Next in Microsoft’s To-do list: Buy Wunderlist
Microsoft recently forged an agreement to buy 6Wunderkinder — the German brains behind the immensely popular to-do list app Wunderlist that is going to cost the Silicon Valley giant to the tune of $100 million and $200 million.
The staff of the app maker will stay put in Berlin but work under Microsoft. The recent acquisition is geared to renew Microsoft’s mobile portfolio, and since Wunderlist is a multi-platform app, with its mobile and web versions, it is a great fit for their strategy.
This move comes in the wake of the launch of Windows 10 that is expected to make its advent on July 29 across PCs, phones, and tablets.
About Wunderlist and its makers
Wunderlist is a beautiful productivity app that works as a fantastic to-do list app fitting squarely with Microsoft’s ambition to reinvent productivity, thus enhancing its offerings through Microsoft Office, OneNote and Skype. The company is trying to deliver market leading mobile apps across platforms and devices for several purposes including mail, messaging, notes and now tasks.
6Wunderkinder had a bunch of investors including Sequoia Capital, Atomico and Early Bird Capital Group. Christian Reber is the heart-driven founder, serial entrepreneur and driving force behind 6Wunderkinder. The other founders who are friends include Charlette Prevot, Sebastian Scheerer, Daniel Marschner, Jan Martin, and Robert Kock. Chad Fowler acts as the CTO and Benedikt Lehnert is the Chief Design Officer of the company. Wunderlist was launched in November 2010, months after the founding of the company and since then, has ruled charts in the most popular lists of to-do list app from different analysts.
Wunderlist’s 13 million+ customers know how to use the app for maximum productivity in smarter, and more intuitive ways. The Verge ranked Wunderlist as the top to-do list app for its brilliant design and ease of use, last year.
The rest of the prices and features of the app will remain unchanged even after the acquisition.
Wunderlist and its long list of features
- Organize and share to-do tasks including work, grocery, movies and errands.
- Get reminded anytime of the due dates and assignments, including fun things to do within the day
- Collaborate with anyone you want by sharing your lists, projects and ideas with friends and family
- Access Wunderlist from anywhere and on diverse platforms including mobile and the web.
- Group related lists in one folder and manage its accessibility options
- Host all communication in one place which can be accessed by known people
- Set deadlines and plan tasks ahead of their time so that you do not skip or miss them
- Get updates via push notifications, email and in-app notifications
- Use hashtags to give relevance to the task as well as context to the entire to-do list
- Print your to-do lists with a single click and share it with your own lists elsewhere
Microsoft’s Addition and Advantage
The staff behind 6Wunderkinder is known for hard work along with smart, creative outlook. They are said to be very talented in their field and Microsoft’s acquisition gives the company a chance to increase their presence in the entire Berlin tech scene. Applying Wunderlist’s innovations to Microsoft’s apps and services is one area where the team would be working at fast clip and soon.
Keval Padia is the founder & CEO of Nimblechapps, a fast-growing mobile app development company. The current innovation and updates of the field lures him to express his views and thoughts on certain topics.