Hotmail's reaction to Gmail

[dndog]

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,116657,00.asp

Let the email wars begin! ;)

[BeatYou]

Yea they are definatly feeling the heat. And after expieriencing GMail myself, I say they should, because it's going to blow them out of the water.

[Vile]

Yea they are definatly feeling the heat. And after expieriencing GMail myself, I say they should, because it's going to blow them out of the water.Not just them, but pretty much everyone else as well. (Including Y!)

[Matrix28]

Yes but MSN/hotmail use the .net passport which everyone will need if they want to chat on MSN etc so they will still have some play.

[TheMusicMan]

You can still use MSN chat with a gmail address... no need for a hotmail one at all...

[Matrix28]

Oh. Didn't know that.

[Dean C]

I'm surprised MS hasn't launched a lawsuit against google for unfair competition :)

[cirisme]

Sweet. I love capitalism. ;) :D

[[FG]Omega]

250 MB....sweet :P
Gmail, go go go!

[Vile]

I'm surprised MS hasn't launched a lawsuit against google for unfair competition :)
If anything, it's the underdogs that get worried and would do anything like this....MS is far from being an underdog, but nice attempt at a joke ;)

[drumsy]

Possible internal memo that's going around, source unverified!

Folks,
This mail is a heads-up for all of you about a public announcement that we intended to announce tomorrow, but just leaked onto the internet from our internal communications. We have already briefed the major wire services as well as the Washington Post, Seattle Times, New York Times, and Financial Times, and we expect the story to be on the major wire services within the coming hours, and in print media tomorrow morning.


Our customers have been waiting impatiently to see what MSN will do in response to Google and Yahoo’s moves in the web email market. As all of you know, Google recently introduced a limited availability email service with 1GB of free storage while Yahoo rolled out 100MB inboxes for its free email users (in most markets) along with a new UI and 2GB storage for its paid service. These developments significantly upped the ante for service providers of web email, including MSN.


We’ve had a team of people heads down on this for the past six weeks preparing an operational plan and the messaging you’re seeing this week. I appreciate everyone’s patience as we’ve worked out what turns out to be a relatively bold response that offers great value in the free MSN Hotmail service and gives users a reason to subscribe to an even better upgraded service. While today’s messaging more than puts us in the game vis a vis storage, it is also intended to reposition the conversation from a narrow “email storage” focus to a more comprehensive approach including email safety and security, which is an even greater concern of our customers. That said it’s quite possible that the press will treat our response as late and maintain the focus on storage in their coverage, -- but you should know that we are positioning storage as only a part of a much broader approach.

Key components of today’s announcement:

Upgraded Hotmail (ad funded) provides 250MB of free storage, 10MB attachments, free virus scanning/cleaning (unique to MSN), 500 blocked addresses (5X Yahoo), Calendar and calendar sharing, and 30-day account expiration. This offering will delight our customers, beat Yahoo on protection/security and storage and differentiate from Google G-mail on multiple points (protection, PIM functionality, integration with IM, Mobile).
Upgraded Hotmail Extra Storage/Hotmail Plus: This is a paid offer ($19.95/yr) that provides users with 2GB of storage and 20MB attachments. It also eliminates graphical ads, includes client access through Dav (OE, Outlook) and yearly account expiration. This offer essentially matches Yahoo on storage and trumps on attachment size.


Rollout Plans: Our ability to roll out this offer in key markets simultaneously is gated by our operational capacity. To ensure there is no service interruption like the ones that Yahoo endured recently, we will stage our rollout plan. All Hotmail users WW will receive free virus cleaning by early July. This will help us demonstrate leadership in the email protection space – neither Google nor Yahoo offers this service. We will start to migrate all Hotmail Extra Storage users to Hotmail Plus in late July. Also in this timeframe, we’ll begin upgrading a few million of our most loyal free users in the US, UK and Japan to the new 250MB Hotmail free offer. In November we will begin upgrading the remaining 7 million MSN Premium users and approximately 80 million free users in Wave 1 markets (US, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Spain) prioritizing against operational capacity, and demand ramp. For the remaining key Hotmail markets, we will upgrade users over the following 12 months based (in part) on market potential for ad funded monetization. While we would have liked to make the announcement and full roll out a simultaneous event, that just isn’t possible. We feel it’s critical to outline a strong public response now and at the same time, responsibly manage the operational side of this effort.

