14 DAY TRIAL // Yahoo hasn't had the best image lately. The company is seen as slow and out of touch with the latest developments. Yahoo is content with its large user base and existing products. The company is looking to change that perception and has come up with a three-year plan to overhaul Yahoo.
So far, the only tangible changes are an updated Yahoo Mail and some new Search features, the rest being promises and vague statements.
"As I’ve learned more about the people and products that make Yahoo! great, I’ve grown even more positive that our future will be a bright one. Our products continue to evolve — and at the heart of that evolution is our commitment to bringing personal meaning to the Web for everyone," Blake Irving, EVP and Chief Product Officer, at Yahoo, wrote.
"In short, that means helping you and the other 600 million people on Yahoo! cut through the vastness of online data by providing the experiences that are most important to you — whether that’s instantly finding the content you are searching for or connecting you with family and friends," he added.
Yahoo held an event to showcase some of the things they plan on doing in the next three years. While Yahoo hasn't made any of its clear goals public, the company is said to be looking at increasing its user numbers from the 600 million it serves today to a cool billion.
It also plans to increase revenue from the $6.5 billion it made last year to a nice round $10 billion. Both numbers are certainly optimistic but they may also be a bit unrealistic.
As far as the users are concerned is making a few promises. For one, the company plans to iterate at a much faster pace than today.
As for the products themselves, a new Yahoo Mail is coming in beta in a few weeks. The revamp promises to be worthwhile, from the preview Yahoo provided.
Yahoo Search is also getting a revamp and the team is, understandably, focusing on the user interface. With the search results provided by Bing, all Yahoo is left with is the user experience.
There are a bunch of smaller new features planed as well, like more iPad apps and new ad formats. And Yahoo has promised to integrate Twitter in many of its properties, just like it does with Facebook. Finally, Yahoo plans to continue to work on its Yahoo TV platform.