This Microsoft account will be an integral part of the upcoming Windows 8, the software giant said in
a blog post, and will be rolling out over the next few months across Microsoft's product line.
Windows Live
has been around since 2005, and at this point it's used to describe
the Hotmail, SkyDrive, and Messenger suite of services, as well as
Windows Live Essentials apps.
Though these services are used by more
than 500 million people every month, according to Chris Jones, vice
president of Microsoft's Windows Live group, "they still did not meet
our expectations of a truly connected experience," he wrote.
"Windows Live services and apps were
built on versions of Windows that were simply not designed to be
connected to a cloud service for anything other than updates, and as a
result, they felt 'bolted on' to the experience," Jones said.
As a result, there was "customer
confusion," Jones wrote, something Microsoft hopes to eradicate with
the release of Windows 8 later this year. "Windows 8 provides us with
an opportunity to reimagine our approach to services and software and
to design them to be a seamless part of the Windows experience,
accessible in Windows desktop apps, Windows Metro style apps, standard
web browsers, and on mobile devices."
Modern devices are all-inclusive, with no separate branding to break up the experience, Jones suggested.
Microsoft's 'Identity Service'
Enter Windows 8 and the Microsoft account, which Jones referred to as an "identity service." It will be used to sign into a Windows 8 PC or tablet, as well as services like Xbox Live, Zune, and the Windows 8 app store. Users won't need a Hotmail account to sign up for a Microsoft account; any email address will suffice. Everyone who signs up will get a SkyDrive account and some free online storage, though.
Jones talked up the cloud component of Windows 8, which will share data across Microsoft products.
"For example your contact list is shared
across Windows Phone, Windows 8, Hotmail, Messenger, and SkyDrive, so
when you add a contact in one place, it shows up in the cloud and on
all of your other devices and services," he wrote.
This works on different PCs, too. "Log in to a new PC and pick up right where you left off," Jones said.
A Microsoft account can also be
connected to other services, like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter,
allowing you to email or call contacts from these services directly.
Copyright © 2010 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc.
Source: Microsoft Ditching 'Windows Live' Brand
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