Microsoft gets its Groove back -- rebrands Xbox Music
As one of the few (at least it feels that way) people who subscribes to Xbox Music, I have a real love/hate relationship with the service. On Windows 8.1 and 10, it is absolutely glorious. Finding music is easy and it integrates very well with the operating system. On iOS and Android? Not so much. On Google's operating system in particular, the songs skip, making a satisfying listening experience impossible. There is no iPad-optimized version at all. Sigh.
Today, Microsoft is rebranding Xbox Music to Groove (not to be confused with Microsoft Office Groove). While I find the name to be an improvement, many Xbox fans will likely dislike the new name. Hell, I don't care what it is called, as long as it works well. One thing is for sure, a new name will not solve the usability woes. However, I am hopeful that a new brand means a renewed interest in developing the service for the better.
"Groove provides an improved experience for listening to and managing your music in Windows 10. Getting into music is faster than ever with easy-to-use menus and navigation controls that work well with both mouse/keyboard, and with familiar touch gestures on touch-screen devices. Pinch to zoom in or out of different views, drag your favorite tracks in to playlists, hover over the Taskbar icon for playback controls, or right click for contextual menus to pin an album to your Start menu. And you can also infuse your personality in to Groove – choose a light or dark theme for the app depending on your mood, or pick an accent color in Windows Settings and the Groove app makes it shine", says Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft.
LeBlanc further explains, "we're also making it easy to access your content across your favorite devices -- with built-in OneDrive integration making your favorite songs only a few clicks away. Upload all your MP3's to OneDrive, even songs purchased from iTunes, and access them all for free with the Groove app on your Windows devices, Xbox, the web -- and even on your Android phones and iPhones (coming soon)".
A usable app for Android and iPhone? I'll believe it when I see it. Hopefully there are serious backend fixes for Android, because a new coat of paint won't matter if the music skips. Notice that iPad was not mentioned -- if Groove launches for iOS without an iPad optimized offering, it will be a major fail.
Speaking of fails, it is apparently not even clear what the music service is called. According to LeBlanc on Twitter, the service is just called "Groove"; however, it is branded as "Groove Music" in other places within Microsoft. How is it possible for the service to be launched without definitive branding? Crazy.
@DrPizza @tomwarren we just call it Groove.
— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) July 6, 2015
@brianfagioli @tomwarren @DrPizza I wouldn't be too worried.
— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) July 6, 2015
Also being rebranded is Xbox Video, to the unimaginatively named "Movies and TV". I will probably stick to the tried and true VLC for local video and steaming services like Netflix for everything else.
LeBlanc explains, "you will find the Movies and TV app in Windows 10 better than ever for playing all your personal videos, as well as all the movies and TV shows you love. Import your personal video collection, and play back your content in a fast and elegantly designed app that is optimized for both mouse/keyboard as well as touch. Drag and drop videos between your collections, use right clicks and hot keys for contextual menus, or go full-screen with easy to use playback controls. We've also added additional file format support like .MKV too".
What do you think of these changes? Tell me in the comments.