Microsoft's Expansion on iOS Continues With New MSN-Branded Apps

[MacRumors]

Microsoft today released a suite of five consumer apps under the MSN brand, bringing news, health, and other previously Windows Phone-exclusive apps from the Bing team to the iOS platform (via ZDNet). This launch follows the recent expansion of Microsoft's Office for iOS suite to the iPhone that produced standalone versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to Apple's smartphone devices.

The suite of MSN apps include MSN News [Direct Link], MSN Sports [Direct Link], MSN Food & Drink [Direct Link], MSN Money [Direct Link] and MSN Health & Fitness [Direct Link], which integrates with Apple's Health app and connects to MSN Health & Fitness on the web. The new MSN apps are available for free and downloadable now from the iOS App Store. Android versions are also being made available on Google Play and the Amazon Appstore.

The push to bring these apps to iOS and other platforms like Android is part of larger initiative at Microsoft to drive the adoption of the company's desktop and cloud services by making its mobile apps available across a variety of platforms. This new direction is being spearheaded by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who replaced long-time Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer earlier this year.

Article Link: Microsoft's Expansion on iOS Continues With New MSN-Branded Apps

 

[ValSalva]

The more apps the better. I'll certainly have a look. Just wonder about that "MSN" brand. Feels like the late 90's

 

[McFreggle]

Meh. They still haven't released Windows for iPhone. Shame.

 

[kcirtap00]

I thought they got rid of the MSN brand.

 

[bandalay]

aka

The Google approach.

 

[japanime]

Those icons look like something Jonathan Ive could have designed. Unapologetically bland.

 

[tevion5]

Super! Now I just have to wait for the AOL and Netscape branded apps to come along...

 

[usersince86]

As others have said, cool re. the apps.

But the branding is a bit goofy.

Very MS.

 

[definitive]

They couldn't have just made an all-in-one app out of those?

 

[typeadam]

Well if you want to be pedantic, in a way it IS the Microsoft Network...

 

[prowlmedia]

They couldn't have just made an all-in-one app out of those?

Exactly what I was about to say.. I hate all these multi apps that could easily be one...

All the Philips Hue 3rd party apps are like this. why have 1 app ( with in app purchase ) when you can have 20.

 

[69Mustang]

Those icons look like something Jonathan Ive could have designed.

Ha! I thought the same thing. Only difference is colors are more primary, less pastel.

OT: These may be apps that hold no interest for me, but I am happy MS is embracing cross compatibility more. I can buy what I like, regardless of ecosystem, and still do everything I want to do. I do it now, but this just makes life easier than having to find a work around.

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They couldn't have just made an all-in-one app out of those?

Exactly what I was about to say.. I hate all these multi apps that could easily be one...

All the Philips Hue 3rd party apps are like this. why have 1 app ( with in app purchase ) when you can have 20.

I 100% agree with both of you. But I'm sure we can also agree if they made an all-in-one app there would be complaints stating, "I only want MSN-x! I don't need all the other stuff. Why couldn't they make these separate and let us choose what we want?!?!"

/cuz people

 

[Zerozal]

They couldn't have just made an all-in-one app out of those?

Not only that, but now there's "MSN Health & Fitness", "Microsoft Health", and "Microsoft HealthVault", which are 3 completely different apps.

Confusion will ensue.

 

[rekhyt]

Those icons look like something Jonathan Ive could have designed. Unapologetically bland.

I disagree.

Definitely feel more Microsoft 'Modern UI' than Jony's iOS.

 

[doug in albq]

Slap some clip art on top of a primary color, 5 minutes later, the icons are complete. At least make your primary graphic a tiny bit original and not looking like stock vectors!

 

[Belmont31R]

The apps are actually really nice if you take a look.

 

[Bending Pixels]

yawn

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Slap some clip art on top of a primary color, 5 minutes later, the icons are complete. At least make your primary graphic a tiny bit original and not looking like stock vectors!

