Microsoft kills Windows Live brand

[Daedroth]

Microsoft is killing its Windows Live brand ahead of launching Windows 8, citing "customer confusion".

In a mercifully short Windows 8 blog Microsoft said it?s ripping the meaningless umbrella from a bunch of online services.

Windows Live covers Hotmail, SkyDrive, and Messenger and is the prefix to its Web 2.0 me-too properties Live Photo Gallery, Live Movie Maker, and Windows Live Mail.

Windows 8 is the catalyst for this change. In some self-justifying meeting somewhere deep inside Redmond it seems to have been decided calling something ?Windows Live? implied the internet was an imperfect bolt-on "experience".

From Microsoft marketing central we have this:

Windows 8 provides us with an opportunity to reimagine our approach to services and software and to design them to be a seamless part of the Windows experience' date=' accessible in Windows desktop apps, Windows Metro style apps, standard web browsers, and on mobile devices. Today the expectation is that a modern device comes with services as well as apps for communication and sharing. There is no ?separate brand? to think about or a separate service to install ? it is all included when you turn on your PC for the first time.[/quote']

There?s plenty o' talk about how Windows 8 will be ?cloud-powered".

Microsoft has promised it will share more on this hot-button marketing call in the coming weeks. Long term, expect Microsoft to do another 180? with as much confidence, self-justification and pomp as when it launched Windows Live back in 2005.

It?s classic Microsoft, fretting over how something is perceived internally and externally, rather than simply delivering something that works or is wanted.

The more meaningful outcome of this particular episode will be that Windows and Window Live group president Steven Sinofsky?s job title takes a haircut. ?

Source: http://www.theregist...dows_live_dead/

I think this will cause even more confusion!

[Nick H. Supervisor]

Thinking about it, I very rarely called it "Windows Live Mail" or "Windows Live Skydrive," I referred to them as Hotmail and Skydrive.

[c3ntury]

Cutting the bloat, can't complain I guess :p

[HawkMan]

Thinking about it, I very rarely called it "Windows Live Mail" or "Windows Live Skydrive," I referred to them as Hotmail and Skydrive.

Why would you refer to windows live mail as hotmail...

[tsupersonic]

This is 2 days old, and has already been posted on the front page...

[Vice]

I still just call it MSN. They rename their services so often I don't even know any more.

[Miuku.]

^ Heh, so do I Vice. I guess it's because my Hotmail has @msn.com at the end too :p

[+Warwagon MVC]

I honestly think "Windows Mail" was the best free Mail client Microsoft ever made. It was simple, people who used outlook express felt at home. It was VERY easy to transfer over the mail folder from one machine to the other and still have all of your settings intact and the UI was very clean. I never did like Windows Live Mail. It felt bloated and more complicated than it had to be.

[abecedarian paradoxious]

Makes sense to me since many of the "Windows Live" products have been, or are currently being, scaled out to be usable with non-Windows systems.

[BajiRav]

Why would you refer to windows live mail as hotmail...

blame it on microsoft...they went from Hotmail to Windows Live mail to Windows Live Hotmail to Hotmail

(I know you are referring to the desktop application but still...)

[Ryster]

blame it on microsoft...they went from Hotmail to Windows Live mail to Windows Live Hotmail to Hotmail

(I know you are referring to the desktop application but still...)

Hotmail has never been Windows Live Mail.

Windows Live Mail is name of Microsoft's mail client in the Windows Live package of products.

[George P Global Moderator]

This is fine, it's really just a name change and the Windows 8 version of the Windows Live apps will just be named Mail, Messenger etc etc. There should still be another update to the desktop side of the apps as well but they've left a few thins out, like Writer which they don't talk about at this point.

I also think that we'll see, at least on the desktop side, a merging of what's been the desktop version of messenger into Skype going forward, the two services can now share users contact lists iirc so it's the next logical step. This leaves MS to work on the metro version of messenger from now on. Also looks like Live Mesh is dead in favor of the new Skydrive app, which should get a few of the missing features that Mesh has imo, unless they want to keep it basic.

All in all it's been simplified the way I see it, no real complaints. They just need to update the metro side of the apps to bring them up to par with their desktop counterparts.

[HawkMan]

I honestly think "Windows Mail" was the best free Mail client Microsoft ever made. It was simple, people who used outlook express felt at home. It was VERY easy to transfer over the mail folder from one machine to the other and still have all of your settings intact and the UI was very clean. I never did like Windows Live Mail. It felt bloated and more complicated than it had to be.

huh... WLM was if anything easier than Windows mail, doesn't look like a turd with that horrible blue crap everywhere. and it's just as easy to transfer your mail. after all it's the same app. , just a newer version.

[tiagosilva29]

I'm fine with this.

