Migration of 60 Million users to Outlook.com Complete, Offers Clear Competition to Google
It’s been about six months since Microsoft released Outlook.com, which is meant to replace its outdated Hotmail service, and with almost 60 million users that have switched over, the company is on the verge of launching the biggest marketing campaign ever for its new webmail service.
In an effort to get people to try something new, Microsoft, which lost out to Gmail nine years ago, adds perspective to the way technology has changed recently, in saying, “Things are different today than they were in 2004. We use new communication services, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and we have a much greater appreciation for well-designed and well-connected systems.”
Bearing stark similarity to what Microsoft is doing with the transition from Windows Live Messenger to Skype, making the switch from Hotmail to Outlook is currently optional but will become mandatory by the summer.
Since getting people to switch email services is difficult and a “slow-moving category”, Outlook now gives users the option to switch from Gmail as well, thanks to the latter running into more and more complications.
What is apparent is that with the modern interface and features that Microsoft has to offer with Outlook, its plans to compete with Google in a space that it controlled only a decade ago, are clearly evident. In not shying away from comparisons with Gmail, the company is very clear about the fact that they are offering an excellent webmail service that is on par with the former.
What is also clear is that the new Outlook.com interface is an excellent upgrade from Hotmail, and despite the possibility of users being reluctant to switch to this new-and-improved service, it could well worth a shot.