Microsoft has announced that it will be killing off a number of its apps and services under the MSN brand, including Travel, Food & Drink, and Health & Fitness.
The company will also be ending support for Photosynth, an app that helps users create panoramic pictures and "Synth" pictures, which take the idea of a standard panoramic picture and add an extra dimension to it.
"We regularly evaluate our business to ensure we're focused on the areas where our users find the most value," reads a statement from the company. "We will continue to support those apps with broad consumer appeal including News, Weather, Sports and Money, which will be made available as apps on Windows 10 and will remain cross platform,"
Photosynth essentially helped users create a 3D image of a location, taking a number of photos and then stitching them together.
Those who are avid users of the Photosynth app will still be able to use it, however, it will not be supported in future updates. Basically, it will eventually be incompatible with your operating system if you get OS upgrades. Users can still use the Photosynth.net website, which will continue to be maintained.
Both the Food & Drink app and the Travel app will officially be discontinued on September 28 across Windows, iOS and Android platforms. Again, users will still be able to use these apps, but they will no longer be supported in future operating systems. Users can find the same information on these apps in their respective sections in the MSN website.
Unlike the other two apps, the Health & Fitness app will live on until November 1. The Health & Fitness app also has something of a replacement in Microsoft's "Health" app, which is distinct. It is likely that features found in Health & Fitness will make their way into the Health app.
The decision will also affect the use of Cortana. Previously, if a user asked a question about travel, Cortana would direct them to the travel app. Now, it is likely that they will instead be directed to a website.
Of course, there is a reason that these apps are no longer being supported. Microsoft cited "broad consumer appeal" as the reason for the removal of the apps from app stores, meaning that there weren't many users of the apps.
