Even giants like Microsoft have given up many popular products. Who ended them?
: Microsoft is definitely on the list when it comes to technology companies that change the world.
As a long-lived technology company, Microsoft has been developing for nearly half a century since its establishment in 1975 to 47 years later. Its products have long included the food, clothing, housing, transportation and entertainment for billions of people around the world.
However, even such a well-known company will have many products that are submerged in the long river of history as time goes by. Many of them are not eliminated without anyone to use, and are often abandoned by Microsoft because the times change too quickly.
Recently, some foreign netizens summarized the products that have been abandoned by Microsoft in recent years (https://killedbyMICROSOFT.info/). Geek Choice selected some of the most familiar domestic users to share with you. Everyone is also welcome to leave a message to share the Microsoft products you feel most regrettable.
MSN Messenger
from the network screenshot
Product highlights: secure network services, support for text chat, voice conversation, video conferencing and other instant communication methods.
failure reason: software updates cannot meet user needs, Tencent , Alibaba and other in-depth localized customization in China. The full name of
MSN is MICROSOFT SERVICE NETWORK Microsoft Network Service, which was born in July 1999, actually later than QQ. The latter is a service launched in February. The two are often used as comparison, but in fact they have very clear different positionings.
Although QQ has a relatively large base of ordinary users, MSN has higher software security because it is backed by Microsoft and provides many security functions such as parental control, co-browsing of the web, spam protectors, etc., so it was favored by business people since its initial launch. By 2009, 330 million active users around the world used MSN Messenger.
However, because it is backed by Microsoft, MSN cannot iterate quickly on software updates. In terms of feature richness, gradually lagging behind the times, such as offline information functions, the China R&D Center put forward demands in 2005, but the US headquarters approved the development in 2008. For example, the file transfer function was originally a necessity for business users, but the MSN transmission speed was surprisingly slow. Because foreign-funded enterprises could not establish data centers in China at that time, all file transfers needed to be transferred through local telecommunications. Therefore, the transmission efficiency in China was inefficient and the user experience was extremely poor, which led to users gradually turning to other platforms.
In 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for US$8.5 billion, which is regarded as an important step in Microsoft's instant messaging field. Two years later, Microsoft announced the closure of Messenger service around the world. Correspondingly, all MSN Messenger users will automatically become Skype users, and the first generation of MSN Messenger will die.
Windows Mobile
from Wikipedia
Product highlights: I tried mobile phone operating systems earlier, built-in productivity tools such as IE, Office, MSN.
failure reason: version split, complicated operation, and backward interaction method.
In 2000, Microsoft officially launched the Windows Mobile mobile operating system. At that time, it was still 7 years before the birth of the iPhone. As a mobile operating system backed by Microsoft, Window Mobile has an operating interface similar to Windows computer systems, but in an era when mobile phone screens are generally only about 1.5 inches and only support resistive screen touch, users usually need an stylus to easily click various icons to operate.
In order to get support from more manufacturers, Microsoft has released four different versions of Windows Mobile for mobile phones of different sizes. HP , Dell , HTC and other veteran manufacturers have launched mobile phones that support this system.With the version iteration, Microsoft will add more new features every time the system updates a large version, but the old phone cannot be upgraded to the latest system version.
was not yet born in iOS and Android systems. Windows Mobile is undoubtedly extremely competitive. Microsoft not only built .net framework 2.0 in the system in 2005 and added Office, but later built Windows Vista's interface and operation elements, as well as its own MSN, IE and other software, which makes the phone like a small computer.
However, with the birth of iPhone in 2007, Jobs proved with facts that the operating system on the mobile phone cannot copy the computer. Whether it is the interaction method or the usage scenario, the mobile phone has its own special features. It should be a product of the integration of software and hardware, and should have convenient and smooth human-computer interaction methods. Microsoft also stopped technical support for the Window Mobile system in 2010, and the final version stayed on Window Mobile 6.5.
