Microsoft's Zune services wind down November 15th
If you're still relying on what's left of Microsoft's Zune services to feed your Zune HD with fresh content... well, you'd better have backup plans. Microsoft is warning that it will shut down Zune services on November 15th, preventing you from downloading or streaming Zune media from that point on. If you're still holding on to a Zune Music Pass for dear life, you'll switch to a Groove Music Pass sometime between October 15th and the cutoff date -- you'd better get your 10 free tunes while you can, because those are going away. Also, any copyright-protected content you've downloaded might have trouble playing, since the licenses aren't guaranteed to renew.
The folks in Redmond are quick to note that Zune devices will keep working. If you're still rocking that old-school MP3 player, you won't have to worry about it suddenly breaking. Still, it's hard not to get a little bit teary-eyed. While Microsoft has spent a long, long time weaning people off of its legacy music and movie platforms, this officially marks the end of the Zune era. Unless you're happy syncing content from your PC, you'll have no choice but to move on.
[Image credit: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images]
