From Xbox to Windows: These are the best (and worst) Microsoft products ever
As we bid farewell to Internet Explorer, the once-popular web browser Microsoft plans to retire, it's time to take a look back.
Earlier this week, Microsoft said it will retire IE for certain versions of Windows 10 on June 15, 2022. After that, it will also no longer provide support for Internet Explorer.
Although some versions of Windows will continue to receive support for Internet Explorer, such as Windows 8.1, this basically marks the end of an era for Microsoft and the web browser.
Like any company, Microsoft has had some big hits and fan favorites, but also some not-so-great misses. As we say goodbye to Internet Explorer, let's take a look back at some of the best (and worst) products Microsoft has released.
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BEST: XBOX TOPS MICROSOFT FAVORITES
Xbox
At the time of launch, Sony and Nintendo were the only players in home video game console town with its PlayStation and GameCube, respectively. Enter Microsoft, launching its own device called Xbox with the game "Halo: Combat Evolved." Fast forward to today, Microsoft is celebrating 20 years of Xbox, which pioneered online play on home devices with Xbox Live and featured one of the most popular video game franchises ever.
Microsoft Office
Windows wouldn't be Windows without Microsoft Office, a suite of productivity tools such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint that would help revolutionize how we performed work on computers. Speaking of Windows...
TIE: Solitaire and Minesweeper
Look, if you owned any PC running Windows, then you likely wasted spent a ton of your time playing these two games that were included for free. Even Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was not immune to the lure of these games. A Washington Post report from 1994 said Gates became so hooked on Minesweeper he had to remove it from his personal machine.
WORST: REMEMBER MICROSOFT ZUNE?
Zune
This was Microsoft's attempt to take on Apple and its wildly successful iPod. It did not end well and was discontinued soon after launch. Surprisingly though, as The Verge reports, the Zune still has a very small but loyal fanbase.
Windows Phone
Whether it was in the form of Windows Phone or a revamp involving former cellphone king Nokia (remember the Lumia?), the devices featured big, colorful tiles representing each of its apps. However, it could never catch up to smartphone titans Apple and Google. In 2017, Microsoft pulled the plug for good.
Windows Vista
Microsoft had hoped its latest operating system released in 2007 would catch on just as fast as Windows XP. It never happened. Nobody liked it, opting to hang on to their XP computers instead. In 2018, Microsoft ended support for the ill-fated OS.
Jury's still out: Internet Explorer and Microsoft Teams
Though it's bad form to dance on the grave of a product heading for the sunset, it's worth noting that even tech support pros at times had referred to Internet Explorer as "Internet Exploder." Being forced to use the web browser could lead to an exasperated eye roll as other faster, fuller-featured web browsing options loomed on the horizon just in reach. And now, it can be hard to see all that IE initially brought to the browsing experience as eyes are now on the features, ease and functionality of its successor, Microsoft Edge.
With many offices spending much more time relying on team-connecting tech, it's hard to judge Microsoft Teams fairly amid the current love-hate fog we have with all of them from Slack to Zoom. And though Microsoft continues to iterate and update the Office-integrated Teams software, some workers still give it the side-eye for not (yet) being Slack. Time will tell where it ends up on the best-worst spectrum. For now, we'll give it a pandemic pause.
What are your most and least favorite Microsoft products? Let's discuss on Twitter! You can follow me @brettmolina23.
