Classic products in 50 years of Microsoft

Solitaire: This card game was originally introduced in Windows 3.0 in the 1990s to teach players how to use a mouse. Flipping and dropping cards into the correct columns helped users practice their drag-and-drop skills in Windows. To this day, these actions are still used in many different parts of the operating system. According to Microsoft, 30 years after its launch, Solitaire still has more than 35 million players per month and more than 100 million games played every day worldwide. Photo: Giphy.

Windows 10 : Although it will officially end support on October 14, 2025, Windows 10 is still considered one of Microsoft's best operating systems. Launched in July 2015, Windows 10 focuses on responsiveness and fast updates. This operating system improves on Windows 8, which was heavily criticized for removing the Start button and focusing on a touch interface. According to The Verge , Windows 10 is also Microsoft's first operating system to be distributed as a service with annual updates. At one point, Windows 10 was considered "the last version of Windows". Photo: Tech Advisor.

Windows Phone : In 2013, Microsoft decided to spend more than 7 billion USD to buy Nokia's handset division. The purpose of this deal was to create a third operating system to balance the market which only had iOS and Android. However, Microsoft and Nokia's Windows Phone project quickly failed miserably. In 2015, Microsoft recorded a loss and agreed to sell Nokia, causing thousands of people to lose their jobs. Photo: CNET.

Hotmail : In 1998, Microsoft bought the first web-based email provider called HoTMaiL (the capital letters that make up HTML) for a rumored $400-$500 million . Hotmail is still in use today, but Microsoft admits it is a break-even business and is used to divert traffic from strategic products like Bing and Office 365. Photo: Microsoft.

MS-DOS : The computer revolution began 40 years ago when Microsoft introduced the first version of Windows (MS-DOS) on November 20, 1985. Instead of having to use cumbersome commands, users were first introduced to the concept of using a mouse to access windows. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, convinced IBM to let him sell this software to the market. IBM agreed, because they thought that money only came from hardware. Then, when companies competed to produce computers with their own brands, MS-DOS became the standard and "gave wings" to Microsoft. Photo: The Verge.

IntelliMouse : More than 20 years ago, computer users were tied to the annoying trackball mouse. The people who understood these difficulties best were probably the designers. Everything changed in April 1999 when Microsoft launched the IntelliMouse Explorer at the COMDEX exhibition in Las Vegas (USA). The heavy ball underneath was replaced by an LED light and an optical system that recorded the mouse's movements. Today, computer mouse technology has developed strongly. However, the IntelliMouse Explorer is still a mark of strong change and simplification of the communication process between humans and computers. Photo: The Verge.

Windows XP : Released at the right time, low hardware requirements, high reliability, convenient interface, Windows XP is considered the best, most popular operating system ever appeared on computers. Not only does it have the elements that make Windows XP special, there are many reasons that help this operating system become very successful commercially. Windows XP is the first unified version of Windows.. Photo: Howtogeek.

Xbox 360 : The Xbox was the first American console since Atari in the 1990s. It debuted in 2001, followed by the Xbox Live online service in 2002. The Xbox 360 was released in 2005, with Wi-Fi connectivity and five USB ports. Since its launch, the Xbox 360 has become the standard for consoles, and remained so until 2013, when Sony and Microsoft released the PS4 and Xbox One, respectively. Photo: Xbox Original/X.

Halo: Combat Evolved : On November 15, 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved changed the gaming world forever. Halo launched one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time and arguably rebooted the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. Instead of using a health bar, Halo broke that mold, equipping players with self-healing armor and using artificial intelligence (AI) to create highly challenging enemies. Photo: Microsoft.

Windows 95 : Released in August 1995, Windows 95 introduced many concepts that are still associated with Windows today, such as the Start button and the Taskbar. Windows 95 was extremely successful and quickly became the most popular desktop operating system. Internet Explorer, the Recycle Bin, and the Start button all appeared in this version. The basic design of Windows remained virtually unchanged from then until Windows 8. Users lined up to buy it like the iPhone does now. Photo: Microsoft.

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