Η Microsoft announced today that it has completely closed the ebooks category at 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 access to these books as of July 2019. Microsoft will make a full refund to its customers for purchased ebooks, provided the original payment method is still valid. The customer whose original payment method is no longer valid, as well as customers who paid using gift cards or credits, will not receive any credit from the Microsoft Store.
Paid and free ebooks will be completely removed from July 2019. Customers can read their books and notes until July 2019. Customers who added notes to books will receive an additional $25 credit in account them, 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 class of books is not the first to remove Microsoft from the Store. The company previously cut off Groove Music and Music Pass 2017.
Stopping the sale of ebooks by Microsoft shows that online shopping can be convenient, but you may lose access to digital products at any time. Not just the small companies that put your markets at risk. If one of the most successful companies in the world can not support a whole purchase category, then any company could bang at any time a cannon.
For Microsoft, it is the second category of consumer products that closes 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 appears to be phasing out many consumer products, as the Windows Phone is another example of the change in its policy. What will things be like a year or two from now?
