Cries to open up IM have quieted
C|Net | at | by Mike
Today, the nature of the debate has shifted and the voices have been tempered--largely due to the successes of AOL's biggest challengers. The most vocal critic, Microsoft, has shown signs of closing AOL's lead, helped in part by the folding of its instant messaging application into its Windows operating system. Web portal Yahoo, which joined Microsoft in its criticism of AOL, has also watched its Yahoo Messenger service surge in popularity and has embedded it throughout many of its Web services.
Data suggest that AOL's lead is not as secure as it seems, however. For example, since October, all three companies have seen their instant messaging services post double-digit gains in active, at-work users in the United States, according to Internet measurement company Jupiter Media Metrix. Microsoft's MSN Messenger showed the largest gain, with a 33 percent increase between October 2001 and March 2002 to a total of 6.8 million users. Yahoo Messenger added 24 percent more users, for a total of 4.5 million, during that period. AIM grew 22 percent, to 7.5 million users.