With the rise in popularity of AI technology and the launch of ChatGPT last November, we thought it would be fun to ask the AI chatbot for its predictions for 2023! 

The world’s most popular artificial intelligence believes the following are the most important talking points for 2023: 

1. The Advancement of Technology

Over the last few decades, technology has advanced at an unprecedented rate. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years. Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly developing, and it is expected to have a growing role in a range of industries, including healthcare, finance, and manufacturing.

Quantum computing is also expected to advance rapidly. With this comes the potential to transform fields such as cryptography, drug discovery, and materials science. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are becoming more cost-competitive with traditional energy sources. Electric vehicle adoption is expected to accelerate, resulting in lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Another area where we can anticipate continued progress is in robotics. Robots are already being used in manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics, and their capabilities and versatility are increasing. As a result, they are likely to play a larger role in the economy in the coming years. 

So, we can expect technological advances in areas such as AI, quantum computing, renewable energy, and robotics to continue at a rapid pace. These advancements are likely to result in new products and services as well as increased productivity. Hopefully, it should also lead to an overall improvement in the quality of life for many people around the world. These developments may pose risks and challenges, however. For example, the impact on jobs and the need to ensure that these technologies are used ethically and responsibly.

2. Continued Impact of COVID-19 

Since its initial outbreak in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy. The pandemic has caused widespread supply chain disruptions and reduced demand for goods and services. It has also forced many businesses to close temporarily or permanently. Vaccines have improved the situation in many countries. However, the pandemic is expected to continue to have an impact on the global economy in the coming years.

The pandemic has caused significant changes in consumer behavior. Examples of these changes include a shift toward online shopping and a reduction in travel. These changes are likely to persist even after the pandemic is contained, which could have long-term consequences for industries such as retail and hospitality.

Another factor that could contribute to continued economic uncertainty in 2023 is the possibility of new virus variants emerging. This could result in new waves of infections and further disruptions to economic activity. The effectiveness of vaccines against these new variants is still unknown, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic’s future course. 

Finally, the pandemic’s economic impact has been unevenly distributed, with some sectors and groups of people suffering more than others. Low-income workers and small businesses have been particularly hard hit. It is unclear how long it will take for these groups to fully recover from the economic consequences of the pandemic.

In summary, the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have a continued impact on the global economy in 2023. Changes in consumer behavior and the possibility of new virus variants could lead to continued uncertainty and disruptions in economic activity.

3. Climate Change 

Climate change is a global problem that is increasingly being recognized as a major challenge for governments, businesses, and individuals worldwide. Human activities, such as the use of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial agriculture, are causing global temperatures to rise, resulting in a variety of environmental effects such as rising sea levels, more frequent and severe weather events, and biodiversity loss. 

Many countries and organizations have set ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to a low-carbon economy in response to this challenge. The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, is a global agreement aimed at keeping global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with a target of 1.5°C. Every five years, countries must submit updated plans for reducing emissions, with the next round of plans due in 2023.

Aside from national and international efforts, many businesses and individuals are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint and promote sustainability. This includes the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency measures, sustainable transportation, and agricultural practices that are environmentally friendly. 

However, there are challenges and obstacles to meeting the Paris Agreement’s goals and addressing climate change more broadly. One of the most significant challenges is the fossil fuel industry’s political and economic power, which has been a major impediment to the transition to a low-carbon economy. There are also issues related to the problem’s scale, as well as the cost and feasibility of implementing large-scale emission reduction measures. 

In conclusion, climate change will continue to be a major global challenge in 2023, with continued efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy. While achieving these goals will present significant challenges and obstacles, there will also be numerous opportunities for innovation and progress toward a more sustainable future. 

4. Increased Impact of Climate Change 

The transition to a low-carbon economy is likely to be one of the key areas of focus in 2023. Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, and shift toward renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydropower are all part of this. This transition is critical for mitigating the worst effects of climate change and ensuring the global economy’s long-term viability.

Another critical area of focus will almost certainly be the conservation of natural ecosystems and biodiversity. This includes efforts to protect forests, wetlands, and other critical habitats, as well as efforts to keep endangered species from extinction. Biodiversity loss has far-reaching consequences for ecosystems, food security, and human health, and it is critical that action be taken to address this issue. 

