Zune v2, my second impressions...

Yesterday I wrote about my first impressions after few minutes of using Zune v2 in my UMPC. Today I was thinking about to write a little bit about why I wrote that when I found this thread at Zune.net forum:

Today is a total slap in the face of loyal Zune supporters. Being in the tech and application industry myself I can easily say I feel like this software is beta at best. I feel like we are all beta testers for a bad experiment by the Zune Team. I have been the Zune's most loyal supporter for a year and what have you given us? The removal of many key features that made this product great:

- metadata editing capabilities beyond simple artist and album info (was present in the previous software version)
- batch metadata editing
- auto-playlists
- 5-star rating
- old organization of videos
- easy album art via drag and drop and auto search ability

You missed the boat on some things like:
- Detailed metadata for videos
- Video Playlists
- etc.

Like I said Yesterday, the not inclusion of Auto-Playlist and removing the 5-Star Rating System are just beyond my comprehension and trying to find an answer on that same forum I found this other thread created by one of the Zune Developer Team Members:

TELL US HOW YOU USE AUTO/SMART PLAYLISTS...so we do it the way you want in upcoming releases!

After reading that, I could only think that the user in my previous quote was absolutely right when he said that this Zune software release was a total slap in the face of loyal Zune supporters. And he's also right when he said that, we are being used as beta testers in this bad experiment that is this release. I personally would have preferred to wait a month or two for a really ready to use program than having now a piece of useless program managing my Zune.

There was an user replying to the question of how to make the Auto/Smart List that wrote, just make them like iTune! And that reminds me the other day when I was asking OEMs to do not reinvent the wheel. There are things that are in use and that are proven to work that do not need to be changed unless you are adding something really good to improve them. But come on, to change from a 5 stars rating to a just a Love it or not Love it rating is... and excuse me Microsoft Team but if do not say it I'll explode... the most stupid idea that I have seen in the last 5 years.

Well, thanks God that I still have my old 20 GB "full" iPod. At least there I still have my many smart-lists and my 5 stars rating system. And I only hope that Zune Beta 2 will be released soon so I can start listening to the rest of the music that I have loaded in my 30 GB Zune that I do not have in my old iPod. 

For the end I have a few questions to all Microsoft teams, are not taking in consideration what users want from you in your software? Have you had forgotten that you are programing for us consumers and not for yourself?  Why are you not listening to what we consumers want to see? When you all at Microsoft will stop to use us as cheap beta testers? Are you forgetting that we are paying for these devices and that we are expecting to get something that at least works? Who is the responsible of releasing a software that includes less features than the previous version? Who is the responsible of releasing a software where the features that we loved most have been removed?  When we are going to see all this mess fixed? Next Year?