The Portable Media Center was a device that was first introduced by Microsoft in 2003 and released by a number of different hardware manufacturers in 2004. This device was intended as a competitor to the popular Apple iPod and was a single format meant to connect multiple computer systems and devices for audio and video playback. While Microsoft™ introduced the basic concept, designed the core software for such devices, and required basic hardware minimums for manufacturers, the actual devices were made by other companies. The Portable Media Center devices were ultimately eliminated in favor of a second approach at portable media players: the Microsoft Zune.
Created to work with computers running Microsoft Windows, the Portable Media Center was a basic media playback format devised by Microsoft as a way to compete with the success of the iPod. The Portable Media Center was intended to allow a user to transfer various types of media, typically audio and video files, from a computer or similar system onto the device and then playback the media. It was first unveiled in 2003, and the first models were released in 2004; though the product initially was somewhat successful, it was ultimately abandoned in favor of a different approach to portable media players by Microsoft.
The Portable Media Center ran on software developed by Microsoft that allowed the device to connect to computers and similar devices. It was intended as part of a larger system of devices that could be utilized throughout a person’s house, creating a single network that would make the house into a digital, interactive environment. The entire system was never fully developed or released commercially, and ultimately Microsoft™ chose to abandon the attempt at full household integration at that time. One of the major flaws of the Portable Media Center was that most devices utilizing the format could neither stream media nor connect wirelessly to computers and other systems.
These devices were also never able to successfully surpass the public perceptions of the iPod and create a unique or noteworthy brand for themselves. After only a few years, the format was abandoned by Microsoft in 2007, and the Portable Media Center was replaced by a second attempt to capture some of the portable media player market: the Zune. This device was typically somewhat smaller in nature and designed to capture more of the aesthetic and functional appeal of the iPod. The Zune was also intended as more of a standalone device, and though it could connect to other Microsoft systems, it was not designed to be part of a larger integration in the way that Portable Media Center devices were.
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