In addition to these efforts, there will be a continued emphasis on adapting to the already-occurring effects of climate change. This includes measures to strengthen the resilience of communities and infrastructures to extreme weather events like floods, hurricanes, and droughts. 

Finally, in 2023, there will most likely be a greater emphasis on the ethical and social dimensions of climate change. Climate justice, which focuses on the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable populations, is one example, as are questions about the responsibility of individuals, businesses, and governments to take action to address climate change. 

In summary, climate change is likely to remain a critical issue in 2023, with a focus on transitioning to a low-carbon economy, protecting natural ecosystems and biodiversity, adapting to climate change effects, and the ethical and social dimensions of climate change. It is critical to address these issues to ensure the global economy’s long-term viability and the well-being of current and future generations. 

5. Electric Vehicles and Renewable Energy 

Demographic shifts are a long-term trend that has shaped societies all over the world. The aging of populations in many countries, particularly in developed economies such as Japan, Europe, and North America, is one of the most significant demographic shifts. A combination of factors, including declining birth rates and rising life expectancy, is driving this trend. 

As populations age, the economy, social welfare systems, and healthcare systems all face significant challenges. For example, a smaller workforce may be required to support an aging population, which could result in labor shortages and higher costs for healthcare and social welfare programs. Consumer preferences may also shift, with older consumers having different needs and preferences than younger consumers. 

At the same time, demographic changes are increasing diversity in many societies, with increased immigration and minority group representation. This diversity presents both opportunities and challenges, as it can lead to cultural exchange, economic growth, and social cohesion, but it can also lead to tensions and conflicts among various groups. 

Urbanization is another demographic trend that is expected to continue in 2023. As more people move to cities around the world, infrastructure, transportation, and housing face significant challenges. Urbanization can increase economic opportunities and social mobility, but it can also create problems such as traffic congestion, pollution, and inequality. 

In conclusion, demographic changes are a long-term trend that will continue to shape societies globally in 2023. Population aging, increased diversity, and urbanization are all likely to have serious consequences for the economy, social welfare systems, and healthcare systems. While these trends present both challenges and opportunities, they also necessitate careful planning and management to ensure that all groups’ needs are met. 

6. Rise in Automation 

Technological progress is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, transforming nearly every aspect of human life. The trend of rapid developments in fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, biotechnology, and quantum computing is expected to continue in 2023. 

The further development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are likely to be one of the key areas of technological advancement in 2023. AI has the potential to transform many industries, from healthcare to finance to transportation, by enabling more accurate and efficient decision-making and the automation of routine tasks. There are concerns about the impact of AI on employment. Additionally, there is the possibility of unintended consequences, such as biases in decision-making algorithms.

Robotics is another likely area of technological advancement. Robotics has the potential to improve efficiency and lower costs in a variety of industries. However, it also raises concerns about the impact on employment and the ethical implications of delegating certain tasks to machines.

Another area of rapid technological advancement is biotechnology, which has the potential to transform healthcare through gene editing, personalized medicine, and new treatments for previously incurable diseases. There are concerns about the ethical implications of genetic manipulation. Additionally, there is a need to balance innovation with safety and ethical considerations.

Finally, as already mentioned, quantum computing is a new technology with the potential to revolutionize computing. However, there are also concerns about quantum computers’ ability to crack existing encryption methods.

Technological advancements are expected to transform nearly every aspect of human life in 2023. Rapid advances in fields such as AI, machine learning, robotics, biotechnology, and quantum computing are among the factors driving this transformation. These advances present numerous opportunities. However, they also raise significant ethical, social, and economic concerns that must be carefully considered and managed.

Project Management in 2023 

We also thought it would be interesting to see what ChatGPT predicts for the world of project management in 2023. Here’s what it said: 

1. Increased Adoption of Agile Methodologies 

Agile project management has grown in popularity over the last decade, and this trend is expected to continue in 2023. Agile methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban emphasize flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement. They are well suited to a wide range of projects, particularly those involving software development.

