Microsoft Kills Messenger & cuddles Skype

  
Goodbye, Windows Live Messenger. As the BBC notes, Microsoft will soon be retiring its instant message chat tool and will instead be encouraging users to use Skype. 

“Skype and Messenger are coming together,” wrote Tony Bates, President of the Skype Division at Microsoft, on Tuesday. “We will retire Messenger in all countries worldwide in the first quarter of 2013 (with the exception of mainland China where Messenger will continue to be available).

” Brian Hall, general manager of Microsoft’s Windows Live unit, had a similar message for users on the Windows blog. Tuesday’s announcement comes several months after the software giant bought Skype for $8.5 billion in May 2011. At the time, the costly acquisition caused some industry pundits to scratch their heads in bafflement. But as Forbes contributor Kelly Clay notes, the big purchase is making a “little more sense” now. Still, even though Microsoft promises that Skype will offer “a better experience and even stronger network,” the Windows instant messaging tool will undoubtedly be missed by many.