Windows Has 500 Million Active Users

Sites include Microsoft.com . Published on May 19th, 2012. Written by Anthony West.

Apple might be the new media and Wall Street darling, but arch rival Microsoft is no slouch among users. The software giant which is gearing up to release Windows 8, revealed some numbers about usage of its software applications suit dubbed Windows Live.

There are an estimated 500 million users of the Windows Live suite which include a mailing client, a messenger, photo client and even a Cloud sync tool. All of these plus a few others make up the platform that is Windows Live and its uptake among users is a bit of a surprise. 500 million users is quite a lot.

But how will they handle the transition that is reportedly coming out for Windows 8? A Microsoft release revealed that Windows Live will be amalgamated of sorts with Windows 8 and so will not have its traditional standalone presence within the over framework.

This amalgamation will be an upgrade in form only it seems and users will still be able to do what they’ve traditionally done with their Windows Live accounts (and more). The only real difference is that the names and branding of the applications will change. Windows Calendar will now become Calendar app; Contacts will become People app and Messaging will become Message app.

These changes Microsoft hopes will be embraced by existing users and perhaps attract even more users.

Do you think the changes to the Windows Live suite of applications are necessary? Let us know in the comments below.