM, Zune-DRM, Playforsure-DRM, Rhapsody-DRM etc. It's no wonder that digital music piracy is rampant. It's legal buyers of digital music that end up getting "hosed". (e.g. former customers of  MSN Music)

i would love to see the consumer not need a computer at all for music/media players... and no wires at all, except i guess for recharging. built in support for wireless headphones, seamless-wireless-computerless ability to browse and purchase music... more effecient components to allow for long stretches of times beween charges...

I bought a Zune just to check it out, and I am surprised by how much I love it. I bought an iPod the first day it became available back in the fall of 2001 and have been through 6 of them. I don't think I'll buy another iPod after getting my Zune. Here is what I like about it:

1. Sound quality. Far superior to iPod. Audio quality on the iPod has never been great to me.

2. FM Radio. I love being able to listen to NPR all the time with a portable device. The FM connection on this thing is perfect.

3. The menu. So simple and easy to use. And I don't have to worry about accidentally pushing a button, or accidentally pumping up the volume. I love how the Zune pauses when I remove my headphones. The whole design was incredibly well thought out.

4. The size and clarity of the screen.

5. I love the Zune Pass. I have long wished that there was a subscription plan available on iTunes. I listen to lots of different kinds of music and am always looking for more music. Zune Pass makes that so easy. We all rent movies so what is the big deal about renting music. If I find a song I really want, I'll buy it. The Zune Marketplace downloading is really fast and syncing is super fast. Faster actually than my iPod.

6. I have read about people's difficult experiences setting up the software. My experience has been flawless. Installed right away on the first try, pulled in all my iTunes music and iTunes playlists. That was the big thing. No way I was going to re-do 50 playlists.

7. Can't wait to find someone else with a Zune and get social.

8. I love the flag option. I have been using it to send myself a message about a song so that I can do something with it, like put it in a playlist or buy it.

What could be improved?

1. Audible playback

That's about it for me.

Please DO NOT include a camera, an organizer, games or all this other PDA stuff. I have a BlackBerry - I don't need or want all these other functions. The simplicity of this thing is beautiful. Thanks for a great job. I wish people could be more grateful for the fantastic first effort that Microsoft has produced. And no, I do not work for Microsoft.

If you work on the zune, can I put in a request? I like to be able to customize the zune install screenshots. I think personalizing it makes it fun (and alot of people are moaning about the current ones) I made an example of what i mean at my url. I like your background for instance on your website - wouldn't it be cool if we could do that too the zune store, etc?

I like the idea of having the ZUne know what music is playing wherever I go. Like if I am at a restaurant and I like the song playing through Muzak I can look at my Zune for info on the artist, song, album, etc. then with a click, purchase the track. implement this idea to sports venues - how about that song Albert Pujols plays when he steps to the plate? I want to know the name and download it.

How about music playing on radios, or Zunes nearby. a car is playing a sonng I like ... I can find a list of songs playing nearby on my Zune.

How about commercials. If I watch a tv show on my 360, have my Zune tell me the songs on the shows soundtrack or during an ad.

infinite possibilites

I'm looking forward to the Live Anywhere stuff that seems to be the goal of all these projects.  

That's the short term goal.. where you guys go from there I'm not quite sure.  Being able to share video/play games/message/etc cross platform (360/PC/cell/etc) does a lot to bring everyone together.

Anyways, as an aside, I'd like to see something like the following:

The ability to zoom in more than 2X.

The reasoning being, is that comics are definitely moving towards a digital medium, and with products like these it's simple to store comics on the device and read them at your leisure.. share them with friends, etc.

Marvel Comics is interested in it and has stated they see it on the near horizon (3-5 years?) and something like this would help with that.

It doesn't have to stop there though.

E-Book distribution.. download sample chapters from bookstores with the option to get the audiobook.  

Things like that.

I think the best thing that iPod/iTunes did was to liberate a good song from a mediocre album. Thanks to iTunes (and now Zune), I don't have to shell full 10-15 bucks just to get a couple of good songs from an album. The music lables hated this but they seem to realize that this is what the music lovers really want.

