Microsoft’s stock has experience some drop in the past few weeks. Although the company came out with some impressive developments such as Windows 7 and Office 2010, the software giant is still lagging. The stock even experienced a significant drop 3rd week of May and this year’s share has dropped to more than six percent. But it’s still Microsoft – the world’s largest software development company which means the company still has some firepower left to entice more users and foster growth.
Its latest project to lure users to Microsoft is the upcoming update on Hotmail. The software giant will revamp the look of Hotmail not only to make it more appealing to users but also to extend its functionality. The new Hotmail will feature the “Sweep” function wherein it can be asked to do various tasks to specific emails in just a few clicks. Users can also enjoy multi-media entertainment right in their inboxes as videos from YouTube can be viewed as part of the message.
While these updates sound interesting, there are two other updates that will surely make any aggressive email user take a second look at Hotmail. Users can now synchronize their Hotmail accounts to their Office Outlook. Because of this synchronization, Hotmail will sport a new interface that closely resembles Outlook. Another interesting feature coming to Hotmail is the document editing right in the user’s inbox.
For those concerned with security, Hotmail will also upgrade their spam protection. The “Safety Bar” will provide users detailed information about the sender, even to the point of telling the user that the message might have dangerous or fraudulent content. Combine this feature with the already mentioned ones; Hotmail will definitely push the envelope when it is finally released later this year.
These updates bring us back to the original question: Will new Hotmail look make MSFT stock hot again? If you’re looking for significant increase for the next few days or weeks (at least until the new version is released), then you’ll be disappointed. Hotmail maybe the most popular in the world but Yahoo still leads in the US market (Hotmail is No. 2) and the number of Google’s Gmail users are growing fast.
But if you consider Hotmail’s relevance to Microsoft’s stock improvement in longer terms, then you might be in good hands. Remember that the new Hotmail, once released, will be synching with Outlook which is the most popular email client today. Its integration with Office 2010 in terms of online document editing makes Hotmail even more attractive. Hotmail may not be the sole reason but will be one of the many reasons why Microsoft’s share will improve once again.