[dax]

This is very nice news. However, GMail is currently unbeatable IMHO :)

[MGM]

ooooh.... 250 MB for hotmail? good, now i don't have to delete my old emails :P

but ill probably end up switching to gmail anyways just to see if it fits me

MGM out

[Tailfeathers]

Nice...can't wait for this!

[merk]

Deleting all your emails is a good thing! I keep emails for one week then they are removed, so i dont have any audit trails :p

[chrispadfield]

If that memo is true, the time frame is 12 months, and depends if ad revenue covers the cost. Me thinks those 80 million accounts might be more like 40 million by the end of next year.

[Shining Arcanine]

Yea they are definatly feeling the heat. And after expieriencing GMail myself, I say they should, because it's going to blow them out of the water.
Not just them, but pretty much everyone else as well. (Including Y!)
I have a GMail account and I disagree. They are pretty evenly matched but I'm a bit upset that MSN didn't chose to match GMail in terms of web space.

I'm surprised MS hasn't launched a lawsuit against google for unfair competition :)
Unlike Microsoft's competitors Microsoft has the ability to compete. Therefore Microsoft is above such a immature move.

[chrispadfield]

I certainly would not want to be the technicians who have to work out how to change a distributed system of 60 million (apparently) accounts with what, 2MB space into 250MB space. Yikes.

[dndog]

There is a reason hotmail is 250 and not 1 Gigabyte. If Hotmail increased their storage to 1 gigabyte, then Gmail would probably have to increase their storage as well. Neither companies want to have a "storage war", so Hotmail simply increased it to 250. Hotmail is already well established and doesn't have to offer 1 gig to keep most of its customers.

[chrispadfield]

Yup, I doubt 250MB v 1GB is the big issue right now, the bigger issue is the first one who can open up to new accounts at that rate. My guess is that will be google given the rapidly increasing rates the gmail invites seem to be going around.

[Dean C]

Tbh 250mb would do me easily. I think that if hotmail continues to improve their spam filtering etc then I'll use that over gmail for my forum accounts, other misc stuff. Still, I'll continue to use my personal website email for business - sounds a tad bit more professional than gmail and hotmail :D

[tgillespie]

Tbh 250mb would do me easily. I think that if hotmail continues to improve their spam filtering etc then I'll use that over gmail for my forum accounts, other misc stuff. Still, I'll continue to use my personal website email for business - sounds a tad bit more professional than gmail and hotmail :DSame here. I like Gmail very much so far but it is taking me a bit of time to get use to all the shortcuts and tools Gmail offers. I've been using the same Hotmail account for years and have become very fond of their spam filtering and interface. Anything above 200MB for space will do just fine. Heck, anything above 50MB will do fine. I'm more interested in spam and interface features rather than 1GB.

[Shining Arcanine]

There is a reason hotmail is 250 and not 1 Gigabyte. If Hotmail increased their storage to 1 gigabyte, then Gmail would probably have to increase their storage as well. Neither companies want to have a "storage war", so Hotmail simply increased it to 250. Hotmail is already well established and doesn't have to offer 1 gig to keep most of its customers.
Google doesn't have to increase the amount of free storage space you get with GMail.

[merk]

I have no need for a hotmail or gmail account that stores over 2mb, as keeping emails from 10 years ago isnt what i care about, it doesnt bother me :)

I just run an installation of @mail on my server and all is good. :D

[C.Birch]

i'm going start 1.5 GB free e-mail system with muti domains to pick from ;)

[TonyG]

Google doesn't have to increase the amount of free storage space you get with GMail.
Although maybe GMail don't want to be level with the competition - but be ahead.

I don't think these measures by Hotmail and Y! Mail will save them. Once google is open publically, they will be stepped all over.

[Dean C]

i'm going start 1.5 GB free e-mail system with muti domains to pick from ;)

Good luck - you'll need it ;) Oh and a few million dollars backing too :p

[Ryan Ashbrook]

After experiencing GMail for the first time today, I'd have to say I like it more then Hotmail, Yahoo, and even my own ISP email account.

[Transverse Styles]

GMail will be the market winner. THe coding in it is all displayed by JavaScript, making it tons faster. Hotmail and Yahoo! are making gmail seem like a competitor when they react to it. All of my friends dont know what gmail is, and neither does the common person it seems.

