Microsoft's Xbox Music Service to Include Streaming, Downloads, and Cloud Storage?
Earlier this month, we noted that Microsoft was making a major push into the living room, seeking to use its Xbox hardware as the hub for new streaming video content and a "SmartGlass" app for various platforms that will allow two-way Airplay-like wireless streaming between devices and an Xbox connected to a television.
Bloomberg now reports that Microsoft is also making a substantial push on the music side, talking to labels about launching a hybrid music service that would offer both iTunes-like downloads and Spotify-like streaming content.
The Redmond, Washington-based software maker is in talks with major record companies for the needed rights, and plans to begin service later this year, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions aren’t complete.
By combining the best features of competing services, Microsoft seeks to build a digital product that lets customers consume music any way they like. The maker of the Xbox console is building the new music business after its unsuccessful effort with the Zune service, which will close and move customers to Xbox Music, the company said on its website.
Microsoft's music service will reportedly also include a digital locker similar in some respects to iTunes Match, allowing users to host their entire music collections in the cloud for access from multiple devices. Talks with labels are still underway, and Microsoft may yet find itself unable to obtain all of the rights it is seeking, but it is clear that the company is once again working hard to compete with Apple in the digital media arena.
Popular Stories
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
Best Buy is discounting a collection of M3 MacBook Pro computers today, this time focusing on the 14-inch version of the laptop. Every deal in this sale requires you to have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, although non-members can still get solid second-best prices on these MacBook Pro models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a...
Top Rated Comments
Yep, but there is always a way to make them all play together...I use an Android phone but still buy songs via iTunes on my iMac. I then use google Music Manager to stream them to my Android device. If I ever go back to Apple for my smartphone, iTunes will be already set up.
Is anyone else getting tired of the word "ecosystem"?
I can't see the Sun anymore... :D
That would be great if they brought a Zune Pass type service to iOS. I ditched my Zune because 2 devices became annoying quickly, but their interface and price plan was excellent. 10 downloads (to keep) and unlimited streaming for $10 (I think it was $10, may have been $15) was a great deal. I'm happy with Rhapsody at the moment, but I'd definitely give MS's app/service a try if it comes to iOS.