It didn’t seem all to long ago that the Windows Live brand arrived to replace the tried but true MSN brand (which originally stood for Microsoft Network back in the old days when it was an ISP). Time does fly when we now realise that the Windows Live brand was introduced about seven years ago.
Has it been successful? I’d say probably not to a large degree. MSN probably had a lot more mainstream identification from the earlier days of people getting online and it was something that people had become to recognise as a prominent brand. However, as to how Microsoft took advantage of that recognition is an entirely different matter.
So, what now of Windows Live?
With the approach of Windows 8 it seems that Microsoft is keen to ditch things that shard the Windows brand and do nothing to enhance user experience and the continuity of that experience according to a recent blog regarding Windows 8. This will see the names of applications simplified from things like “Windows Live Movie Maker” to just “Movie Maker”as an example. Changing the name won’t change the services as they currently exist but in a symbolic sense it does release the shackles of the past as the emphasis moves from full on desktop client software to lighter weight “apps” with cloud connectivity.
We will see some casualties though with Windows Live Mail disappearing and being replaced with the Metro-style Mail, Calendar and People apps in Windows 8 while Windows Live Messenger will also be replaced in similar fashion.
I guess for the many users of Windows Live services and applications out there it will simply be a matter of time until we see what sort of impacts will be experienced but hopefully it won’t be detrimental – sometimes it can be hard to tell with Microsoft.
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