Microsoft Bookstore shuts down completely in July 2019
Microsoft officially confirmed it’s closing its e-book service. Starting July, those users who have already purchased e-books will no longer be able to read them on their Edge browser.
Microsoft decided to offer refunds to all those users who have already purchased e-books on the platform.
Furthermore, the company is also compensating the users whose original payment method is not valid anymore or used gift cards.
If you are one of them, Microsoft will add that credit back to your account. You will be able to use that credit online at the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft has no plans to compete in the ebook domain
One of the major reasons behind this decision is that Microsoft is redesigning Edge based on Chromium. Most importantly, only few people are using the service nowadays.
Therefore, the company decided to close its book ecosystem. The move has made it clear that Microsoft has no plans to compete with Google Play Books, Apple Books and Amazon. Microsoft has not really been successful in its efforts to keep its e-book store running.
What does it mean for users?
Most of the users might not be surprised by this decision. Last year, the tech giant has killed its Groove music service.
However, the closure of this popular e-book service is definitely going to be disappointing for the reader community.
Windows users are still wondering if the tech giant is going to kill the Movies & TV app as well. If Microsoft makes any such decision, it would be extremely disappointing for Windows 10 users.
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