Andre Yoskowitz
7 Jul 2013 14:02
In 1997, Microsoft purchased a technology called WebTV, long before the boom of smart TV features and set-top boxes that we see now in even basic hardware.
For their $425 million, Microsoft never made a success of the tech, and they have now decided to cease operations as of September of this year.
One analyst, at the time, said WebTV "may be the product that could turn the World Wide Web into a mass-entertainment medium." It did not, and companies like Google and Apple have been trying to do the same in the last few years.
The WebTV kit consisted of the set-top, a keyboard and a remote and allowed users to surf the Web and check emails, but not too much else.
It was eventually broken up and converted into MSN TV, with most of the team sent over to work on Microsoft's MediaRoom or Xbox Live services.