Remember Microsoft Reader? Now you can forget about it

By Geoff Duncan August 16, 2011

MIcrosoft Reader (rotate) — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Way back in the year 2000—before the iPhone, before Facebook, before MySpace, and before 9/11—Microsoft launched Microsoft Reader, a free desktop application designed to serve as a digital reading library for desktop PCs, which the company then extended to Windows Mobile and UMPCs (remember those?). However, Microsoft Reader has largely been neglected by the software giant for the last four years, and now the company has officially announced its cancellation: no new content for Microsoft Reader will be available after November 8, 2011, and the product will be discontinued on August 30, 2012.

Microsoft says customers will have indefinite access to all content they have in the application’s .lit format, but the company is not going to offer users a way to migrate to another ereading platform, and after August 2012 support for Reader and the .lit format in Windows and future Microsoft platforms will not receive official support.

Microsoft gave no reasons for discontinuing Microsoft Reader, but the trends seem clear enough: where Amazon has had considerable success in the ereading market with its Kindle, competition amongst ereader vendors like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony, and others is increasingly intense, and Apple has complicated matters with its iBookstore and in-app purchase policies that take 30 percent of every in-app sale. The bottom line is that Micosoft Reader never developed an ecosystem, but Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and others all have working ereading solutions that embrace Windows as well as ereader devices. There’s no doubt there will be ereading solutions for Microsoft platforms going forward—including Windows Phone and Windows 8—but it’s looking less likely that they’ll be from Microsoft.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Microsoft

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

Microsoft may fix the most frustrating thing about Windows updates

Windows 11 updates are moving to once a year.

Most Windows users will agree that one of the most annoying things about the operating system is the updates. While Windows Updates are necessary, they often tend to come up at the worst possible time, interrupting work and gaming sessions with persistent reminders that the system needs to reboot. Microsoft might be fixing that problem in the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 build, but it's still too early to bid farewell to those ill-timed reboots.

As spotted in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26058, Microsoft is testing "hot patching" for some Windows 11 updates. Hot patching refers to a dynamic method of updating that often doesn't change the software version and may not even need a restart. In the context of Windows 11, it's pretty straightforward -- Windows will install the update, and you won't have to reboot your system.

Computing

People are returning the Vision Pro. Here are the best alternatives you can buy now

The Immersed Visor appears on the left and Apple Vision Pro on the right.

The Vision Pro is impressive, but it's not for everyone. That's why some people are already returning their orders just two weeks after the $3,500 product first launched. Fortunately, if that's you, or if you like the concept of Apple's Vision Pro, but aren't convinced it's a match for your needs, there are several alternatives to consider. Similar options start at $500 and climb to $3,900.

Some of the best VR headsets available now offer many of the same capabilities, but require a VR-ready Windows gaming PC. Others fall short of the Vision Pro's specifications, but are still great choices at a much lower price. Either way, it's a great time to review what Vision Pro alternatives you can buy right now and what's coming in the near future.
Meta Quest Pro

Computing

The best gaming chairs you can buy right now

logitech herman miller gaming chair

Gaming in an uncomfortable place that promotes bad posture is a recipe for all kinds of physical ailments and aches. This is where gaming chairs come in. Most gaming chairs are built with adaptability in mind, meaning that good ones can provide great ergonomics and comfort, helping to keep you upright and supported regardless of your height or body shape whether you're gaming or working from home.

They don't all have to be overly expensive, either, thanks to all the great gaming chairs deals out there. We’ve put together a list of some of the best gaming chairs you can get today, all with ergonomic designs, top-notch support, adjustable features, and the most important trait of them all — a comfortable spot for your bum.