[SiCKX]

What about XBOX LIVE ? :laugh:

[johnbrancela]

So does this definitely mean that Windows Live Mail will go back to being Hotmail so to speak? I remember when the Live stuff was out with Anti-Virus software and stuff. Too funny

John Brancela

[Elliot B.]

What about XBOX LIVE ? :laugh:

They're retiring the "Windows Live" branding, not the "Live" branding. So Xbox Live is safe.

[BajiRav]

Hotmail has never been Windows Live Mail.

Windows Live Mail is name of Microsoft's mail client in the Windows Live package of products.

It was, for a very short period. Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Mail Desktop.

[johnbrancela]

Woops that would make sense then. I just remember they always were playing around with live.com and hotmail.com as being one.

John Brancela

[j1232]

This is fine, it's really just a name change and the Windows 8 version of the Windows Live apps will just be named Mail, Messenger etc etc. There should still be another update to the desktop side of the apps as well but they've left a few thins out, like Writer which they don't talk about at this point.

I also think that we'll see, at least on the desktop side, a merging of what's been the desktop version of messenger into Skype going forward, the two services can now share users contact lists iirc so it's the next logical step. This leaves MS to work on the metro version of messenger from now on. Also looks like Live Mesh is dead in favor of the new Skydrive app, which should get a few of the missing features that Mesh has imo, unless they want to keep it basic.

All in all it's been simplified the way I see it, no real complaints. They just need to update the metro side of the apps to bring them up to par with their desktop counterparts.

Soooo right now I have both the Skydrive app and Microsoft Mesh installed, if you take a gander at how Mesh works it uses the skydrive "space" sooo will I be able to "MESH" or sync those files with the skydrive? Im confused about this whole thing. . .should I just use skydrive or should I continue to use Mesh? I dont think skydrive syncs the folders like mesh does.

[devHead]

I still just call it MSN. They rename their services so often I don't even know any more.

I don't know; MSN is the stupidest. Microsoft is one word, so Microsoft Network should be MN. But that's probably retarded because it's the same letters for the state of Minnesota. What's the S for? Micro Soft Network. That's wonky.

[Orange Battery]

MS waste so much money on these silly ideas. I think we all waved the pointless flag when MS came up with the Windows Live branding years ago.

[George P Global Moderator]

Soooo right now I have both the Skydrive app and Microsoft Mesh installed, if you take a gander at how Mesh works it uses the skydrive "space" sooo will I be able to "MESH" or sync those files with the skydrive? Im confused about this whole thing. . .should I just use skydrive or should I continue to use Mesh? I dont think skydrive syncs the folders like mesh does.

If you mean PC to PC folder sync then no the skydrive app doesn't. So if that's something you want/need then stick to mesh for now. The only downside is that Mesh, as it is now, is limited to it's own special 5GB of space online (if you don't use the online part of it though then that's not a issue). The Skydrive app lets you load your online Skydrive storage, 7GB if you just signed up or the old 25GB from the start for loyal users, as if it was a physical hard drive in your PC. It shows up in Windows Explorer etc, so, I used to use Mesh to sync a specific folder on my 2 work PCs and my netbook, but I can just make the folder on Skydrive and copy the stuff there then just connect to it that way with the skydrive app. Really the only difference is that instead of my PCs each having a copy of the files on their own hard drives the files are now all up online but to the user you can't really tell because you access skydrive like a folder/hdd through Windows Explorer now.

In the end it depends on what you're needs are really, but I think the Skydrive app, which is in beta right now, will probably get PC to PC folder sync at some point unless MS decides for some reason to keep Mesh around as a more "advanced" sync option. That though is something I doubt will happen, I think Mesh is dead as of right now and don't expect a newer version anymore.

[George P Global Moderator]

MS waste so much money on these silly ideas. I think we all waved the pointless flag when MS came up with the Windows Live branding years ago.

Sure it was more or less pointless but there was a need to brand the apps they had to more or less take out of Windows due to the DOJ/EU lawsuits. In the end those, or most of those apps are going to find their way back into Windows now it seems. I expect the metro version of mail, contacts, people etc will all come with Win8 when you install it out of the box. At least now it seems they've woken up to the fact that they don't need to stick the name "Windows" in front of their apps, it's fine when it's a OS but something like WLM should just be Messenger or Microsoft Messenger etc.

[j1232]

If you mean PC to PC folder sync then no the skydrive app doesn't. So if that's something you want/need then stick to mesh for now. The only downside is that Mesh, as it is now, is limited to it's own special 5GB of space online (if you don't use the online part of it though then that's not a issue).

you can upgrade the SkyDrive they use the same space . . . I have 25 free with mesh after I opted in for it . . Ill just keep both installed at the moment . . I like that add to skydrive has been added to the right click menu.