I think the point is that it never was and will be a viable mass market option. I think that is true for all pc based media centers. More appliance alternatives like the appletv in combination with cloudbased services to provide the content will be the future of living room entertainment...not htpc's. A htpc will always be the most flexible and fun for people that want to have total control. But for most it is just overkill. But I think the niche market for a htpc is large enough to sustain it for the foreseeable future.