[assassingod]

All of my friends dont know what gmail is, and neither does the common person it seems.
Which is quite unfortunate because i'm desperately waiting for someone to ask my e-mail address and I tell them it's a Gmail and they are like "omg you're so cool and lucky" :D

[Dean C]

Which is quite unfortunate because i'm desperately waiting for someone to ask my e-mail address and I tell them it's a Gmail and they are like "omg you're so cool and lucky" :D
Don't have very many friends then eh Steve ;)

[merk]

THe coding in it is all displayed by JavaScript, making it tons faster.
That wouldnt make it "tons faster", it could even make it slower.... :confused:

[cirisme]

That wouldnt make it "tons faster", it could even make it slower.... :confused:
Amazingly enough, once you load all the Javascript(once when you login for the first time) switching messages, or going back to the inbox it is between nearly instantaneous and instantaneous.

[chrispadfield]

The reason it is faster is the whole interface is preloaded. When you log in you are loading the inbox, send email etc everything all at once. The system then just updates for new emails when you click inbox and gets the small amount of data and sends it to the already loaded HTML that is already there. It makes it a *lot* faster.

[merk]

The reason it is faster is the whole interface is preloaded. When you log in you are loading the inbox, send email etc everything all at once. The system then just updates for new emails when you click inbox and gets the small amount of data and sends it to the already loaded HTML that is already there. It makes it a *lot* faster.
Fair enough, if its all preloaded it makes sense :)

[scoobyru1]

gmail has been working out for me way better than hotmail ever has

[Stachel]

Recently started using Gmail and it is freakin' awesome.

I love it because:

1) Emailing images is 1,000,000 times faster than on Yahoo mail. No more timeouts!

2) The way it *automatically* groups "conversations" - multiple emails between you and another person. At first I wasn't sure what was going on, but after 15 seconds or so it seems to make lots of sense

Stachel

[pinfo]

Anyone want to send me a gmail invite? :cool:

[Stachel]

I received mine from someone who is buying one of my custom knives, and he said that after a week or so I would get an invite to invite someone else, but I haven't received one yet.

Does anyone know what triggers a new gmail user to get an invite-to-invite others?

Stachel

[pinfo]

I think they are keeping that a secret to add to the mysteriousness of gmail and to keep people talking about it...

If they said flat out "in one week you will be able to invite", then a week came and you're like "uh, cool, i guess".

But if they don't say anything, and all of a sudden one day you get the invite notice, it's like "WOW, JACKPOT! I AM GOING TO TELL EVERYONE I KNOW ABOUT THIS", and then you open your windows and scream at the top of your lungs "GMAIL IS MY GOD!!!"

So really, they get more word-of-mouth advertising out of it.

[chrispadfield]

Um, well no. The referall system is a way allow google to increase the number of gmail accounts under a controlled fashion, without opening it up to general public completly. The moment they do a full release, every single news company will report it; they have no problem getting everyone to find out about it; in fact that *is* the problem at the moment.

[pinfo]

Um, well, you didn't quite comprehend what I wrote.

I was not commenting on why it is by invite only. I fully understand that concept and the mayhem that would ensue if they opened the flood gates to the public at once.

I was commenting on why the formula they use for the invite "system" as far as who gets to invite, how long it takes until you're able to invite, etc is a secret.

[ipcn]

did anyone also notice how hotmail\yahoo mail bounce back (filter) GMail invitations O_o

[Floris]

Man, I am hooked on Gmail, I have been using it since the start, I don't even know my hotmail email address no more LOL

[cirisme]

I received mine from someone who is buying one of my custom knives, and he said that after a week or so I would get an invite to invite someone else, but I haven't received one yet.

Does anyone know what triggers a new gmail user to get an invite-to-invite others?

Stachel
No one knows. ;) Someone said that they never recieved invitations except when using the HTTPS version of GMail so I switched to that and a few days later I recieved one invite(already used it, sorry) and none since.

No idea if that's the case but I already invited my buddy so I'm happy. :)

[nVaux]

Gmail is pretty cool, I have been beta testing it and I must say its pretty amazing, specially without having to deal with huge adds and stuff. The next step I would like to see from hotmail that would defenately let me decide to stick with them, is for them to remove that check your email in 30 days, i hate that because I am in the military and sometimes when I have to ship out I dont ahve time to check my mail, and I lose my account emails which sucks.