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2. Greater Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning 

AI and machine learning have the potential to transform project management. This can be achieved by enabling more accurate and efficient decision-making, automating routine tasks, and monitoring project performance in real-time. Project managers are likely to use AI tools more frequently for project planning, risk management, and resource allocation.

3. Increased Focus on Project Governance 

The set of processes, policies, and procedures that guide project execution is referred to as project governance. In 2023, there will almost certainly be a greater emphasis on project governance. This is especially true in industries with stringent regulatory requirements, such as healthcare and finance. This could include the creation of standardized project management frameworks like PRINCE2 or PMBOK. There could also be a greater emphasis on risk management and quality control.

4. More Diverse and Distributed Project Teams 

Because of the rise of remote work and globalization, project teams are becoming more diverse and geographically dispersed. To effectively manage teams across time zones, cultures, and languages, project managers will need to develop new strategies. This could include using virtual collaboration tools like video conferencing and project management software. Not only that, but new communication and leadership skills must be learned.

5. Increased Importance of Soft Skills 

Project managers require technical skills. However, the importance of soft skills like communication, leadership, and emotional intelligence is increasing. In 2023, project managers are expected to focus more on developing skills in themselves and their teams. This emphasis aims to enhance collaboration, stakeholder management, and overall project success.

In conclusion, project management is expected to evolve and adapt to new trends and developments in 2023. Project managers are likely to prioritize Agile methodologies, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Not only that, they will also focus on project governance, diverse and distributed teams, and soft skills. These areas will become increasingly important for successful project management.

Final Thoughts

That was certainly informative. There’s no denying that the AI chatbot is aware of current global trends. The upcoming year is predicted to witness a rise in technological innovation. Additionally, there will be increased attention towards the impact of climate change.

What do you think of its forecasts? Do you think it’s fairly accurate, or do you believe it’s overlooked something important? 

The post ChatGPT’s Predictions for 2023 appeared first on Zenkit.

It’s hard to believe there was a time before messenger apps. Considered an integral part of personal and business communication, working without the use of chat applications in the workplace seems an absurd, almost alien concept.

Indeed, the innovation of instant messaging and the introduction of messenger apps has changed the game. The way in which we communicate with one another, whether for personal or professional use, is heavily influenced by real-time communication. 

Chat allows us to communicate with anyone on anything in real time. This presents a bunch of benefits such as increasing the speed at which we get information, the efficiency and capacity of our work performance, and the opportunity and convenience of remote work. 

But is this movement of working better, faster, stronger (with the use of messenger apps and other communication tools) actually making us more productive at work?

Having been trained and conditioned to instant communication, we often find ourselves spending more time communicating over tasks rather than getting work done. Is it therefore possible that messenger apps, hailed as the genius invention to boost productivity through communication, could actually be producing a decline in productivity? 

What Are Messenger Apps? 

The way in which we communicate relies on an interactive exchange of messages, verbal or nonverbal, that form a conversation. 

A message is a discrete unit of communication intended by the source for consumption by some recipient or group of recipients. A message may be delivered by various means (Wiki)

A messaging app (also known as a chat app) is a private application or platform enabling communication, most of which is secured by end-to-end encryption between two or more people. Many chat apps have developed into broad platforms to include news, business, payment, and other various networking functions.

Chat apps are preferred by most consumers and have become the standard by which users communicate, replacing short message service (SMS) and multimedia message service (MMS). In contrast to SMS, messenger apps operate via instant messaging (IM), which requires an internet connection to enable mobile phone users to communicate. 

Use of Messenger Apps

Communication apps are the most widely used mobile apps affecting the way people use their devices to communicate and how people communicate in the workplace. 

The popularity of messenger apps supports our need for constant and instant communication between family and friends. New chat apps provide rich services offering all kinds of interactions with others and various chat apps initially specialized for distinct audiences and use cases have since developed into cross-sector platforms.

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Because communication is necessary to get any work done, messaging apps are especially helpful for contacting and sharing information with family or coworkers, and working in groups or teams, whether distributed in different time zones or only an hour’s drive away from one another.

Enterprise messaging applications are a staple tool in the workplace used to facilitate and boost teamwork, communication, and collaboration. Corporate messenger apps function as an all-in-one communication, collaboration, and control tool. 

