Has Microsoft Updated Windows Media Player 11?

Microsoft released Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP on October 30, 2006. Yesterday, the Redmond Company's Download Center revamped the page allowing the download of Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP. The changes are by no means extensive. In fact, only one single aspect differs from the previous version of the product, namely the release date.

In the Quick Details list for WMP 11, Microsoft has changed the Date Published form October 30, 2006 to January 15, 2007. That's it. The Redmond Company has not disclosed any official details related to the republishing of Windows Media Player 11.

The download file is the same and the version that installs is also synonymous with the one released back in October. At a superficial look, there are no new features or capabilities introduced.

Is this an update to Windows Media Player 11? In this context, there are already speculations that the WMP 11 released yesterday contains updates that will render inoperable copies of the product that are running on non-genuine Windows XP operating systems.

Microsoft however revealed nothing related to this issue. The two versions of the Windows Media Player 11 are different. Independent reports have attested differences in the files of each respective release, but as yet, there is no clear indication of what exactly stands out from a comparison between the January and the October releases.

The Redmond Company has yet to deliver clarification on the re-publishing of Window Media Player 11, but we will keep you up to date as soon as additional details surface.