Summary: Microsoft says goodbye to Expression Media

MICROSOFT'S list of dead products is growing rapidly. Once in a while, rather than kill a product or a division Microsoft just sells it to someone else (for better or for worse). One large and recent example would be Razorfish

This week's news is that Microsoft Expression Media is no more. Microsoft lets it go. Coverage of this was quite extensive:

• Phase One buys Expression Media from Microsoft



• Microsoft Sells Expression Media to Phase One



• Microsoft Unloads Expression Media



• Phase One Acquires Microsoft’s Expression Media Software



• Microsoft sells Expression Media line to Phase One



• Microsoft Sells Expression Media to Camera Maker Phase One



• Microsoft sells off one of its Expression products



• Phase One acquires Expression Media from Microsoft



• Phase One acquires Microsoft's Expression Media software



• Microsoft sells off Expression Media



• Phase One Acquires Microsoft’s Expression Media Product



• Phase One acquires Microsoft's digital management platform

Here is Microsoft's press release which PR Fried was dressing it up a bit:

Microsoft said on Tuesday it has unloaded its Expression Media photo catalog product, selling it to medium-format digital camera maker Phase One.

[...]

Microsoft said the deal was arranged by Microsoft's IP Ventures unit, which licenses or sells technology that Microsoft decides is no longer strategic.

Microsoft is axing products at a high pace (decreasing the size of its portfolio). Attempts to make new products like Slate are failing for Microsoft [1, 2, 3] because Vista 7 is dropped (to be replaced by a Linux-based operating system). No wonder even Apple is worth more than Microsoft at this stage. Microsoft's forecast just isn't so encouraging, regardless of Microsoft's size. ⬆