We’ve been talking about Microsoft’s new mail service for what seems like forever now. It was to be faster, simple, and safe. It was also meant to be a service that is powerful enough to meet the demands of a wide variety of customers. It was meant to replace Hotmail. Branded as Windows Live Mail, and promoted as that, a fresh start was on its way. Now at the very last minute, Microsoft and the Live Team have decided to back out on that name and revert to Windows Live Hotmail.
Richard Sim, Senior Product Manager says:
As we prepare to launch the final version of our new web mail service, we recognize the importance of ensuring that our 260+ million existing customers come over to the new service smoothly and without confusion. By adopting the name “Windows Live Hotmailâ€, we believe we’re bringing together the best of both worlds – new and old. We’re able to offer the great new technology that Windows Live has to offer while also bringing the emotional connection many existing and loyal users have with Hotmail.
I’m sure there are plenty of happy Hotmailer’s out there, but for some, the word Hotmail doesn’t make them feel warm and fuzzy inside. Wouldn’t you think that with this fresh start and a product created from the ground up, that they’d want to start with a fresh name? Erase all the stigmas of Hotmail and try to bring back people who left a long time ago with a fresh new service?
They better hope that this name change works for them because as far as features go, they’re lacking in that department. I don’t think people are as “emotionally connected” to Hotmail as Microsoft seems to think. Their goal was to expand Hotmail to a variety of customers with different needs, and with the lack of features, they’ll be missing out on countless. At one point, Hotmail led the way with online mail, but after all these years, it’s about time for Hotmail to retire.
Source: Windows Live Blog
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they blocked hotmail and live mail in our school this week
I agree. Upgrade or die slowly. The only reason I use Hotmail? It was my old account and now I use it for Microsoft updates/certification and junk.
Their peanut butter is spread WAY to thin
If it’s a high school, I’m not surprised. Most do block mail and messenger services these days for obvious reasons.
My Hotmail account is my junk mail account as well. I used to use it back in the day until Gmail came around.
Am the other way i get 0 junk mail with windows live on average and use that for personal usage like talking to mates or family but only use Gmail for spam and site sign ups as get a minimum of 2-3 a day on gmail but looks like i never use gmail as my primary e-mail
A dog by any other name is still a dog.
It’s the product that counts here not the name. The fact is over 260 million people use the service and anything you can do to keep from confusing that many people is a good thing. Sure many people haven’t been exactly please with Hotmail but hopefully, for MS, that will change when Live Hotmail rolls out.
If my wife is any indication, most people will find the new service only marginally better than the original. In fact since some of the features have change many people will likely be confused.
I talked about this in my latest blog entry [ffextensiongurublog.info] To put is short and sweet I like Windows Live Mail, but hadn’t signed up prior and were asked to now with the new name I would be hesitant.
They tell you they built a new system from the ground up and you would be hesitant to try it. I just don’t understand that. Microsoft is asking you to try a email system that they have spent millions of dollars developing, have had tens-of-thousands of people testing, and it’s free and you are hesitant because they changed part of the name to Hotmail.
I just don’t get it.
I think that is true but that is also the problem Microsoft has run into with Windows (kinda). They need to just jump in and overhaul Windows to make it better from the ground up, but doing so will break a lot of compatibility options meaning people won’t be able to use their old software as easily. I think backwards compatibility is always important but not when it is hindering the Windows development as much as it is. I would like to see Microsoft just start from a clean slate and make something that is really awe inspiring.
The name is actually rather important and I can see where he is coming from. For example, if I had a really bad experience shopping at a store that we’ll say is Walmart, I’ll probably avoid shopping there if I don’t have to. Then if a new store opens up by the owners of Walmart and is called “My Store by Walmart” I would probably be unlikely to shop there simply because of the bad experience that I’ve had with Walmart in the past. If the store was just called “My Store” I might not have ever thought about who owned the store and might have enjoyed shopping there. That’s just a quick example that I made up, but it kinda shows that anyone who had a bad experience with Hotmail might not even try the new Windows Live Hotmail simply because they’ll initially think it is just a new skin, when in reality there is a lot of under-the-hood work as well. So the name is probably more important than you might think…at least it is to me.
How to change Windows Live Mail looks to old Hotmail?
I really don’t like Windows Live Hotmail, coz its takes long time to loading it in my country & the themes make me confused & it must open with IE 6 or Firefox (i’m operas user).
I just need my old Hotmail, I don’t need bla bla bla bla service.. juz e-mail..
Anybody can help me?
Please send a reply to abal_abal@hotmail.com if you don’t mind.
Unfortunately I don’t think there is anyway that you can go back. They probably canceled the old version so that they didn’t have to worry about security updates anymore.