Microsoft announced today that it has completely closed 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 A customer whose original payment method is no longer valid, as well as customers who paid using gift cards or credits, will not receive any Microsoft Store credit.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 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.
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 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?