Farewell Microsoft Paint. There’s a New Kid In Town – Paint 3D.

Today is a sad day for Microsoft Window’s fan boys.  Why?  It was announced today that they are going to “deprecate” Paint in the next big Windows update.  Some of you are probably shocked by this, but then some of you are probably thinking that it’s about time.  Paint has been around for a long time.  Almost my entire life, but there is no room for sentimentality when it comes to technology.  It’s time for Microsoft to come up with another program.  One that meets similar needs, while taking into consideration that the technology has changed.  Don’t get me wrong.  I used to love Paint.  But I was like 10.. and Windows 95 was the coolest thing ever.  It’s 2017 now, and there are much better tools out there, which make it time for Microsoft to adapt.

And that’s exactly what they’ve done.  Microsoft has launched a new, 3D paint tool.  What’s it called?  You guessed it “Paint 3D”.  The neat thing about the update is that it takes a 2D image and turns it into a 3D rendering.  This product was officially launched late last year. Allowing Microsoft to iron out the kinks until the next version of Windows 10 is available. Essentially, Paint 3D is an amplified version of Paint.

Let me take one step back for a moment.  According to Microsoft when they “deprecate” software they don’t actually kill it.  They just don’t put the resources and effort into making it better.  It kind of just sits there and hangs on for awhile until they decide to kill it.   Which is kind of interesting, in my opinion.  The next edition of Windows 10 is slated for launch later this year.  But it’s also being marketed as “creative” tool. The point I’m trying to make is that Microsoft is trying to come up with a tool that will be beneficial for people.  Paint itself isn’t the best tool for the job.  But it certainly gets it done in a pinch.  So this shift really makes sense.

My other theory is that they are going to wait and see what happens with Paint 3D before officially killing Paint.  With the way that technology is going – SnapChat, Instagram Stories – it makes sense that this is the direction that Microsoft is going.  But do people need more of these kinds of tools?  Or would they benefit from a tool that is more like Photoshop?  I don’t necessarily have the answer, but I think that Microsoft needs to be competitive with the other products that are available to consumers.  Perhaps they are going to revert back to the original version of Paint if 3D isn’t successful.

I am kind of surprised that Paint has held on this long.  Microsoft seems to be the only one that can hold onto these technological relics.  For example – Outlook Express or even the paper clip from Microsoft Office that disappeared only a short time ago.  How is this even possible?  Technology moves so fast that your product or app could be outdated in a matter of days or even hours.  Which is why it’s so surprising that Microsoft holds onto these products for such a length of time.  Maybe it’s the nostalgia factor.  Some people tend to gravitate towards the products of their childhood.  Like the Classic Nintendo.  Which makes me wonder Microsoft is onto something, or just having a hard time keeping up with the competition.