14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will shut down Hotmail by summer and move all users to Outlook.com, the company’s new email platform that’s playing a key role for the long-term strategy of the Redmond-based giant.
Even though Microsoft uses Outlook.com as its number one weapon in the Scroogled anti-Google campaign, some consumers do not agree with the forced upgrade, calling for the company to keep Hotmail alive.
Microsoft’s community forums are full of complaints posted by disappointed Hotmail users who have been forced to make the move to Outlook.com, even though they do not agree with it.
“I would like to know what was so wrong with Hotmail that it needed to be changed. Why not just make the improvements to Hotmail, rather than inventing a new email service? This sounds a lot like a ‘make work’ project for idle MS staffers, with us poor users being the only group of people to suffer,” one of the disappointed users posted.
Others threatened to completely abandon Outlook.com and move to another email platform, such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail.
“I don’t want Outlook, I don’t like it and if it’s going to be forced on me, I’ll delete my email and use Gmail, AOL or Yahoo,” another user wrote.
Microsoft, on the other hand, sticks to its decision to retire Hotmail and recommends users to read the available documentation for Outlook.com, as the service has been specifically tailored to address their needs.
“We understand that you were comfortable with the old Hotmail interface however, all Hotmail users will be upgraded eventually to Outlook.com. The option to switch-back has been removed,” a forum moderator wrote.
According to Microsoft’s initial plans, the transition to Outlook.com should be completed by summer, as the company plans to completely retire Hotmail in mid-2013 and focus on just a single email platform on the long term.
Update: Hotmail has been officially retired. More information available here.