Microsoft announced Wednesday that will be replacing its webmail service Hotmail with Outlook.com, confirming reports already circulating on the web in the matter.
In a press release the software giant revealed that they hope to update accounts as soon as possible, with the full transition in plans to be completed by summer 2014.
The change is reportedly attributed to the sudden growth in Outlook.com, which found over 60 million users actively using the mail service site since its inception.
As for the Hotmail users, Microsoft said they have nothing to worry about. The transition will be smooth, they won’t even notice it. Users’ Hotmail addresses will remain the same, and those who log into their Hotmail.com account will simply be redirected to Outlook.
For many, Hotmail replaced by Outlook.com will be a very welcome and advanced email change from the admittedly outdated Hotmail. When paired with SkyDrive cloud storage service, Microsoft could very well gain some new customer support in the future. And much like Gmail, Outlook.com will be its own free service with its own accounts, not as a general Web client for all email accounts, so Hotmail users have a lot to look forward to. Though the Hotmail to Outlook transition may seem unwanted by some, said the report, it is said by Microsoft to bring "a variety of new features for our users."
If you are one of those still wondering what is Outlook.com. Well, it is the new webmail service by Microsoft, introduced in July 2012 and officially launched in February 2013. Like Office 2013, Microsoft is describing it as a "modern" one. Built with the same Metro design as Windows 8, Outlook.com brings together cloud connected accounts, data, and a familiar email service with a new look. Microsoft is also enabling threaded messaging by default and introducing Skype video web calling.
"We think that email can do a lot better than webmail," says Microsoft. "We decided it was time for a change."
