Xbox Music for Windows Phone 8 unveiled, current devices not supported
October 15, 2012 at 12:31 GMT | By John Williams
Microsoft has launched Xbox Music, an all-in-one music service that allows users to download stream and listen to music for free. The service is designed for Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Xbox 360 systems, meaning Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7 users will not be able to access the new service.
A free streaming service will provide ad-supported access to the library, but this will be limited to a certain number of hours after six months. The premium and ad-free option allows unlimited streaming for £8.99 a month. Customers will also be able to purchase and download any track from the catalogue.
The service will begin rolling out on Xbox 360 tomorrow, with Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 following on later in the month. cloud-based service will also allow users to synchronise their music across multiple devices.
Xbox Music comes with more than 30 million songs in its global catalogue. Microsoft has noticed that console owners are increasingly using their machines for other forms of entertainment rather than just games. Last year, the company revealed that over 42% of Xbox owners watched over an hour of video content a day on their consoles.
"There are a lot of individual services that do a good job, but today there isn't a service which can pull together the benefits of download-to-own, music subscription, or free streaming services," said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president for interactive entertainment. "With Xbox Music, what we wanted to do is bring all of that value in one simple, easy-to-use service, then build some additional value on top."
While it is disappointing that millions of Windows Phone 7.x users will not have access to the new service, it's great to see awesome features being extended to the mobile platform, allowing users to synchronise their content across multiple Windows devices.
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John fell in love with the Microsoft mobile platform the moment he laid his eyes on the indomitable HTC HD2. Currently an IT project manager, John devotes the little time he can spare to WPSF. Current device » Nokia Lumia 800