MSN "strong demolition" Microsoft Internet Defense line again rout

June

Microsoft November 7 confirmed that the first quarter of 2013, MSN will be "strong demolition", stop service. Skype and Messenger users will be integrated into the unified Microsoft account. Because of its particularity, the Chinese market will keep the MSN business independently.

Once the news, a negative mood spread among users, Microsoft has stopped the blog tool space Services, and has moved Hotmail mailbox service to Outlook, now used for up to more than 10 years of MSN will also change. Some MSN friends began to sad farewell on MSN, and leave each other QQ number, for the "relocation" to prepare.

Microsoft's Internet strategy has been swinging in the middle of a temptation, what does this change mean?

A failed Internet product

Since Microsoft's 8.5 billion dollar takeover of Skype in May 2011, the industry has speculated that Microsoft will merge the two businesses. "This day will come sooner or later." Because MSN has not adapted to the times. "Sadie Consultant analyst Jia to the China Business newspaper (blog, Weibo)," said the reporter.

In recent years, users and the industry's pessimism about MSN is getting heavier. In the past more than 10 years, the internet has been a new concept, the new mode of refreshing, and MSN after several revisions and renaming, but still more and more keep pace with the times. Especially in recent years, with the popularity of social networks, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have attracted a large number of users. At the highest level, has 300 million active users, accounting for the world's absolute leading position MSN scenery no longer, today only "more than 100 million" active users.

MSN is the vanguard of Microsoft's Internet strategy, its sway is the true portrayal of Microsoft's Internet strategy.

1995 MSN Online Service officially launched. 1999 officially launched the Instant Messaging tool Messenger, then MSN quickly popularized and become the leading role of the instant messaging market. In 2006, Microsoft wanted to integrate its Internet products, replacing Bill Gates as Microsoft's Chief Software Architect, Rey Ozli "next-generation Web services platform," live. At the outset, Rey Oze's succession was seen as a sign that Microsoft was beginning to complete the Internet. The MSN Chat tool was renamed "Windowslivemessenger".

In 2011, when social networking was popular, Microsoft upgraded its MSN and revised it dramatically, trying to increase social functionality. "Buddy dynamic" This kind of application similar to microblogging occupies the main part of the MSN interface, while the buddy list is located in a difficult location on the right, making many users feel inconvenience and unfamiliar. The revision did not help Microsoft win more users, but let the user at a loss.

Microsoft users may not forget that Microsoft's mailbox system has undergone many changes, from the initial Hotmail to the later Msnhotmail, to the later windowslivemail. This August, it was transformed into Outlook.

Admittedly, Microsoft has been in the Internet field to adjust and catch up, Microsoft's engineers are strong, Microsoft's technology is also very advanced, but Microsoft does not understand the Internet.

The success of many years in operating system windows and Office software has enabled Microsoft to develop an inertial mindset that drives the needs of users in accordance with their own understanding of trends, rather than designing products from the perspective of how to meet user needs. While Microsoft is trying to change, the genetic changes are not easy and require a long process.

And, for many years, companies that do products do not seem to understand how Internet services can be done. Speaking of the failure of MSN, Microsoft China's former president Tang June [Weibo] told reporters: "Microsoft is not a service-oriented company." The internet is a service, not a technology. "After leaving Microsoft, Tang June went through some internet companies, which made him more aware of why Microsoft is hovering on the internet," he said.

Can Skype pry new wealth

The Rey Oze, with high hopes, did not bring Microsoft's Internet business out of the swamp. Microsoft's online business was only marginally profitable in fiscal year 2005 and 2006, with losses in previous and subsequent earnings. For example, in the 2007 fiscal year, the Online Services department revenue of 2.43 billion U.S. dollars, operating loss of 732 million U.S. dollars, 2008, Online services revenue of 2.2 billion U.S. dollars, operating loss of 578 million U.S. dollars, 2009 fiscal year, online services revenue 2.12 billion U.S. dollars, operating loss of 1.65 billion U.S. dollars ... Microsoft's Online Services department sales rose 9% to 697 million dollars, but the business still lost $364 million trillion, according to the latest Microsoft news release of the first quarter of fiscal year 2013 ending September 30, 2012.

Rey Oze left Microsoft at the end of 2010. At this point, Microsoft seems to have realized that blindly chasing will only pull a big gap, based on the era of cloud computing to its own "cloud + End" of the new positioning, has been focused on farther across the platform and mobile Internet, Microsoft would like to achieve through the WIN8 on the N-screen integration. Skype has the opportunity to play an important role.

Skype is the network real-time voice communication tool, with MSN Instant chat function, it can also provide high-quality voice function, can also call domestic and international telephone, no matter fixed telephone, mobile phone can be directly dialed, and can realize telephone transfer, send SMS and other functions.

"The sound function has been shown to have a bigger market in the future." "The Internet veteran, Uncle Bing, believes that MSN is a failed product, but Skype will have more opportunities."

"Skype is better than MSN for Cross-platform and easier access to the mobile internet market," he said. "Jia that MSN does not attract mobile terminal users, and Skype can do a better job." In her view, Skype will not give Microsoft a profit space in the short term, but a tool for Microsoft's transformation at this stage.

MSN has not been able to translate more benefits into Microsoft at its most glorious time. Because MSN in Microsoft's large plate is just a new business, edge business, other businesses can not be based on MSN to extend and plan. But Tencent can in a QQ chat tool on the basis of a huge Internet empire, it is because QQ is his core business, while other businesses rely on QQ extension. This is the power of product integration.

The industry admits Skype is a very reliable product, but if not with other products, in addition to bring a large amount of users, in the transition of Microsoft will not bring greater value, and Microsoft can not bring substantial benefits.

Some have seen Microsoft's move as a defensive strategy to meet new challenges. But in Microsoft's own strategic plan, it seems to think of this as an offensive strategy, bypassing the PC Internet, directly to complete cross-platform applications. Microsoft insiders told reporters that Skype has been integrated into Microsoft's many products, including Xbox360, windowsphone[Weibo, office and the latest WINDOWS8 operating system to access the PC screen, cell phone screen, TV screen, Become a multiple-screen interactive one through the line.

Whether Skype can help Microsoft pry new wealth, the industry's voice is not too rosy. Skype's future strategy for MSN is unclear. Perhaps Microsoft chose to merge at a point in time after the release of Win8, which is to borrow Win8 to extend Skype to all platforms and to form a consolidation advantage.

(June)