I think the next big thing IMO would be to liberate mediocre songs from the hype. A hyped up song is hot for only a few months. Unlike the classics, most songs fall off of public memory in a few months or a couple of years. Then why do I have to buy those songs for their lifetime? I should be able to "lease" a song for the time I think it will be hot. I know I want to be cool to have shakira's next hot song on my zune but nobody would care about it a year down the line. Heck even I won't listen to it next year so why pay for its full lifetime? Lease it to me for half the price such that it expires a year from now and you've increased my purchasing power by 100%.

Today though the song just costs me a buck, I make really sure that I like it before I buy it. if it gets even cheaper, I'm likely to experiment even more and buy more songs. I think zune should lead the market with some game changing ideas. You don't want to be a "me too" player. All the best!

The power of Zune will be in the further development of both the MarketPlace and its existing devices.  

MarketPlace: currently its all about Music but it needs to be expanded to include studio/professional Movie Rental/Purchases, Photo Galleries, Audio Books, E-Books, Net Radio, MSN Direct Services and perhaps one day IPTV.  And beyond providing users with just studio/professional content I think Zune needs to allow for community published/shared content in each of those categories.  Perhaps leveraging & tightly integrating Microsoft Live Spaces and Soapbox would be a good solution.  The development of user preference ai/suggestions/user subscriptions will make aggregating content easier.  

Devices: I see the current Zune portable being tied much more closely with Media Center PC and a future Zune Aggregator. With its current wireless capabilities and optional docking station I don't see why the Zune couldn't be turned into a mixed mode Media Extender.  What I mean by mixed mode is that when you are within your wireless network range you can stream content while walkin around with your portable or when its docked.  Eventually I would like to see some of the following devices:

1. ZuneHD Video Portable

2. ZuneAV Dock with HD outputs, Amplifier

3. Zuner Aggregator/Server (device that pulls content from the MarketPlace without a PC).  Perhaps a XBox software upgrade can provide this capability.

4. Zuner Aggregator/Tuner/Server (same as above but also has built-in TV tuner).

Perhaps a XBox software upgrade and USB TV Tuner can provide this capability.

5. Zune NightStand Radio

6. Zune Phone that is also connect to Microsoft Live Services (Mail, Maps, Search)

7. Zune RFID Reader should be built into all Zune Devices!

8. Zune Picture Frame (device comes in a few sizes) and plays back Photo/MSN Direct playlist

9. Zune Book Reader (simple, non-PDA)

10. Zune enabled Watches/Braclets that change color depending on triggers specified by user.

11. Zune Home Automation Controller where Zune portable devices can act as remote controllers.

12. Zune Home Automation Switches/Dimmers/Receptacles

Just some of my thoughts

two things:

1) Make it easy for independent artists to promote their tracks at live events, or social gatherings.  This means fans should be able to buy right there on the spot directly in the Zune.

2) Zune MarketPlace needs to be Mac OSX compatible:

Many serious/pro artists run their operations on Mac OSX, how can they promote something they can't use?   Furthermore iTunes/iPod work well with Windows...so it's not unprecedented.

Here's another:

A fan should be able to tag an instant picture to a song they just purchased wirelessly.

so for example:

A) Say Usher or Redd Stylez or Ne-Yo (or insert your favorite artist) show up to a local Retail Outlet that is WiFi enabled.

b) Fan buys Track wirelessly

c) Fan uses Zune Camera to take picture with the artist

d) This picture can be linked to the purchased song. Like a digital autograph, and can be used as alternate artwork.  This would be righteous!

I’m going to skip the details and look at the big picture…Firstly, there are way too many devices that duplicate each other (my phone, Zune, Xbox 360, desktop and Tablet PC can all play mp3s and video and has storage capacities in the Gigabytes.) I have to copy music from one main source to each of these although streaming from the PC to Xbox 360 does take one of these loops out. What do I want to see 5 years from now? A complete move away from independent and redundant devices! I think that the GSM cell phone carriers have the best model where the brain of the device is kept on small SIM card. The device should be smart enough to see that I’m using an MP3/Car/Home-Theatre so don’t show my Word/Excel documents. The “Sim” card should then be able to be connected to my Xbox360 so it will show my gamertag and other xbox related stuff.  Finally, the “sim card” should be able to connect to my PC/laptop and load all of my settings just as I left them in the previous PC.

Of course, this will mean a few things:

1) A complete removal of computer “user accounts” for public computer use. User accounts will have to be stored on this “sim card / thumb drive / smart card’

2) A complete list of programs that can be found on all computers or a way to quickly get the programs installed on a guest computer without CDs or long downloads.

