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Microsoft Bookstore
Books is a new category in the Windows Store designed to make reading more accessible for everyone. Explore the library to discover new titles and revisit old favorites, right from your Windows 10 devices.
Here are the latest news about Microsoft Bookstore:
2019. Microsoft Bookstore for Windows 10 is now officially closed
Microsoft has closed its separate ebook store, Microsoft Bookstore, which allowed US customers to download both free and paid titles. Microsoft’s “official reason” is that this decision is part of a strategy to streamline the focus of the Microsoft Store. It appears the company no longer wishes to compete with Amazon, Apple Books and Google Play Books. One major reason for the failure of the Microsoft Store was the lack of distribution options for self-published authors and all the links that publishers used to stock the Microsoft Bookstore’s virtual shelves led to 404 errors. The fact that the bookstore was limited to US customers was a critical issue, as Amazon controls over 75% of all ebook sales, making it nearly impossible for Microsoft to compete unless they sold their books internationally.
2018. Microsoft Edge for iOS and Android now supports ebooks
Microsoft Edge browser for Android, iPad and iPhone can now read ebooks you have acquired from the Microsoft Bookstore. This application is regarded as being in preview mode, so it lacks most of the features of the main desktop version, such as TTS and Cortana. The only aspect the new Edge browser performs well is adjusting the size of the font and the font style. Unfortunately, elements like bookmarks, annotations and highlights are not supported at this time. There is also no way to purchase ebooks from the Microsoft Store; they can only be imported into Edge using your Hotmail account. Although the Edge browser is accessible for anyone to download, only users in the United States can browse their collections and read ebooks.
2019. Microsoft Bookstore for Windows 10 is now officially closed
Microsoft has closed its separate ebook store, Microsoft Bookstore, which allowed US customers to download both free and paid titles. Microsoft’s “official reason” is that this decision is part of a strategy to streamline the focus of the Microsoft Store. It appears the company no longer wishes to compete with Amazon, Apple Books and Google Play Books. One major reason for the failure of the Microsoft Store was the lack of distribution options for self-published authors and all the links that publishers used to stock the Microsoft Bookstore’s virtual shelves led to 404 errors. The fact that the bookstore was limited to US customers was a critical issue, as Amazon controls over 75% of all ebook sales, making it nearly impossible for Microsoft to compete unless they sold their books internationally.
2018. Microsoft Edge for iOS and Android now supports ebooks
Microsoft Edge browser for Android, iPad and iPhone can now read ebooks you have acquired from the Microsoft Bookstore. This application is regarded as being in preview mode, so it lacks most of the features of the main desktop version, such as TTS and Cortana. The only aspect the new Edge browser performs well is adjusting the size of the font and the font style. Unfortunately, elements like bookmarks, annotations and highlights are not supported at this time. There is also no way to purchase ebooks from the Microsoft Store; they can only be imported into Edge using your Hotmail account. Although the Edge browser is accessible for anyone to download, only users in the United States can browse their collections and read ebooks.
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