Microsoft Considers Integrating Media Center Functionality Into Standard OS

MEDIA CENTER PC NEWS

January 18th 2005

Microsoft Considers Integrating Media Center Functionality Into Standard OS

UK visitors click here to buy

News is leaking out that Microsoft may be considering integrating media center functionality into the standard release of the next Windows operating system, codenamed Longhorn.

Currently XPMCE is sold as a separate product to XP Home and XP professional, but this new development would mean that a PC could be multifunction e.g. a laptop would be a media center when docked, but a tablet PC when undocked.

This would go some way towards placing Microsoft at the center of the digital home as users would be more likely to use functionality built into their existing OS, than switch to another, however similar.

However, seasoned Microsoft watcher, Paul Thurrott, predicts a different path. On his Supersite for Windows (link below) he suggests that Microsoft may be planning a bewildering array of different flavours for Longhorn - with only one (what he calls the 'uber' edition) containing media center functionality alongside that of tablet PCs.

Make you own mind up:

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/longhorn_preview_2005.asp

Add to your favourites

<- What's this?