In an innocuous knowledgebase article that reads more like a footnote than an announcement, Microsoft has indicated that the Windows 8 and 8.1 Pro Pack and Media Pack are no longer available to buy as of October 30, 2015. As of this writing, that’s tomorrow. As best we can tell, this has received little to no media attention and wasn’t even noticed by bloggers following Media Center activity until just this week, suggesting the Microsoft didn’t post this notice until very recently.
So what does this all mean? It means that as of October 30, you won’t be able to purchase Media Center for a Windows 8 or 8.1 PC anymore from Microsoft. Their note indicates that you will still be able to activate previously purchased licenses, and that you may be able to still purchase them from third-party retailers. We’re not entirely sure what that means or how that would work.
This also means that if you purchased a Windows 8.x tablet or PC or a copy of Windows that was specifically the Home version, that you will no longer be able to upgrade that purchase through Microsoft to Windows 8.x Pro, which also adds BitLocker encryption, Remote Desktop, and corporate domain support.
Source: Microsoft Knowledgebase
