Oh boy; where to begin.

iView is a great, great catalogue tool. Full stop.

iView is a very, very poor image editing tool. Also, full stop.

iView Media (the pre-"Platinum.." home-user version) combined limitations with utilities and 'Pro had just enough to justify the extra price for aspirational amateurs.

eXtensis Portfolio has the extra bells and whistles but at a learning-curve many choose not to climb.

However a number of things have happened in recent years. Firstly digital cameras have got cheaper A LOT FASTER than digital camera software. Then Apple missed this point with Aperture1's pricing, burped, revised prices then burped again and integrates it's tool with iLife (note to Redmond; iPhot6 is almost a match for iView Media now).

Thirdly Adobe saw the writing on the wall (first pre-release beta; why?) and upped the 'Elements proposition to include 'Bridge/a decent catalogue tool; so yes, they get it too.

Another iViewM competitor in the sub-$40 market.

So where does MS/iView go; they dump iView Media (why, coz Adobe and iPhoto have caught up?) and join up with the over-priced, over-rated (in fact Version Tracker not-rated) guys at Capture One to concoct a not-propelling $500 proposition that does what exactly, that isn't available better, for less, elsewhere?

Aperture/iPhoto for Mac; 'Lightroom/'Elements for Windows users. Hell, I bet eXtensis can even come up with something more compelling.

No, my commentary is that, with 'Lightroom coming out of beta, Apple due to release Aperture2 in the early new year (what, and miss a chance to rain on Adobe's parade!) and eXtensis planning something (surely they are planning something; right?) there has never been a better time NOT to buy and never been a more compelling time NOT to buy iVMP.

It's a real shame, but not 100% un-expected.

So, if this is Microsoft's serious entry into the digital media arena I can't wait to see what the dream-up for digital music!