3) Redesigning all computers, cell phones, and PMPs with “sim” slots for this kind of roaming use. Better yet, let the sim card be wireless recognized so that I don’t even have to put it in! Once I’m near to a device and I authorize it, it should just work without any pushing in any card into a slot.

David561: Although I can see why you might want to transfer music at a social gathering I think realistically its going to be awhile before we have a critical mass of users to warrant it. I have never been to a concert where the majority of the fans have brought along their portable music players and some cases not even allowed by the club.  This could change if and when a Zune Phone is ever announced.  Until then I think Zune should leverage social networks like Live Spaces to allow independent artists publish/share their work with those with access to Zune MarketPlace.  You only need to promote your website.  The added benefit for independent artists is that you can communicate with your fan base via the social network.  Eventually I think artists will have several avenues for distributing their wares.  I agree that Zune Marketplace needs to be compatibility with Mac OSX.

I want all my music to play on my device no matter where I got it from or waht device I'm using.  

It won't be around, it will be dead in the next year or so. iPod wins. zuuune loses. by a lot! say: "BYE BYE ZUNE!'

..:Long tail for Zune:..

Why not do to the music scene what youtube did to videos. Zune should facilitate and encourage people to make their own music and  submit it on zune.net. For distribution for free! Tag this music so that it gets downloaded for free and gets transmitted for free, w/o restrictions. If you want to keep the DRM in place mark the song for purchase just as it does right now but charge the user 0 points for the song when she actually buys it.

As a budding musician this is the best way for me to release my music. Even for larger groups they could release a sampling track for free via zune. Thats another revenue op for zune.

When video sharing is enabled, the content providers will release previews/promotions that could be downloaded and shared for a charge of zero points. more $$$

That would be cool!!!

Thinking 5 years down the line...

I would like to see the cell phone networks being used to download songs - so we could access the marketplace anywhere.  It would be nice to download on the go.

Abandoning DRM - the 3x3 thing is good, but the reason i tend not to buy songs from iTunes or Zune Marketplace is that I can't control everything I do with music that I have purchased the right to listen to.

Smaller size and insanely long battery life

Roll out/unfold screens for watching movies/tv shows.

i like the ideas people are putting forth.  considering that in the last 5 years we have moved from CDs to digital downloads, from CD players to mp3 players and video players, the world of media is going to change a lot in the next 5 years.  I like the ideas MSFT is putting forward and how they're thinking ahead to the next step.

Let's face it folks... As much as Cesar wants to make his references to "iFanboy" which in my opinion is childish... The Zune is nothing more than Microsoft's attempt to copy not only the iPod but the iPod/iTunes format.

Just like Bill Gates took someone's work (DOS) in the old days, they are now taking the Toshiba Gigabeat, adding a bigger screen, wifi capability and calling it the "Zune". Then the marketplace is a blatant iTunes copy.

So why ask about innovation? Why not just ask for Apple or some other company to do it and then Microsoft can do what it does best, copy it!

I'm not a Microsoft hater, I used linux until Apple introduced OSX and I use Microsoft Word and Excel on a daily basis because I find it to be the BEST tools.

I tried to think these through before I posted. Hopefully, they offer some sort of insight into innovation.

:-)

1.  The ability to preview full albums the week before they are released. So, you open up Zune Marketplace on Tuesday and load up an album that is coming out the following week. You listen to it and on the following Tuesday (one week exactly), it expires. When you sync your Zune to your PC, it says, "Do you wanna buy this album?" I sure labels would pay to have their artist promoted this way (charge Universal Music Group a little extra...haha). A similar concept is used by MTV's The Leak, but you can't take the music with you on your device.

2.  Walk into a store or coffee shop that plays music that it sells (think Starbucks and Barnes and Noble). When you hear a song that you like that they're playing, you can purchase/download it directly to your Zune wirelessly. Later, when you sync Zune to your PC, it downloads the songs  to your PC library from Zune Marketplace. You can partner with the brick and morter stores for this and give them a cut of the sale's profits - because they did market the song for you, after all.

3.  Transfer movies, music and TV shows wirelessly from your XBox or Media Center Box directly to you Zune. That way you can finish watching movies on the go. In fact, when you transfer it, Zune remembers where you left off and picks up directly from that spot. I would imagine something like this is already in the works, though.

