Microsoft IM numbers

Feb 10, 2010 14:34 GMT  ·  By

Long time offered for free, included in Windows, and now available via the Windows Essentials package, Windows Live Messenger is used by in excess of 300 million people, according to statistics released by Microsoft. Contributing decisively to the Redmond company’s popularity is the fact that the application is offered in no less than 76 markets around the world and in 48 languages/localized versions. Jeff Kunins, the Group Program Manager (GPM) for social networking across Windows Live, reveals that each month, Windows Live Messenger users spend 163 billion minutes in conversations with their buddies, namely approximately 9.4% of all time Internet users spend online.

“More than 40% of our users sign in each day (more than 130 million daily users). Every day, those users share over 1.5 billion conversations and send more than 9 billion messages. And at peak times, that drives more than 40 million “simultaneous online connections,” (the number of people signed in at the same time),” Kunins explained.

Between them, the 300 million Messenger users average more than 1 billion status updates per month, but most importantly, from Microsoft’s perspective, the IM client is a gateway driving traffic to Windows Live web properties. Kunins notes that over 300 million users find their way from Windows Live Messenger to Windows Live websites each month.

At the end of 2009, Microsoft finalized the forced upgrades it served to Windows Live Messenger users, which left them with only two choices, either upgrade to version 9.0 (2009) 14.0.8089.726 or stop using the instant messaging client. Although many users weren’t all that happy with the forced upgrades, the move was necessary because of the security patches introduced in the latest release, designed to protect users from vulnerability in earlier versions of the app. Microsoft is currently developing Windows Live Messenger Wave 4, with some details leaked in the wild, but no official info offered by the company.

“With the Messenger application on Facebook, you can use the “always on” Messenger client on your PC to automatically update your Facebook status. Likewise, with the Windows Live web activities partnerships with 74 sites around the world like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, Hyves, and more, you can share your status updates and activities on those sites with your Messenger friends, in the What’s New feed in the main Messenger window. Just like ring tones and phone skins, people love emoticons and other forms of personal expression they use to adorn Messenger and their IM conversations– sharing tens of millions of profile picture updates each month, purchasing millions of emoticon packs, and using other fun features like Messenger scenes that add a personal touch to how their friends see them in Messenger,” Kunins added.

Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009) 14.0.8089.726 is available for download here.

Windows Live Mail 2009 14.0.8089.0726 is available for download here.

Windows Live Family Safety is available for download here.

Windows Live Writer 14.0.8089.726 is available for download here.

Windows Live Photo Gallery 2009 14.0.8081.709 is available for download here.