Microsoft is putting the final touches on the next Zune firmware update. Expected in mid-March, the update will be a maintenance release. It will include performance and stability improvements such as better device detection and synchronization, a fix for battery draining issues with the FM tuner, and a fix for a bug that causes songs purchased from the Zune Marketplace to skip for some users. It will not add any major features.
Zune marketing director Jason Reindorp also reiterated Microsoft’s plans to increase its line of Zune products but did not indicate when that would happen.
While Microsoft did not disclose any specific numbers, it indicated that the number subscription customers grew by 60 percent in January (over December) and that song downloads increased 65 percent. Reindorp did concede that the true numbers were still small though.