There is no globally recognized ‘best chat app’ considering people’s personal and professional requirements and preferences. For this reason, the best messenger app is the one all of your friends and family use, although it’s highly likely that you’ll end up using more than one chat app. 

Where enterprise messaging is concerned, the best corporate messenger app will be the one that fulfils all of the company’s professional requirements through its specific feature set. At Zenkit, a productivity software-suite company, we use Zenchat as our enterprise messenger particularly because of the task management feature to keep team members updated on individual tasks or stages in both the project and product development. 

Team members use a variety of chat apps such as WhatsApp, Line, and Kakaotalk outside of the office when communicating with family and friends. Their choice of personal chat apps is strongly dependent on their personal network pool.

(Overview of) 10 Messenger Apps for Business*

*in no particular order

1. WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a free and reliable messaging and calling app, initially created to be an alternative to SMS. The messaging service’s desire is to allow people to communicate and stay in touch with family and friends, anytime and anywhere in the world. WhatsApp is the most-used instant messaging app with approximately 1.6 million monthly active users.

2. Facebook Messenger

Initially known as the chat app of the renowned social networking platform for its users to connect and communicate with another, Facebook Messenger has developed into a standalone communication app. Messenger enables anyone to communicate and connect through text, audio and video messages and calls. Facebook Messenger interacts with other Facebook services and has an estimated 1.3 million monthly active users.

3. Slack

Slack is a web-based instant messaging service that was created as a replacement to email. The productivity platform is designed for team communication. Promoting a better way of communicating with one another or in groups, Slack has established itself as an authority communication service for teamwork in the workplace. The service is widely used in the corporate sector because the service focuses on improving internal communications.

4. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a chat-based collaboration platform designed to facilitate effective team communication. MS Teams’ deep integration with Office 365 supports team communication and collaboration within the corporate environment. Through MS Teams, individual teams and businesses have a central collaboration platform that simultaneously integrates with other Microsoft services.

5. WeChat

WeChat is an all-in-one communication app for text, voice and video calls, and file sharing. The chat app monopolizes the Chinese market with an estimated 1.1 million monthly active users. Since its launch in 2011, WeChat has developed into a cross-sector service to include business, payment, and other networking functions.

6. Zenchat

Zenchat is a free team messenger with a built-in task management part of the Zenkit Suite. Aiming to combine chat and task management for a richer communication experience, Zenchat focuses on the conversion of tasks in conversation. The messenger app seamlessly integrates with the other Zenkit services promoting a more productive and efficient workflow.

7. Telegram

Telegram is a free, cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging app with a primary focus on platform speed and security. With features such as file sharing, broadcasting to unlimited audiences, and contact filtering, Telegram is a combination of SMS and email.

8. Discord

Initially designed as a free chat app specifically for video gamers Discord has widened its scope since its launch in 2015. Servers are organized into topic-based channels allowing users to connect based on common interests. The platform’s atmosphere is similar to YouTube, delivering high community engagement and ease of market entry however the platform does not use end-to-end encryption for its messages.

9. LINE

The Japanese-developed communication app LINE is often referred to as the “Facebook of Japan”. Most popular for its massive library of stickers, the app also has a variety of additional features which include in-app games, storage space, payment options, and news. With a focus on staying connected and thus integrating networking functions on top of the standard communication features, LINE positions itself as an all-in-one communication tool for family and friends, coworkers, and like-minded users with shared interests.

10. KakaoTalk

Similar to WeChat and LINE, KakaoTalk is a fast and multifaceted instant messaging app. Korea’s number one communication app includes additional features such as news, payment options, a calendar and other networking opportunities. Out of the estimated total of 52 million active users worldwide, more than 45 million KakaoTalk users are based in South Korea.

The History of ‘Messenger’

Status Quo of Messenger Apps

According to a January 2020 statistic from Global Web Index, the monthly use of messenger apps and social networking apps from internet users aged 16 to 64 on mobile devices each amount to 89%. In accord, the Global Digital Overview 2020 by We Are Social Inc. shows that WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are the most internationally used messenger apps, despite the fact that WeChat dominates the Chinese market.

How Did It All Start?

