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Title: Microsoft to retire Windows Live Messenger in favor of Skype Post by: Neon_Knight on November 05, 2012, 09:14:37 PM Microsoft is working towards retiring its Windows Live Messenger client in favor of Skype. The Verge has learned through several sources that Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger service will be retired in the coming months and integrated into Skype. Microsoft has slowly been moving people over to the Messenger backend (http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/22/3529600/skype-for-windows-8-screenshots-release-date-october-26th) for Skype over the past few months, with around 80 percent of all IMs sent on Skype being handled by Messenger.
The company will announce the retirement of Windows Live Messenger soon, possibly as early as this week according to sources. The move follows efforts by Skype to link Microsoft accounts to Skype login names ahead of its global retirement plan for Windows Live Messenger. Users of Skype 6.0 for Mac and Windows (http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/24/3547644/skype-6-0-mac-windows-release#) are now greeted with options to log in using a Microsoft or Facebook account. The Verge reached out to Microsoft for comment on the retirement, we'll update you accordingly. News link (http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/5/3603014/windows-live-messenger-retirement-skype) Title: Re: Microsoft to retire Windows Live Messenger in favor of Skype Post by: fromhell on November 05, 2012, 09:19:37 PM Looks like Steam's going to be my only IM client now.
Title: Re: Microsoft to retire Windows Live Messenger in favor of Skype Post by: Neon_Knight on January 09, 2013, 09:57:46 AM Quote While we knew Microsoft Messenger was due to retire (http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/06/microsoft-to-retire-messenger-begin-migration-to-skype/) sometime in the first quarter of this year, we now have a confirmed date. According to The Next Web, Redmond has informed users via email that they have until March 15th to use the IM (http://www.engadget.com/tag/InstantMessaging/) platform, after which they will need to hop on to Skype (http://www.engadget.com/tag/skype/) to chat with their Messenger pals. Your buddy list will automatically be migrated to the VoIP (http://www.engadget.com/tag/voip/)-focused offering. Desktop users of the outgoing service (globally except mainland China, where it will live on) should receive a banner notification to install Skype and, as it turns out, clicking on said banner will also uninstall Messenger. Road warriors are also taken care of, with Microsoft account support already baked into iOS (http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/28/skype-ios-update-microsoft-account-support/), Android (http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/20/skype-version-3-0-arrives-on-android-devices/) and Windows Phone 8 (http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/12/skype-for-windows-phone-8-official-preview-available-now-video/) versions of the Skype app. Nostalgia notwithstanding, fans of the long-standing MSN (http://www.engadget.com/tag/msn/) descendent can at least take solace in the broader set of features Skype offers. http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/09/microsoft-retiring-messenger-march15/ |