ZDNet is reporting that Microsoft is planning a home server product code-named “Quattro”. Microsoft has actually had a vision for a home server product for many years–I saw one demonstrated during a tour of the “Microsoft Home of the Future“. It’s got a lot of potential to act as a central media server for recording TV shows and distribution audio and video throughout the house, as well as managing home automation, home security, and family communications. Microsoft Media Center has been a step in that direction, but so far, all we’ve learned is that most consumers aren’t ready to buy a dedicated computer that simply acts as a server.
My bet is that Quattro becomes an optional feature of Windows Vista or a later version of Microsoft’s consumer operating system.

The article also discusses the possibility of Microsoft announcing LiveDrive, an Internet storage service that you could use for sharing and backing up data. Not an original idea, but Microsoft has a close connection with the consumer that could quickly put them on the top of the market.

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