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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul



Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Microsoft kills off another iPod Killer

File this under "Ignorant headlines, Part 1," since the Portable Media Centers predate the iPod with video and never directly competed with the iPod, given the size of the screen and the heft. (The first PMCs shipped in September 2004, while the first iPod with video shipped a full year later in October 2005.) Anyway:
Portable Media Center devices - remmber [sic] them? Slightly less cumbersome versions of fully fledged Media Center PCs - are being officially killed off.
Except that PMCs were never "slightly less cumbersome versions of Media Center PCs." I hope the author of this article doesn't get paid for this claptrap. PMCs were portable media players that utilized a Media Center-like user interface and provided access to all of Media Center's content, including recorded TV shows. Something, by the way, you still can't get via Apple without paying for each and every show. Assuming the show you want is on iTunes, that is. You get the idea.

OK, seriously, I'm going to get through this latest example of blatant anti-Microsoft bias. I really am.
Microsoft's David Bono [confirmed that] PMCs are going the way of the dodo:

"We have decided to take what we have learned from our investments in Portable Media Center and focus our product and marketing resources on building media experiences on connected Windows Mobile powered devices....

With the re-investment of resources in media experiences on connected Windows Mobile powered devices, Portable Media Center 2.0 is the last version of our Portable Media Center software under the Windows Mobile brand. We do not plan any future Portable Media Center software upgrades or marketing activities."
Honestly, Microsoft never really advanced the state of the art with the PMC after the initial release. Presumably a future Zune model (and/or Windows Mobile-based devices, as noted) will take up the slack.

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[ Posted at 11:59 AM | Permalink ]

 



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