“Microsoft appears to be killing off two of its key user-facing brands with the upcoming Consumer Preview release of Windows 8. Windows Live applications have been rolled into preinstalled apps that work as the core ‘Windows Communications’ applications for Windows 8, and this lack of Windows Live branding is only the tip of the iceberg. ‘Microsoft Account’ will replace Windows Live ID in Windows 8, and the software giant has also removed traces of Zune from its Windows Store, Music, and Video applications, although Zune Pass functionality remains.” They’re actually getting it. Amazing.
Just wondering if Thom (or someone) could clarify something for me: what is it Microsoft is getting that they had been slow to get? Do you mean simply that they’re finally realising that their brands aren’t performing?
I also don’t get what is “Amazing”!
Edited 2012-02-25 09:34 UTC
its microsoft anything branding related and looks related is now “amazing” on this site, oooh look useless tiles wasting desktop real estate amazing, oooh look rebranding of crap names amazing..
The “Amazing” part is sarcasm, I believe..
I don’t understand it either. They seem to be renaming meaningless names to yet more meaningless names.
Most probably, renaming/consolidating a gazillion apps and services and capabilities that were under different branding with no sane reason, also maybe finally dropping names that have 3+ words in them (well, not totally as I see it, but still).
On a personal note, I couldn’t care less, I’ve been using _none_ of those services or apps, even if I spend 90% of my work hours in Windows.
Edited 2012-02-26 07:26 UTC
Ah, I gotcha. That’s a good explanation and I can grok it. They do have pretty vague branding; I agree.
Even if it’s just re-branded, when will Microsoft do that?
What is it exactly that you do not like about .Net, and what is the link with this article ?
(Not using that stuff myself, just curious)
“Live” always struck me as having been thought up by out-of-touch upper-managers asking themselves “what brand name would sound cool to today’s hepcats?”
Probably like that “Vista, Wow” nonsense ….
Call me old fashioned, but i like my applications with unique distinctive brand names, even if it is nonsensical.
This trend of calling the application just by his function feels like their are forcing upon me their solution, as if they want to hide the existence of alternatives.
I never agreed with this on OSX and GNOME. And i will never agree with this on Win8.
So, you’re telling me that instead of say, Windows mail, or Apple Mail, you’d rather have the application called “The amazing razzle dazzler Tiger” ?
I like functionality, and use a heck of a lot of operating systems. If I pick up a distro and has certain software suite I like knowing its functionality on its name in case it is not organized in the app list.
Every one knows “The amazing razzle dazzler Tiger” is a far better application…
Oh hell yeah.
I kind of agree with you. In GNOME, the majority (sort of) of applications used to appear in the menu as <application name> <function>. For example “GIMP Image Editor” or “Firefox Web Broser”. This still is the way to go, in my book. Unfortunately, GNOME seemed to reverse this tendency, which is a shame.
So long as the program name is listed along with the function, then it doesn’t really matter the order. One could argue that listed the function first makes it easier to sort and to find what you want in an apps list.
This looks nicer:
Web Browser (Firefox)
Web Browser (Internet Explorer)
Web Browser (Opera)
Web Browser (Safari)
Compared to this:
Firefox (Web Browser)
Internet Explorer (Web Browser)
Opera (Web Browser)
Safari (Web Browser)
Especially if there’s other stuff in that sub-folder.
Too bad they didn’t go with “GIMP image manipulation program” ;p
I kind of like it. I’ve switched from Android to WP7 and I really like the zune desktop application – I hope they don’t kill that.