MSN Messenger is pretty big up here in Canada. It was the first major instant messaging client that really caught on with the general population. The geeks had ICQ, but the non-geeks really gravitated to Microsoft’s chat client. Things have changed since then, and now I rarely know anyone who still logs into Messenger these days.
In a possible case of too little too late, the fine folks at Microsoft have decided that Messenger needs to be in the App Store, and we would have agreed with them three years ago. But now, with so many multi-chat clients available out there (IM+, Fring, etc), we have to wonder what’s changed over at Microsoft, other than the traditional too late to the party antics that come out of Redmond.
Is this a serious attempt to regain user-share for the service, or is it a final swan song? It certainly seems so with the social section that lets you see “highlights” of your messenger contacts much in the same way that Facebook is currently doing.
I really don’t want to be hating on Microsoft, it wasn’t my intention, but it’s decisions like this one that encouraged me to make the switch. Why do they care so much about being in other people’s business models, when their main business model has been facing adversity over the last three to five years?
I really don’t see the logic.
Why would you drop money into creating clones, when you could be off trying innovative new ideas. It blows my mind constantly.
Anyway, if you’re looking to add another chat client to your iPhone or iPad, you can always download the Windows Messenger application for free on the App Store.