Windows Phone
from Microsoft official website
Product highlights: Flat Metro UI leads the era, with high system enclosed and secure.
failure reason: the software ecosystem is not competitive enough, the system update and upgrade speed is slow, and Microsoft official strategically gave up. After the failure of
Window Mobile, Microsoft's ambition in the mobile field did not stop. In 2010, the Windows Phone 7.0 system using the Windows CE kernel was officially launched. The new system is not compatible with Window Mobile software and does not support upgrading from Windows Mobile. Microsoft cut off the past and completely developed a new Windows Phone system from the inside out.
is different from the skewed UI design commonly used by iOS and Android at that time. Windows Phone adopts a flat design language, which is officially called Metro UI. Although this interface language with large color blocks and minimalist style is ahead of the times, it was controversial at the time. Some people think it is too radical and reduces the convenience of use. Once the
Window Phone system was released, it was supported by mobile phone giants including Nokia , Samsung , HTC, etc. The Window Phone operating system mobile phones launched by these manufacturers cover the price from one thousand yuan to four or five thousand yuan. Whether in terms of operation fluency or human-computer interaction methods, Windows Phone is very smooth and natural, so it quickly became popular.
However, when the Window Phone 8 system was released in 2012, Microsoft abandoned the WinCE kernel and used the same NT kernel as Windows 8. Previously, all Window Phone 7 system phones did not support upgrading the new system, which caused many old users to be dissatisfied. In subsequent version updates and upgrades, Microsoft's speed is significantly behind iOS and Android. On the other hand, Android, which has an open system, has received in-depth local customization from domestic mobile phone manufacturers, which is more in line with the usage habits of domestic users, and brings more high-end and low-priced phones to users. In the end, the Windows Phone operating system has lost its advantage in both price and system.
With Satya Nadella taking over Steve Ballmer as the CEO of Microsoft, Microsoft's strategic center has changed to "mobile first, cloud first". In 2015, Microsoft proposed that Windows 10 will be a cross-platform system, whether it is mobile, tablet, notebook, two-in-one device, or PC, Windows 10 will take all of it. This means that the Windows Phone brand released in 2010 has officially ended.
Zune
from Microsoft official website
Product highlights: exquisite products, unique software, and powerful hardware.
failure reason: backward music ecology, software bugs, the era of smartphones is coming.
In November 2006, Microsoft officially launched the music player and music online service Zune. This product was highly anticipated by Microsoft at that time and was considered by the outside world as a "iPod killer."The product adopts a tough minimalist design in terms of appearance, and its musical expression is also higher than that of the iPod Classic at the same price. However, such a hardware lost to Apple at the software level. Because the Apple iTunes music store has a large amount of music content, coupled with the product's first-mover advantage and multi-price selection, Zune has not been strongly competitive since its launch.
On the other hand, compared with the iPod player born in 2000, Zune released in 2006 has entered the era of smartphones with half of her foot. After the iPhone was officially released and the wave of smartphones was launched in 2007, music online services were inseparable from smartphones. The MP3 player was naturally sealed by history, and even iPod was not spared.
It is worth mentioning that Jobs later summarized the reasons why Microsoft Zune was doomed to fail, which is still worthy of warning to all technology companies: "As I grow older, I understand the importance of "motivation". Zune is a failure because the people at Microsoft do not love music and art as much as we do. We won because we love music from the bottom of our hearts. We do iPods for ourselves. ”
Kinectt
from the network
At the E3 game exhibition in 2010, Microsoft officially launched Kinect. This $149 device looks like a network camera, but it actually contains a 3D structured light depth sensing system lens, has focus-chasing technology, and a built-in microphone, which can be used to recognize voice commands. Its appearance adds new ways of interacting to the game.
With it, players do not need to hold a gamepad by hand, and can operate the system interfaces of Xbox 360 and Xbox One using voice commands or gestures. With the launch of some fitness games, this device allows players to play games through physical movements rather than controllers, which makes people shine. Therefore, in the first 60 days, Kinect sold 8 million sets, making it the fastest-selling consumer electronics product on the Guinness World Record at that time.
But after the freshness, Kinect cannot retain players because there are no more creative games in the future. The classic game of gun car balls that are mainly featured on Xbox is also operated by the controller. This has led to a vicious cycle of lack of games and a decline in sales. In addition, Kinect can accurately identify the player's body only in a space of at least 2m×2m (without any furniture obscuring), which also hinders some players' purchases.
With the new Xbox One S and Xbox One X, the Kinectt connection port can be imagined. In 2017, Microsoft announced that Kinect was discontinued. Kinect has shipped about 35 million units by the time of its shutdown. Later, Kinect's related technologies were integrated into Microsoft's HoloLens AR glasses and Windows Hello facial recognition system. It can be said that Kinect has had a brilliant "first half of his life". Even if it fails, its technology is still continuing in other Microsoft's products and services.
Editor in charge: SeaGreen
Author of this article: Who is the great hero
This article was first published in Geek Choice. Please contact Geek Jun (ID: geekchoiecs) for reprinting.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-