Microsoft steps up Outlook.com upgrade push

Microsoft has assured Hotmail users that it will not force them off the email platform just yet, despite announcing plans to ramp up its Outlook.com advertising efforts in the coming weeks.

The software giant announced plans to rebrand Hotmail as Outlook.com at the end of July, and urged users to register and try out its new web-based email service.

The important thing for us is to get the word out there as quickly as we can.

In the early days of the new product's release, IT Pro was inundated with reports from disgruntled Hotmail users who struggled with the transition , but since then the platform has been adopted by more than 25 million users.

In an interview with The Next Web, David Law, director of product management at Microsoft's Outlook.com arm, said the company will start advertising the service to Hotmail users via inbox ads and emails this week.

"We want to make sure people know they don't have to change their email address, or their password," he explained. "Also, they won't lose any emails or calendar entries.nothing changes, except they get the new UI."

At the moment, there is no set switch-off date for Hotmail, he added, but the company is hopeful that all users will eventually make the jump to Outlook.com.

"Our goal is to get everyone over from Hotmail to Outlook. We're going to push this quite a bit, as an optional upgrade," said Law.

"At some point, we will end up moving folks over. It won't be months, but we haven't set a date for it yet...The important thing for us is to get the word out there as quickly as we can," he added.