4.  Incorporate an RSS Feed Reader! I'm just throwing that out there because there's been plenty of times that I've been going to meet someone and they've been late. I think, "OK, if I had my laptop I could use the wifi service here." (But, I didn't have my laptop because I didn't expect the person to be late.) Maybe even have an option so that you can pre-load 50-100 megabytes worth of content on Zune before you leave home. That way, if you are without a wifi connection, then you can still entertain yourself by listening to music and reading your feeds.

5.  Free ad-supported playlists - your own personal radio station! So, a user wants to load up their Zune with songs and doesn't have a Zune Pass. What's the option? Let them load their Zune with songs for free, then after every ten songs, there will be a 30 second ad. There should be a 12 song minimum in each playlist. That amounts to 30 seconds of ads for 30 minutes of music play. It doesn't matter what order you play the songs in either - meaning you can skip around the playlist freely. After, several plays/days (I don't know how many), the songs in that playlist expires unless you sync the Zune and choose to update your playlist with a different ad. (That means the product-advertiser only pays for a certain number of plays/days. After that, their ad is removed and replaced with another product's ads.) I don't know about anyone else, but I'd totally opt for that! And then MS can make money off of the ads they sell.

That's all I have!

(P.S. The SMS Text Messenging suggestion listed above is a great idea! So is the Mac OS X-compatible software.)

You know what Microsoft and Apple have in common ? They both have big plans for the iPod .

Gosh the zune is the allbecomming new entertainment hub to be ? Yeah those apple people never think ahead. Nobody does. MS are the true innovators !.

Simply another poorly executed ripoff with no thought gone into it whatsoever build for one thing, Hurt other market players.

Piss off with this vision for the future crap, MS vision is what is bought or stolen from real inventors.

AND GET BACK TO CODING, MS servers is leak. Stop blogging and start working MS slave !.

retep.

I hope you are working on a flash Zune player. I'm looking for a compact player, that will continue to work, after I drop in on the floor a dozen times. :-)

I don't know if it's practical, but a waterproof flash Beach Zune would (to me) be extra cool.

I've got one more...

This is more of an off-shoot from the "Your Own Personal Radio Station" idea. You could allow the same concept for music videos. The user can subscribe to a particular genre or the Billboard Top Charts and get a video from the top 20 albums in the country. After every 5 or 6 music videos, a 30 second ad plays. Voila! Your own personal music video channel.

I think this would be great for indie artists who don't have enough recognition to get their videos aired on MTV.

This is also way fewer ads than MTV, who plays about 2 minutes worth of ads after every 3 music videos - when they do play music videos. I hardly know anyone who have actually purchased a music video from iTunes other than doing it once for novelty. (Of course, that doesn't mean that it isn't popular; I personally just don't know anyone who engages in paying $2.00 for a music video.) This seems to be more profitable because of unobtrusive ad sales.

ciao

First I would like to say, I tried a zune today and you have made a wonderful first attempt.  I LOVE the Menu system best out there even against the iPod.  As for Ideas for future releases.

Hardware

*Bigger Hard Drive

*USB Host Mode Enable for Digi Cam Users

*USB Hard Drive Enabled

*Bluetooth AD2P Support

Software

* Viral Media - Where certain sample media have unlimited sharing capabilities

* Viral Sharing - this would give a small kick back to a person who has shared a song in which the other person subsiquently buys the song.

* Rent To Own Music - This would work like subscription service but instead of just renting music you would also recieve a certain number of credits a month to make certain songs permanent or buy song that aren't subscribable.  This would create a loyalty to zune because now people have content that is invested in the player not just an empty subscription.  Exp: $15 For subscription plus you get 10 songs a month to make permanent.

* Unlimited Zune Pass to Zune Pass Sharing

* Ability to Watch Recorded Content from Media Center

MS should buy Archos. Manufacture the heck out of them to make them appealing to everyone. Those things beat the stuffing out of ipods and zunes any day. The 604 Wifi model (with an Opera browser) has touchscreen even. If you're going to do wifi, do it right!

ZUNEcast - where a location is streaming a custom radio station that you can listen to and purchase content right there.  For Exp at a concert, you would be able to buy the album as they are playing or even a copy of the live concert at the concert.

Reimburse people who have bought from other sources such as iTunes, Real, And Any Playforsure site with the equivilent music on the zune system for free. This will help get people away from the iPod ecosystem or other system that have some content invested.

