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Microsoft Retiring Messenger, Replacing It With Skype

Posted by Soulskill on from the we'll-choose-for-you dept.

Entropy98 writes "Windows Live Messenger will be shut down by March 2013, after nearly 13 years of service, so Microsoft can focus its efforts on Skype, its recent $8.5bn acquisition. No word on whether users will be able to transfer their WLM accounts to Skype. 'According to internet analysis firm Comscore, WLM still had more than double the number of Skype's instant messenger facility at the start of this year and was second only in popularity to Yahoo Messenger. But the report suggested WLM's US audience had fallen to 8.3 million unique users, representing a 48% drop year-on-year. By contrast, the number of people using Skype to instant message each other grew over the period.'"

4 of 213 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Gtalk/Facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    No. Not everyone is 12.

  2. Re:ICQ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    talk me@somesever.edu

    FTW :)

  3. Re:Gtalk/Facebook by oodaloop · · Score: 5, Funny

    I collect dead social networks.

    That answers my question why you're on slashdot.

    /ducks

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  4. Re:ICQ by asdf7890 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here in the UK msn messenger (or whatever MS is calling it this month) seems to be the dominant IM network

    I'm only one data-point, but a lot of people I know directly or indirectly seem to have switched away from MS's IM. It usually starts with using Facebook's IM for contacts that are on there then slowly logging into MSN/Live/what-ever less and less often until they don't bother at all (and reverting to mobile phone text messages for communicating with people who are not on facebook).