Microsoft, Multiple Screens & Multiple Platforms

This week ReadWriteWeb announced that Windows Live Messenger is the second most popular app on Facebook. With over 9 million users, Windows Live Messenger is still behind Farmville’s 16 million. Microsoft’s numbers for conversations between Facebook and Windows Live Messenger are also impressive.

Microsoft has been involved with and developing social tools for a while and the number of accounts on Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail and Xbox Live has always been impressive.

According to the Windows Live blog post:

We’re still early in the release, but to date, over 10 million people have connected their Facebook accounts with Windows Live.

The engagement figures are impressive as well:

…there have already been over 250 million chat conversations between Messenger and Facebook customers, and these conversations have lasted more than 1.5 billion minutes.

The most interesting trend is cross-device software and platforms, including TV, via Xbox Live, mobile, computer and almost certainly tablets. The Microsoft Advertising blog hinted at where this may go with their post, Multi-Screen Consumer Research and Your Media Multiplier Effect. Creating a cohesive experience from desktop to mobile and to loungeroom is going to create changes in media consumption and user behaviour. Already behaviours are less restricted by software, platforms and devices. Microsoft Live Messenger and Facebook are connected and even console systems such as the Xbox360 are used as de facto social network devices:

…4 million personal messages are sent between Xbox LIVE members every day.

From online social interactions on both mobile and console systems, to product search initiated on mobile, and ending with a purchase via PC, integrating multiple media formats into the one chimeric experience will be disruptive. Especially as the media they consume becomes less dependent on the device and its location, and expectations for data portability change.

Ultimately it is the task a user seeks to complete that matters. Their objectives are more important than the device, platform or software used. What has begun to happen with the Windows Phone 7, Xbox 360 and the Windows OS is a hint on where technology is going. Making social, search and basic everyday computing functionality available no matter where the user is or what they have in front of them is the killer app. The device and platform do not matter: the user only cares if they can complete their task.