Dearest Microsoft,

I realize you're pretty busy with the whole slew of people still getting the Red Ring of Death on their X-Box 360s. I also realize you're hard at work with Windows 7. Not to mention all the ad campaigns for Internet Explorer 8 (the latest one with buried treasure somewhere on the internet is priceless). I was wondering, though, if you could focus a little bit more attention on something that, while it isn't making you as much money as you'd like, is still generating a microscopic portion of your income.

Some people, myself included, have this weird tendency to go out and buy MP3 players that don't involve a little piece of fruit on the back of it. I purchased a Zune in February, 2008, for $200. When I got it home, I was quite excited to see all the neat things it could do. For instance, play games! (Granted, that didn't come about until months later, but some things take time, so I'm willing to forgive that.) I could also sync my Zune wirelessly (or at least, that's what I've been led to believe), as well as send music to my friends for a finite amount of time.

Don't get me wrong, I love all of these little features, but I have one major problem with it, and that's how much of my CPU your software takes up. I started my computer up this morning, and it was running at about 30% usage. When I started up the Zune software, my usage shot up to 100%.

Maybe I just need to upgrade my computer for the billionth time in the last five years, or maybe you guys just need to make a program that doesn't rape my computer and hog my resources. It's really shameful that you guys can't take a hint from the people at Winamp, and make a program that is efficient, as well as decent-looking, and it only takes up about 20% of my resources.

Which isn't to say that Zune doesn't look good. It's beautiful! It's probably the most glorious MP3 playing program I've ever witnessed! But when you compare the two, Winamp is akin to a girl who knows what she's doing, and requires a minimal amount of maintenance; and Zune is like a gold-digging, money-grubbing whore that needs all of your attention, or else it freaks the fuck out and freezes your computer until you can spend more time and money on it in the Zune Marketplace, and then it leaves you for the jerk with the nice abs in the end, anyway!

What I'm saying is, make your software infinitely less shitty, or I'm buying an iPod like everybody else.

Signed,
R. Swarthout
A consumer

P.S. - Yes, I listen to the All-American Rejects. Fuck off.

P.P.S. - Oh, and also, that whole Zunepocalypse on New Years, '09? Yeah, you owe us.

P.P.P.S. - I also cannot change the mood thing now.