I would love to see all the online music stores get together and make either one great store, or at least use the same DRM so compatibility is not an issue. I want all the different music players to work in all the different online stores for more choice with less problems. Why can't people be kool and get along to make life not only easier but a lot more nicer. Doing so and working together in some aspects would def make advancing in technologies a lot faster and easier too.

Peace!

OK, here's some vision, maybe. Video is a major problem here. I want to be able to take my Simpsons and movies with me on my zune, but it's way to big a hassle to transcode all that stuff. No way in heck do I want to repay for stuff I've already bought on DVD in the event that it begins to appear on Zune marketplace. So here's the deal you NEED to cut with the content providers. When someone buys a DVD (through you, even, or partners, whatever...) they get a passcode to download a DRMed, downsampled version from your web store. If you need to sweeten the deal, hell, let 'em stuff a bit of advertising back in, preroll or during the commercial breaks in TV stuff... Let's be real, when we're all buying HD content in a year or so, a 240 WMV is going to be no real threat, and if we've paid for the HD DVD content already, there's no reason we shouldn't get to take it with us on portable devices...

You could even work the reverse. People come to the zune store and order an entire DVD boxed set or movie for download -- give them the option of paying the "hardcopy" plus download price -- downloading the small stuff immediately and sending them the real discs in the mail. The crusty old buggers in the movie industry need to realize they might sell MORE discs this way...

Windows Media Player 11 Integration (and of course Vista).

Easy USB use as an external drive.

An SDK. Encourage the developer community to offer software.

Real Wifi.

Royalty free content shouldn't expire on transfer.

I'm down with supporting the true creative talent that makes the music we love and so I'd like to see more money per unit going upfront directly to the labels for A&R and PR.

Also I'd like to see an auto-delete function for non-purchased, non-DRMed music. Y'know, to keep the homies honest (it's hard out here for a pimp!).

Fo' shizzle!

I have seen some people comparing the full screen (rumored) iPod to Zune. I don’t think its right to do so. The full screen iPod is video iPod which is going to cost about $510. It’s a different category of product.

But I hope that Zune also has some video Zune lined up.

Rohit

Hi Cesar,

  I'm still waiting for mine to arrive, so I'll have put in my 2 cents on what I look for in a player:

1.  Battery life.  14 hours is the absolute minimum for a music player.  Typically, I like around 20 hours.  My Dell DJ20 does 20 and my DMC500 does 22 hours.  It's important to me, as I take a lot of long haul flights

2.  Disk capacity.  30Gb is again kind of small.  Would like to see larger capacity

3.  Removeable disks.  My DMC500 can take any 2.5" disk upto 120Gb.  Now I know that probably isn't a popular thing for a mfg to do.

4.  If a device can be firmware updated, then put out updates based on the features users are asking for.

5.  Trade up program.  Software has upgrade pricing, why not the players too?  Will keep the loyalty of users, since they know they'll pay less to keep current.

6  Accessories.  Make sure the accessories that are out today, work with models in the future.  Knowing that allows you to invest in accessories that will continue to work in the future

7.  iPod Connector.  Since a lot of cars are now coming out with connections for an iPod, have someone make an adapter that allows the Zune to act as an iPod for playing music.  

Ballmer: iPod will hear from us

By Jim Welte - MP3.com

March 29, 2006 at 11:03:00 AM | more stories by this author

Microsoft CEO tells Fortune that software giant will announce a device that combines mobile communications with a music player in the next year.

"We want to be in that game."

So said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer today in an interview with Fortune magazine, speaking about the portable digital music devices and saying that Microsoft is indeed working on an iPod killer.

Ballmer said his Seattle-based software giant is working on a device that combines facets of cell phones and PDAs with content-playback capability. Speculation has surrounded the company's portable music plans in recent months, particularly in the weeks before it announced the "Project Origami" Ultra-Mobile PCs.

"In five years are people really going to carry two devices?" he told the magazine. "One device that is their communication device, one device that is music? There's going to be a lot of opportunities to get back in that game. We want to be in that game. Expect to see announcements from us in that area in the next 12 months."

Apple has long been rumored to be working on an iPhone of its own, but has only built its iTunes store into two phones from Motorola to date. The company is facing growing competition from the likes of Creative, San