The team behind Outlook.com revealed in a tweet that one million people signed up for the new email service in just six hours.
Microsoft unveiled its Hotmail replacement Tuesday at noon Eastern, and by dinnertime it had cracked seven digits.
That’s an impressive spike, illustrated in the chart that @Outlook attached to the tweet (shown below). However, it’s still a tiny fraction of the user base of Hotmail, which comScore pegs at about 350 million â€" making it the most popular free email service in the world.
One of the first web-based email services, Hotmail has been around since 1996 and was acquired by Microsoft in 1997. In rebranding it as Outlook, Microsoft has integrated social networks and replaced the formerly cluttered interface with a clean layout that’s in line with the design aesthetic of Windows 8.
The label on the chart the Outlook account tweeted out says one million “people†signed up for the new service, but we’re not sure if Microsoft means account holders or the number of Outlook.com email addresses those users have created. In the latter case, the actual user number might be lower, since every Outlook user can create five aliases. We’ve asked Microsoft for clarification and will update the post with any new information.
For the full run-down on the new Outlook, check out Mashable‘s review. And if you want to make sure you get the Outlook.com email address you want, we’ve got step-by-step instructions.
What do you think of Microsoft’s decision to replace Hotmail with Outlook.com? Have your say in the comments.
BONUS: A Tour of Outlook.com
This is the new Hotmail, which is now officially called Outlook (it had the label "NewMail" in the preview). Outlook changes the design and layout of Hotmail to bring it more in line with the minimalist design aesthetic of Windows 8 Metro, emphasizing straight lines, thin fonts and white space.
With no message selected, the only "action" item available is to compose a new message. Also note the text ads to the right of the Inbox.
This is what Hotmail looks like today -- what Outlook is evolving from. Although it's gotten many more features in the last few years, Hotmail has had the same overall look for over a decade. It's traditionally generated revenue via display ads, which Microsoft is abandoning with Outlook.
When you select a message, you get a suite of action items at the top, and the ads at right will change.
When you mouse over any of the ads at the right, an image pops up.
When you select an email that's from another person (as opposed to a newsletter or notification), the ads at right disappear, replaced by links to the person's Facebook and Twitter profiles as well as the person's latest updates.
You can switch back to Hotmail at any time. And of course your Hotmail address will continue to work for both sending and replying.
When you compose a message, a list of contacts you email the most often appears, along with their Facebook photos (assuming you've connected the service).
You can call up a chat Window at any time by clicking the speech balloon at the top. Microsoft also says Skype will be integrated, although it wasn't available during the preview.
If you have a Hotmail Plus account, that still works with Outlook, and you won't see any ads, ever. The right side is blank in your regular view, and when you click on a newsletter, you'll simply see the option to search for the sender on Bing.
As with Hotmail, you can move the reading pane to the right side of the window.
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