Welcome to "flat" or "flatter" which is usually preceding "more modern" when talking about anything from Apple: "the flatter, more modern design". To me, it's retro, jumping back when having 8 or 16 color-capable computers were as good as consumers could get. I recall Amiga rolling out 32 colors, 64 in halfbrite and 4096 in HAM mode completely blowing minds in the 1980s. BUT back when the palette was limited to 8-32 colors, icons often looked like these "flatter" designs. Sometimes you were limited to just 2 colors, sometimes 4. That's what these look like to me (and not just MSFT icons- most of Apples and other "flatter" icon designs too).

I guess the skeumorphic thrust had pushed to near the upper limits of what could be done with icons (to make the "eye candy" portions of new iOS updates imply big innovations) so Apple wanted to run hard the other way, let that increasingly bore us after we stop buying "flatter" = "more modern" and then they can evolve back toward 8, then 16, then 32-color icons and so on over many iOS generations. They'll probably spin each color depth as "more realistic" = "more modern" until we go full circle back to where things were a few iOS versions ago.

I would guess that will cover the icon "eye candy" portions of iOS 11-15 or so, assuming we keep "flattening" through iOS 10 before even Apple starts getting bored with 2 or 4-color icon design limitations.

 

[HiVolt]

I'm not seeing any of these apps in the Canadian App Store...

A prick move, if these apps are US only.

 

[roadbloc]

MSN? I thought that died ages ago!

 

[azentropy]

Good to see MS taking the Google approach. While I'm sure they would prefer everyone switch to Windows phones they have stopped being stubborn about it and have hedged their bets.

 

[markgpearse]

MSN? I thought that died ages ago!

I thought MSN died around the same time as Mobile Me!

 

[kingtj]

Hmm...

MSN Money really threw me off for a second, because I recalled the old "Microsoft Money" application for Windows that tried to compete with Quicken, many years ago.

Glad it's not an attempt to resurrect that thing!

----------

Keep recycling the same old concepts, as trendy and new. As long as you keep things constantly changing, you maximize sales with people chasing after it.

Welcome to "flat" or "flatter" which is usually preceding "more modern" when talking about anything from Apple: "the flatter, more modern design". To me, it's retro, jumping back when having 8 or 16 color-capable computers were as good as consumers could get. I recall Amiga rolling out 32 colors, 64 in halfbrite and 4096 in HAM mode completely blowing minds in the 1980s. BUT back when the palette was limited to 8-32 colors, icons often looked like these "flatter" designs. Sometimes you were limited to just 2 colors, sometimes 4. That's what these look like to me (and not just MSFT icons- most of Apples and other "flatter" icon designs too).

I guess the skeumorphic thrust had pushed to near the upper limits of what could be done with icons (to make the "eye candy" portions of new iOS updates imply big innovations) so Apple wanted to run hard the other way, let that increasingly bore us after we stop buying "flatter" = "more modern" and then they can evolve back toward 8, then 16, then 32-color icons and so on over many iOS generations. They'll probably spin each color depth as "more realistic" = "more modern" until we go full circle back to where things were a few iOS versions ago.

I would guess that will cover the icon "eye candy" portions of iOS 11-15 or so, assuming we keep "flattening" through iOS 10 before even Apple starts getting bored with 2 or 4-color icon design limitations.

 

[Rogifan]

Exactly what I was about to say.. I hate all these multi apps that could easily be one...

All the Philips Hue 3rd party apps are like this. why have 1 app ( with in app purchase ) when you can have 20.

What's the point of these apps. Can't I just go to msn.com in my browser? Do people actually use msn?

 

[iMerik]

MSN Money really threw me off for a second, because I recalled the old "Microsoft Money" application for Windows that tried to compete with Quicken, many years ago.

Glad it's not an attempt to resurrect that thing!

I had the complete opposite reaction when I too thought for a second they might be resurrecting Microsoft Money. I started using MS Money in college, and it completely turned my financial life around. I know other applications, like Quicken, could have done the same thing, but I truly feel that tracking my early financials (e.g., college expenses) in detail helped me be financially independent at an early age and financially successful as an adult.

Anyway, a lot of people love(d) and still use MS Money. I genuinely wish they would bring it back and fully support it again. I'd spin up a Windows VM to run it if necessary, but a cross-platform application would immediately compete with Quicken, iBank, Moneydance, YNAB, etc...