Some pithy analysis of the implications of the new version of Windows XP Media Center. The new version is about more than persuading users to stick with Microsoft when it’s time to buy a new PC…The Media Center Edition 2004 also adds a services feature that allows users to purchase content from partners like Napster, MovieLink and CinemaNow.
Joe Wilcox, Jupiter analyst on implications for media companies: “Cable operators might not look too favorably upon Media Center becoming a competitor in the living room for video-on-demand services. This is an area Microsoft would want to exercise caution, particularly as the company is trying to woo cable operators to Microsoft TV Foundation. On the other hand, that third parties would embrace the “Online Spotlight” concept is a real validation of Microsoft’s entertainment OS strategy.”
IDC analyst Roger Kay on News.com: “You never quite get the (consumer electronics) experience [on these OC convergent devices]…That’s always my critique of media center. It’s still ultimately a Swiss Army knife, rather than a katana (a Japanese sword).”
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