Friday, March 23, 2007
Misconceptions About Zune WiFi Sharing: Random versus Purposeful
Posted by Jason Dunn in "Zune Talk" @ 02:45 PM
There was a comment in our forums a few weeks ago that got me thinking:
"Unless people do carry their Zune everywhere, and leave WiFi on, song sharing is just not going to gain any steam."
Like any technology, the WiFi song sharing on the Zune can be used in many different ways - but I suspect the Zune team designed it mostly for a specific scenario. The assumption that the person who made that comment above is that the WiFi sharing is meant for sharing songs with strangers - random Zunes that you might encounter in your travels. Is that really what was intended? Let's look at the way the WiFi sharing was implemented. First, your Zune has to be powered on for the WiFi to work. WiFi also has to be turned on. Next, you have to be within 30 or perhaps 50 feet of another Zune. And if you're listening to music on your Zune, I don't believe there's any sort of audible prompt or interrupt in your music telling you that someone is trying to share music with you (I haven't tested that yet mind you). Barring people-clumping scenarios such as being on a bus or train, and all those Zune owners looking at their Zunes, how often is that really going to happen?
The far more common scenario, and the one I believe the Zune was really designed for, is the purposeful sharing of music via WiFi with friends in a social setting. I've done this several times, and it involves two friends, each with a Zune, each with some music they want the other person to check out because they think it's cool. In that scenario, headphones aren't even involved - each person turns on their Zune, finds the music they want to share, and sends it over. It's fast, easy, and I've discovered some really amazing new music that way - music that I never would have discovered if my friend hadn't shared with me.
"Unless people do carry their Zune everywhere, and leave WiFi on, song sharing is just not going to gain any steam."
Like any technology, the WiFi song sharing on the Zune can be used in many different ways - but I suspect the Zune team designed it mostly for a specific scenario. The assumption that the person who made that comment above is that the WiFi sharing is meant for sharing songs with strangers - random Zunes that you might encounter in your travels. Is that really what was intended? Let's look at the way the WiFi sharing was implemented. First, your Zune has to be powered on for the WiFi to work. WiFi also has to be turned on. Next, you have to be within 30 or perhaps 50 feet of another Zune. And if you're listening to music on your Zune, I don't believe there's any sort of audible prompt or interrupt in your music telling you that someone is trying to share music with you (I haven't tested that yet mind you). Barring people-clumping scenarios such as being on a bus or train, and all those Zune owners looking at their Zunes, how often is that really going to happen?
The far more common scenario, and the one I believe the Zune was really designed for, is the purposeful sharing of music via WiFi with friends in a social setting. I've done this several times, and it involves two friends, each with a Zune, each with some music they want the other person to check out because they think it's cool. In that scenario, headphones aren't even involved - each person turns on their Zune, finds the music they want to share, and sends it over. It's fast, easy, and I've discovered some really amazing new music that way - music that I never would have discovered if my friend hadn't shared with me.
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