Η Microsoft announced today that it has completely shut down the ebooks category in the Microsoft Store. Microsoft Store customers are unable to purchase new eBooks as of today, as the category is no longer included in the Store.
According to Microsoft's announcement, customers who have already purchased e-books from the Microsoft Store will lose it access on these books from July 2019. Microsoft will issue a full refund to its customers for the purchased ebooks, provided the original payment method is still valid. A customer whose original payment method is no longer valid, as well as customers who paid using gift cards or credits, will not receive any Microsoft Store credit.
Paid and free ebooks will be completely deducted from July 2019. Customers can read their books and notes until July 2019. Customers who add notes to books will receive an additional $ 25 credit in the account at Microsoft.
It is noteworthy that the announcement does not concern Greece, as Microsoft has given access to the ebooks category only in the USA, suggesting that the closure of the category concerns a limited number of users.
The books category is not the first that Microsoft has removed from the Store. THE company previously discontinued Groove Music and Music Pass in 2017.
Microsoft's discontinuation of ebooks shows that online shopping can be convenient, but you can lose access to digital products at any time. It's not just small companies that put your purchases at risk. If one of his most successful companies world can not support an entire category of purchases, then any company could bother cannon at any time.
For Microsoft, it's the second consumer product category to close in store. Customers who use the Store to buy digital games, apps, or other media may wonder if it's a good idea to shop there. And in general the company seems to be ditching a lot of consumer products, Windows Phone being another example changes in its politics. What will things be like a year or two from now?
