Yahoo has received high-praise thus far for launching Livetext. Livetext is an app, which is only available in the Hong Kong iTunes Store, but has received a lot of positive reviews. The app is a video messenger, and is the revamped version of a messaging service that Yahoo has said to be working on for ages. While this is definitely an interesting addition to the app world, it certainly isn’t enough to make a vast change worthwhile. Meaning, no one is going to be leaving any of the current messaging platforms, like Facebook’s Messenger, WhatsApp, or even Snapchat.
Even given the fact that Yahoo’s Livetext is only available in Hong Kong, it still doesn’t mean that much if it were to make its way to the American or UK marketplace. It simply isn’t something that there is a huge demand for, despite how excited some of the internal Yahoo people have been about the project.
Naturally, Yahoo is staying silent and neutral on the subject of Livetext, despite the effort that the company is clearly putting into the app. A spokesperson for Yahoo pointed out that, “We’re always experimenting with new product experiences that delight our users. We have nothing further to share at this time.
Let’s be clear though that Yahoo’s Messenger platform has failed. There was a time when Yahoo Messenger was one of the biggest names in the messaging game – but now – it has been reduced to a meaningless contender that takes up space and nothing more. It isn’t heavily used by any particular companies or demographic of consumers. It is simply something that is old, outdated, tired, and most importantly forgotten.
Users don’t even think of Yahoo Messenger as an option, and that’s why Yahoo’s latest attempt to enter the market is so interesting. We’re not talking about changing the world here. We’re talking about entering a market that is already being dominated by a few names that Yahoo surely won’t be able to compete with. However, Yahoo wants to be a part of the conversation, and a part of the actively used marketplace because there is a place for another name at the table.
Especially when that name is Yahoo, and it’s a company that has been working on entering the software and app world – in order to diversify their struggling brand as a whole. Search is no longer what it was for Yahoo. So, the addition of an updated video, text messaging hybrid is something that will be useful for a number of reasons.
Does it win in this marketplace? Absolutely not. Is there room for Yahoo to use this as a method for getting their name out there and show that they can still at least mildly produce in the marketplace? Absolutely. There is a place for Yahoo at the new tech table, but that place isn’t the head of the table – and no one will expect them to be seated at that position, anyway.
