Although Microsoft has promised that it will include Windows Media Center in Windows 8 and has been included in the preview of consumers, the company now says that the multimedia application does not come with Windows 8. Instead, if they want to, you'll have to pay extra for it.
Windows Media Player was missing from the early build of Windows 8, leading to rumors that it would not ship as part of the operating system. Back in September 2011, Steven Sinofsky, President of the Windows Division, said in a blog in no uncertain terms that Windows Media Center will be part of Windows 8:
"I want to reassure customers that Media Center will surely be part of Windows 8. No doubt about it. "
What a difference eight months. Even if Windows Media Center is built into Windows 8 Consumer preview yesterday, Bernard Caldas Windows Business Group, wrote a blog post in which he said that actually, Windows Media Center will not be included as part of Windows 8. He wrote:
"Given the changing landscape, the cost of license decoder and the importance of an issue straight forward, we decided to make available to customers of Windows 8 via Windows add features 8 control pane of Windows Media Center."
In case you can't decipher that, here is what it says: If you want Windows Media Center in Windows 8, you'll have to pay for it. (The smallest app, Windows Media Player will still be part of Windows 8, but do not have DVD playback or viewing TV as does Windows Media Center).
Why the change of heart? In a Word, money. Windows Media Center requires that Microsoft licensed codecs for media playback. Build it in the operating system would mean that Microsoft would charge more for Windows 8 PC makers. Would pass these costs along to you. And in a world where margins are extremely thin, PC manufacturers, and Microsoft doesn't want to do it.
Microsoft Research shows that Windows Media Center is not a particularly popular feature of Windows. Few people actually use, and even those who use it don't use it heavily. Here's what Sinofsky said that back in her September post:
"Our telemetry opt-in use proves that in July, Windows Media Center has been launched by 6% Windows 7 users worldwide with the use of heavier in Russia, Mexico and Brazil (frequency and time). However, most people are just looking around; only about a quarter (25% to 6%) of these people used it for more than 10 minutes per session (individual), and 59% Media Center sessions (from these 6% of users) do not see hardly any activities (less than a minute or two). "
So, Microsoft has made a simple decision, business logic, and hold down the cost of 8 Windows deleting a feature that fails most people. Whoever wants to can pay for it.
I don't have a problem with that; companies make these kinds of decisions all the time. The real problem here is one of trust and Microsoft going back on his word. Windows Media Center will be saying "part of Windows 8" implies very clearly will be part of the operating system itself, it is not available as a for-pay add-in. After all, Microsoft Office will be available as a for-pay add-ins for Windows 8, and nobody is saying that it is "a part of Windows 8."
I don't think many people will hurt by Windows Media Center is not part of Windows 8. First off, most people don't use it. And even if non-native Windows 8 will feature DVD playing, lots of free software will be available to do that. Many PC manufacturers probably will include DVD playback software in Windows 8 PCs they ship. And remember, in previous versions of Windows, Windows Media Center, which was generally only available in premium versions, which meant that people were paying for it.
So users who are going to be hurt by this, but Microsoft's reputation. Microsoft could try to claim that say that Windows Media Center will be "Windows 8" really doesn't mean that Windows Media Center will be available with Windows 8 and just means that works with Windows 8. But this is sophistry. The truth is that Microsoft has made a promise and then broke.
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