Microsoft is celebrating its Golden Jubilee and on this occasion, we decided to look back upon five of the most significant apps that the tech giant has come out with in every decade since its inception. From Word to Teams, let’s take a recap at how Microsoft changed the digital world, one iconic app at a time.
1. Microsoft Word (1983)
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Let’s start off by talking about one of the oldest and still most used program by Microsoft, MS Word. This word processing tool was originally shipped as Multi-Tool Word for MS DOS in 1983. It’s key features back then was that you could control it with a mouse. MS Word 1.0 could display bold, italics and underlined text. Sad to say, the original version didn’t turn out to be the hit we know it today.
In fact, it wasn’t until the early 90s when it started gaining traction. By then, it was renamed to MS Word. This is one of the most popular word processing tool in the world period. Microsoft kept improving it in the later versions, and it became quite popular in offices and households as well. As of today, the MS Word is a part of Microsoft Office 365 suite.
2. MS Paint (1985)
MS Word might be my first program that I used on Windows, but MS Paint is where I spent most of my childhood. This popular program came out in 1985 as PC Paintbrush for MS DOS, with only monochrome color support and limited tools. Like Word, it was expanded upon in later releases, and became a big hit when it was shipped with Windows 95.
MS Paint was the go-to program for most kids, before the advent of internet and games. It allowed you to create simple sketches with its variety of tools, and even draw or perform basic edits on images. It still remains one of the highlights of Windows platform. One that is often looked upon fondly by the now grown up kids of the 90s.
3. Internet Explorer (1995)
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Stepping into the World Wide Web in the late 90s, we have the infamous Internet Explorer. It was based on the source code of Mosaic, which was an even early internet browser. The first version of Internet Explorer shipped as part of the Internet Jumpstart Kit in the Microsoft Plus! Pack for Windows 95, which, of course, came in the year 1995.
Since it came bundled with Windows, the browser became an instant hit, peaking around 2003. That is, until the release of Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Both of them offered far better browsing performance over what Microsoft had offered, and by the time they fixed the issues, it was already too late. Chrome significantly took over Internet Explorer by the turn of the 2000s.
Soon after, Internet Explorer was succeeded by Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer couldn’t manage to make a dent in the industry, but it did bless us with hilarious memes. Some of which still manage to get a chuckle out of me even to this day. In the third decade of Microsoft, the company also launched Outlook, which was a personal email client and Windows Movie Maker.
4. Skype (Acquired in 2011)
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We’re cheating here a little bit since Skype isn’t something Microsoft developed, but an app which they acquired. It was a popular solution for making calls over the internet, a novelty back in the day. Later on, it also added support for placing video calls over the internet as well. This seems like a pretty common thing today, but it was revolutionary back in the 2000s.
Even before Microsoft’s acquisition, Skype had over 500 million monthly active users as it connected people across the globe. This number grew to a billion users after the acquisition in 2011. But Microsoft failed to innovate it any further, and other apps started to catch up. I fondly remember not wanting to use it because it had too many steps. Compare it to WhatsApp, where placing calls feels seamless.
So by 2020, Skype was on a downward trajectory, and Microsoft didn’t do much to save it either. While the app had a major cultural significance over the history of the internet, it couldn’t manage to make it big. Microsoft has announced that they will be retiring Skype in May 2025. So by the time you’re reading this, this once popular video calling app might have become a relic of the past.
5. Microsoft Teams (2017)
Microsoft Teams is the successor to Skype. The app came to being as a competitor to Slack in 2017, but little did the folks at Microsoft knew that they unintentionally dropped an alternative to Skype. It also allowed you to do voice and video calls over the internet, but it was more oriented towards business and enterprise users. It offered a collaborative environment, and offered hundreds of users to join in on a call at the same time.
The app became a necessity during the COVID-19 period, when everyone was restricted to their homes. At this time, Teams saw monumental growth, and even after the pandemic, became a popular option among users. As of May 2024, Microsoft Teams has a little over 300 million monthly active users. I am sure that number has only increased this year.
With this, we come to the end of our list. From Word to Teams, Microsoft has had a rollercoaster of a ride over the past 50 years. And I bet if it wasn’t for these programs, the company would have been in a completely different place right now. It will be interesting to keep tabs on the company and see what new innovations they bring with the turn of another decade.