The company that created the Windows operating systems and the Office office suite is also known for a range of services and products. have an uneven history.
Some were luckier than others, and various circumstances eventually caused a few to fall into the Microsoft graveyard, which serves as a small tribute to Redmond products and services that are no longer available. Here are some key points to say goodbye to.
Windows Phone (2010-2019)
For a while it seemed windows phoneMicrosoft’s mobile operating system may have taken a chance. Its unique interface with these animated tiles has breathed new life into the offerings of iOS and Android, and indeed the release of Windows 10 and Universal Windows Apps (UWA) promised great things in this space.
Unfortunately expectations were never met. Along the way, there was an erratic terminal strategy, also jeopardized by the controversial acquisition of Nokia and a software catalog that always had major shortcomings. Finally, Microsoft threw in the towel. What a shame.
Windows Movie Maker (2000-2017)
If someone wants to quickly and easily create a short video on Windows, had a great tool. It was called Windows Movie Maker, and it’s been with us for almost two decades. Then he suddenly disappeared.
No one knows why Microsoft removed it from Windows 10, but this is probably one of the biggest complaints about this operating system and its successor, which has been offering alternatives for a while. Movie Maker is still available for download for unofficial use and We don’t understand how something that was fully fulfilled and working perfectly disappeared like that. for example, instead of adapting to new times.
MSN Messenger (1999-2013)
Microsoft’s instant messaging app – later renamed Windows Live Messenger – was once absolute king of such services. ICQ, AIM or Yahoo! It competed with other giants of the time such as the ‘MSN generation’ for a while due to the number of young people using it.
The problem for MSN is that it has to compete with the rise of social networks in general and Facebook in particular. It was good to be on Facebook, not Messenger anymore. As users switched to this service and recaptured the MSN opportunity, it was WhatsApp that became the norm for millions of users.
Microsoft Kinect (2010-2017)
The Microsoft Kinect was the peripheral that could change everything (somewhat). Inspired by the Nintendo Wii, this device allowed the Xbox 360 to outlive the other style of play, and for a while it was thought that full-body gaming had a great future.
I didn’t have it Microsoft made the fatal mistake of forcing Kinects to be purchased alongside the new Xbox Ones when these consoles were released. The peripheral didn’t do much for many, and industry and user support waned until Kinect faded into the background and disappeared with the launch of the Xbox Series X.
Windows Media Center (2002-2015)
There’s a whole underground world around Kodi these days, having a multimedia hub is this great app that anyone can access. Microsoft had an implementation like this: it was called windows media center.
The tool allowed to manage all types of content and made sense of an entire generation of “living room computers” they’ve lost their meaning over time: Smart TVs and HDMI dongles—Chromecasts, Fire TV Sticks—and the rise of streaming services have resulted in the loss of Windows functionality, although Kodi has shown that such a project continues to make (very much) sense. it happened.
Encarta (1993-2009)
Before the great Wikipedia existed, we consulted encyclopedias on paper. For those of us in our forties, the normal thing in our parents’ house was one per volume, but at Microsoft they wanted to adapt this concept for new times and They created Encarta.
This encyclopedia boasted of containing 29 volumes of information from a traditional encyclopedia on a single CD-ROM. In addition, being cheaper made its success remarkable in its early years. What happened? so what Wikipedia came in 2001which causes Encarta to stop making sense.
Zune (2006-2012)
The iPod was the portable music player that everyone had or wanted to have. Apple was open about this being a goldmine and wanted to copy the particular revolution in the music industry by Microsoft. Huge slap with the Zunewhich defines both the player and services for purchasing, downloading and managing music.
The actor, the eye, had it. The curious player’s UI has caused all of Microsoft to change its look, and while the color model is a lot of jokes shit, poop Brown, The problem with the Zune is that it arrives late and wrong.. iPhones were on the way, and with them a gradual goodbye to MP3 players, including the iPod.
Image | Thomas Falcon