Are you ready for the news about the products Microsoft has discontinued in 2016? This news is not to be afraid of!
Microsoft Corporation has produced many innovative products in 2016. Let’s not forget… Windows Server 2016 has the latest version, as well as improvements to its Azure cloud platform. It also offers more HoloLens mixed-reality technology. However, the life-cycle for Microsoft products isn’t always endless. Some are demolished and others become obsolete. The graveyard of obsolete products and solutions continues to grow for many years.
It’s now the turn of the next ones.
Sunrise calendar app
After Microsoft “kept our promise that we would bring the magic of Sunrise into the Outlook calendar – as well as the Outlook inbox while at it …”, the sun set on September 13, on this calendar app on iOS, Android and Mac.
Project Astoria
To keep up with Windows 10, you need a scoresheet. However, Microsoft made a remarkable decision to end Project Astoria last year at its Build event. Astoria was a glue that helped developers bring Android apps onto the Universal Windows Platform. Microsoft is now pushing Xamarin – a dev platform it acquired in 2016.
Windows Essentials 2012
Microsoft Corporation will be ending support for the Live Mail suite on January 10, 2017. Live Mail users were notified in advance about the possibility of upgrading from the free app on Windows to the Mail App or using Outlook.com online. Customers are being familiarized with Office 365, which is notable for its new security protocols and communications protocols.
Project Spark
Microsoft pulled its Project Spark game creation platform, which allows users to create games without any coding experience, from the Windows Store. This was an extremely difficult agreement… It was simply not possible to continue the behind-the scenes work required to keep “Project Spark” running, according to Microsoft team assertion.
Windows IE 8, 9, & 10
Microsoft announced to customers in January that it was ending support of its IE 8 and 9 browsers. This forced organizations and individuals to switch to IE 11/Edge, the default browser for Windows 10. However, IE 8 and 9 will still work but you are at risk of security breaches if you continue to use them.
Microsoft (Skype Qik)
You may not have realized that Microsoft (Skype Qik) used to gain a lead at times. The news that Skype Qik was to be removed is buried somewhere in the spin of this blog post by Microsoft Skype team. This is because it had too many features that have been added over the years as Skype has become more popular with mobile users. Skype purchased Qik, a short video messaging service, in 2011, shortly before Microsoft bought Skype. Then Microsoft released Skype Qik.
Lumia phones
Soon, we will hear about a horrible murder that Microsoft has been planning since long. Lumia phones’ fate is already known. Microsoft has decided that a kite is better than a lark. Lumia will be replaced by the Surface phone.
Microsoft Earns
Microsoft announced that it would no longer accept new members in October and would close its Earn program on March 2017. People in certain states (Arizona and Massachusetts, Washington) could earn credit to purchase in the Microsoft Store. They could also shop at other retailers like Whole Foods and Starbucks that were approved by Microsoft. Earn, still known as Beta, was released in 2015.
