Microsoft Closing Down MSN Encarta
March 31, 2009 by Sanjay · Leave a Comment
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft Corporation has announced it is closing the MSN Encarta subscription service worldwide.
MSN Encarta, launched in 1993 in direct competition to the traditional reference services such as Encyclopedia Britannica, can no longer be launched from October 31, 2009. The service will continue in Japan till December 31, 2009. The Student and Premium versions of the Encarta service will stop selling by June 2009. User accounts will be automatically disabled after this date. Technical support for Student and Premium versions will continue for a period of three years through http://support.microsoft.com.
Customers who have paid for the MSN Encarta Premium for monthly / yearly subscriptions for any timeframe extending beyond April 30, 2009, will be refunded on their credit card on a prorate basis. The refund will happen on April 39, 2009.
This decision to close down Encarta is a result of the changes taking place in the digital world – and its consequent impact on the ways in which people search for, access, and consume knowledge. With cheaper ways to access knowledge becoming available, Encarta has clearly outlived its purpose. Microsoft intends to reutilize the assets that have gone into developing Encarta elsewhere.
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