14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has quietly killed Portable Media Center as of 2006. According to the Redmond Company, Portable Media Player was sacrificed to the development of Windows Mobile. And as of 2006, Microsoft has put the last nails into its efforts of delivering the Windows Media Center experience to handheld devices. Microsoft's plans to offer a portable version of the Windows XP Media Center succumbed, due to a number of factors. Consumers failed to find the idea appealing, and Microsoft did not succeed in providing a combination of attractive design and functionality.
"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. Thank you for all your support- Microsoft is proud of its work, the work of its partners and the devices and services delivered as a result of those relationships. We will continue to work with existing Portable Media Centers licensees to ensure that devices they are developing come to market," reads a fragment of an official Microsoft announcement that was released to the company's PMC partners.
The last version of Portable Media Center was made available at the beginning of 2006. And as Microsoft has moved on to Zune and to the next stages of the Windows Mobile, PMC 2.0 will be the last of its kind. Some users will undoubtedly welcome the death of what is simply a poor replica of the Windows Media Center experience.
"In early 2006, Microsoft released the second version of Windows Mobile for Portable Media Centers to our partners. The second version of the Portable Media Center software enhanced the end user experience and enabled partners to build smaller, less expensive and more competitive devices. As part of the ongoing review of our product investments, 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," Microsoft added.