In breaking news, Windows Live Sync is now becoming Windows Live Mesh. Crystal clear, right? Well, the truth is, Windows is actually providing a really cool service here – allowing people to sync files betweens PCs and the cloud.
But, calling this revolutionary feature “Windows Live Mesh”? If that’s not a result of a name-by-committee, I shudder to think of what that result could have been.
Yes, Microsoft felt a need to distinguish this new Mesh offering from their Live Sync service. But, from a user standpoint, “Sync” is intuitive. “Mesh” is a sieve, or inappropriate clothing.
And this is the branding mistake that’s getting a lot of news play right now. But honestly, I question another one. Windows Live in general. “Live”? Why add words? Why make things more confusing than they have to be? Who uses this vernacular in passing?
In fact, for the first time this week, someone told me to “Bing” something. And I looked at him with sheer incredulity, even though I’ve been telling people to “Google” things for years now.
Microsoft is just always behind the times in terms of branding. Figure out what the user is going to call it, and just call it that. FYI, they’re probably going to keep calling it Sync, Microsoft.