Although Microsoft had literally killed off the Xbox Music branding, dropping the Xbox brand in favor of simplified names for its two new music and video apps for Windows 10; the company is certainly rebranding its entire service to ‘Groove’. According to a blog that highlighted the changes, the reasoning for Microsoft’s new name was because they wanted something that sounded more what people feel and do with music; and that’s what Groove does! While Groove will be more or less the same as Xbox Music, Microsoft has plans to regularly update it in the coming months. At the time of launch along with Windows 10, the Groove app is expected to work both in two different themes: light and dark. It will also have features that are also in the Windows 10 preview.
GROOVE DESCRIBES WHAT PEOPLE DO AND FEEL WITH MUSIC
While, there will be no free streaming version of Groove, (which is also following the end of Microsoft’s free music streaming), the company has been pitching the updated service to all those people who have large collections of MP3’s.
Groove will be able to upload music to Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage service and also have the ability to access songs for free; from other Windows devices, Xbox consoles, and Android or iPhone handsets.
Similar to the Xbox Music that was used before there’ will be a subscription service of $9.99 per month; or $99 year. It will provide people the ability to not only access but also stream and download music from the Windows Store.
XBOX VIDEO BRANDING IS ALSO GOING AWAY
Xbox Video will also be getting a new name as well! In Windows 10, this app will just be known as Movies & TV and will give a person access to download TV and movies or import personal collections. A person can rent or even buy movies or TV shows; and this will also be available on all of the Windows 10 devices and Xbox consoles. However, there are no plans to extend this plan to Android and iOS devices.
According to Microsoft,” Windows Insiders who are a part of the Fast ring and upgrade to the next PC build will see these updates.” In short, this means that a new build will be available to testers, before the release of Windows 10 on July 29th, 2015. Besides this, Microsoft also has plans to finalize Windows 10 this week. Currently, the company is doing all the finishing touches to the Operating System (OS), before regular updates begin.
Update, 3:50PM July 6th: Microsoft had mistakenly referred to Groove as Groove Music in its announcement. The company said that it is simply Groove and is working on correcting its mistake. This article has been updated to reflect the correct name.
