Originally published December 1 2005
Microsoft may replace MSN with Windows Live
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In an effort to catch up to the likes of Google and Yahoo, Microsoft will introduce "Live Software" as a service strategy. Live will let users build a "personalized Web portal" including email, instant messaging, enhanced search technology and more.
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates touted Microsoft's new Live Software strategy as a "revolution" in how the industry views software.
But Microsoft's plan to provide a series of Web-based services branded with the names of popular Microsoft products is more an evolution of Microsoft's software as a service strategy--and an effort to catch up to current industry trends--than a move that will redefine the entire industry, analysts said.
First, the company proved it understands the need to clarify its long-neglected software-as-a-service-strategy as many companies, including rival Google, are backing the trend in an attempt to rival Microsoft's dominance in desktop applications.
With its Windows Live and Office Live offerings, the company is giving its customers a taste of what is to come when it brings all of its software online sometime in the future, even if that plan is 15 years away, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the research firm Enderle Group in San Jose.
One thing Microsoft has over its competitors, however, is that Windows Live lets users add local content and Web services from their PCs to their personal start page, which provides more flexibility and value, said Van Baker, a research vice president at Gartner.
Microsoft executives said that while MSN will continue to exist as a portal, current users of Hotmail and MSN e-mail services will eventually be required to transition to the e-mail service offered by Windows Live, now available in beta.
In addition to taking on Google with Web-based services, Microsoft also plans to try to beat the search company at its own game by winning more online advertising dollars through Windows Live and Office Live, and by adding its AdCenter advertising sales engine to a host of its products.
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