Day, a standalone calendar app from Yahoo, is currently under development. According to sources, the web services provider has acquired the expertise of Jeremy Le Van for designing the new calendar app.
Le Van is one of the co-founders of another calendar app called Sunrise. Sunrise is known to be the best calendar app and is most loved by many users. Later, the app was sold to Microsoft for more than $100 million. It became the foundation of Microsoft's Outlook calendar.
As Yahoo prepares for a wider release, the app is presently in a private test by invite. A Yahoo representative stated that multiple methods to effectively serve the demands of the users are considered. It includes innovative ideas for calendars and schedule management.
The calendar app is also being developed by Yahoo's Mail department. However, it is being handled "like a startup" within the company, as per the sources.
Besides, the calendar app has been granted permission to build it separately. It means that Day has no Yahoo connections or any particular Yahoo branding.
The idea is to keep it independent, similar to how numerous calendar applications, such as Sunrise, are available in app stores. The app aims to make a service that can link with any other email or other digital tools users utilize.
There may also be initiatives in the future to leverage Yahoo Mail, which has about 200 million users, to assist in promoting the Day calendar app.
Yahoo already provides a calendar widget that is accessible via Yahoo Mail. The feature’s popularity is unclear, especially given how simple it is for any user’s email to be linked with most other calendar applications nowadays.
Yahoo’s Day will then have to distinguish its service from other existing calendars and compete with them. Yahoo appears to be pursuing a different route with Day, unlike how Google and Microsoft, presently incorporate calendar capabilities into their office products.
The idea of incorporating a calendar tool or app as part of a larger service is a smart method for platforms to make customers invested in the platform as a whole, as well as a way for the company to learn further about consumer behaviors.
For instance, Google's Calendar is strongly connected, and usually automatic in function, with the company's larger data technology and productivity suites. It provides the business yet another cutting edge to keep customers from staying and coming back.
