So Windows Home Server has launched in the UK. You didn't know? Microsoft doesn't let major new products launch with a polite demonstration and a chat over coffee to 'give our thoughts'.
So what's going on? For Windows Vista, Bill Gates popped over to the British Library. OK, so that's Microsoft's once-every-five years major launch, but there was far more fuss around Windows XP Media Center Edition than there has been around Windows Home Server. And that's pretty odd considering it was one of the key points of old Bill's speech at CES in January.
It's almost as if Microsoft doesn't think it will be successful. At least not yet. The demand for home servers is just too small at the moment.
Whatever, Windows Home Server is a great product. It really is. But, for me, there is a major problem with it - the price. At £400 for the HP MediaSmart 500GB model it's extremely expensive and that needs to come down. Now, admittedly, it's a very complex device. The online access feature is excellent, while the direct-to-Xbox function, iTunes server and swapability of drives are all good reasons to get one.
But for most people, they simply won't look beyond the price tag - capacity ratio. Does this mean the technology is doomed? Well, no. It just means that mass adoption is surely a long way off.
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