Microsoft had a movies and TV store?
I own a couple that were only distributed in this region that way in an acceptable format for weird reasons related to localization. And then I moved internationally a couple of times and the Microsoft store REALLY isn’t willing to understand that’s a thing that can happen. It’s been a bit of a mess and one of the multiple reasons to not use MS’s store as a package/software manager in the first place.
Ahoy.
If you think about it: Microsoft owns XBox, that has been one of the three major consoles for decades now. They own Windows, the world’s most popular operating system. They own Edge, one of the major browsers. And they still failed to create a movie and TV store and shut down their music streaming service. Which is totally insane - that shit was bundled with fucking windows and Xbox and they still made it suck so hard that it failed
Microsoft isn’t popular by choice. They can’t force people into shitty ecosystems if they have no reason to choose it to begin with. Microsoft was the only choice for decades, and will go down as the golden example of business monopoly.
Apple, amazon, google, all have their claws deeper in people because they make products people choose to use. They actually like the products, so the companies can slowly enshittify them and keep their users.
Their phones too
Don’t forget that they didn’t succeed on mobile phones either. Despite it was very fine OS and devices were good too.
I remember when they killed their Games For Windows store and the games I’d bought on there just went poof. Never trust Microsoft to keep a digital storefront around, they’ll delete it all at the drop of a hat.
Like with Bitcoin, not your keys not your coin. If you don’t hold it you don’t own it.
Remember when Microsoft was telling shareholders that the Xbox multimedia ecosystem was going to dominate living rooms everywhere, then people stopped hanging out in their living rooms?
Imagine having a living room
MS ruined living rooms.
I remember it like it was yesterday. “Xbox, go home!”
Oh well. They should have brought back the Zune. And my Nokia windows phone is bright yellow.
I liked Zune. Microsoft is the real killer of their own demise. They have great products/ideas, but they just torch them before they take root.
Ahem Sony ahem - referring to Minidisc which I thought was awesome but most Americans didn’t care.
For what it’s worth, Windows Phone was sort of a successor to that. And then they went and killed it too…
“You’ll still be able to access your content”
Yeah, until they release a new version of the launcher, or underlying framework, which prevents the old app to run, locking people out of the content they paid for.
If purchasing isn’t owning, piracy isn’t theft.
Remember when Xbox required a Live subscription to use the any streaming entertainment app?
I distinctly remember them failing a console launch spectacularly by (among other things) trying to pass it as a media center and talking about how great it is to watch TV on.
I can see Microsoft just being the Azure company at this rate. Then they’ll have to charge what it costs to run and a lot of companies will wish they had stayed cloud agnostic.
The business is basically thirds last I looked. Windows, Office and Azure.
Not sure how their purchase of platform companies they shouldn’t have been allowed to buy plays into that. Thinking LinkedIn and GitHub.
So the Microsoft brand is just for show and it’s actually called Azure.
Azure is tiny compared to the competition.
363 is much more successful comparatively. That said, its dying fast, with the utter garbage service upgrades, its enshitified hard into a rigid platform unsuitable for enterprises. So find/make a real alternative to EXO with the Outlook app: and 365 ends over night.
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They did this with “plays for sure” DRM protected music files too, way, way back. Never bought content of any kind from them after that and then killing Windows LIVE.
Just assume everything from them has a “destroy after” date set in the near future.
Laughs in 1200 disc DVD collection
You’ll still be able to access content you own
Haha yes, that was never in doubt.
It will be if your using MS tech for it. They will pull the plug on that too. Just not yet, it’s quieter to do it separately later.
On it’s on disks you control in formats you can play with anything you like, its never yours.