The introduction of instant messaging in the 1960s paved the way for the evolution of communication applications and platforms. Messaging services rose to prominence in the early 2010s, quickly replacing SMS-based texting due to their convenience and ability to add enhanced features. Nowadays, “over 41 million mobile messages are sent in an online minute”, according to a September 2020 Statista report. Messenger apps are used in recreation and business alike to communicate and collaborate in efficient and dynamic ways.

Use of Messenger Apps at Work

Communication, whether verbal or nonverbal, is necessary to get any work done and enterprise messaging apps are the mode of choice to provide the dialogue. The use of chat apps as a normal or even necessary part of work has been rising in recent years.

Considering that Millennials represent the largest segment of today’s working population with Gen Z nearing their entry, future workforce predictions state an increase and standardization of remote work by 2028. With more and more people working from home, chat has consequently become an essential part of teamwork and an inescapable tool of the modern workplace.

According to a September 2020 Statista report, “There was a more than 100% increase in the number of enterprise devices installed with collaboration apps at the end of March 2020 compared to pre-COVID level, and a 176% increase in mid-May, 2020.”

The use of messenger apps in the workplace offers more than just quick team messaging. Depending on the chat app of choice, a variety of benefits for corporate communication exist, allowing employees and team members to collaborate in an efficient manner.

“People love to chat. It’s human nature. But chat apps don’t provide the structure needed for sustainable productivity like lists and Kanban boards do” says Zenkit CEO Martin Welker. 

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The Dilemma of Messenger Apps and Productivity

Chat apps are wonderful fundamentally because they fulfil their purpose – enabling people to communicate with one another. But solely talking about work doesn’t equate to getting work done.

Good communication is about saying the right thing at the right time. When communicating at work, whether through messenger apps or during meetings, the aim of communicating is to assist in the action of work.

Face-to-face discussion is often the best way to foster connection between team members and build culture, however, a fixation on the act of conversing may prove a risk to productivity rather than an opportunity to make progress. Sometimes important information and tasks can be forgotten simply because of the lack of formal (meeting) documentation. Using a messaging app doesn’t necessarily solve this problem either. Tasks may get lost and forgotten about merely because the effort to relocate them in a chat thread can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Ultimately the question asked is whether being connected outweighs being productive.

While the use of communication apps to provide weekly status updates or quick peer opinions be a conservative, low-intensive practice, the pressure to stay connected is not. To suffice an ingrained request that our responses be as instant as the sending of a message through chat apps, there is a risk of a decline in productivity when new message notifications and demand to answer messages takes urgent priority over the work. Instant messaging is indeed instant, provides ease of use, and allows cross-team and remote team communication. But the swift and efficient method in sending and receiving information doesn’t equate to meaningful and productive communication for working.

And rather than utilizing messenger apps as tools to assist employees with their work, real-time communication can easily become the default response merely because communicating about work is easier than doing work.

This happens when the workplace values staying connected versus staying productive. Real-time, synchronous communication is disruptive and a productivity killer for employees who engage in deep work such as writing code, working creatively and solving complex problems.

Does Being Connected Outweigh Being Productive? 

There’s no debate that instant messaging is a genius innovation that enables swift and efficient communication across any real or virtual distance whether for personal or professional use. The creation of messenger apps changed how people communicate with one another, arguably for the better.

That said, good communication is good because of the quality of the communication. By switching to communicating via chat apps, the mode has merely been replaced with technology. Company policies can define the use of messenger apps in the workplace, but users still have ultimate control in deciding how their workflow is influenced by the various apps and guidelines. Users decide whether to let their workflow and their capacity of producing quality work be influenced by communication apps, whether in the office or at home. 

Finding the right balance between messenger apps benefitting teamwork and project progress, and risking a decline in workplace productivity is a difficult task. It’s a fine line that needs tuning through trial and error, no matter the size or experience of the company.

Further reading:

• Do productivity tools actually make you productive?
• How to ensure productivity software is actually making you productive

Final Thoughts

We regularly use chat in replace of email in our workplace. Using Zenchat allows our team to keep track of tasks in conversation, which is particularly helpful when working in project management. We all use this feature passionately in our chat app whether for updating our content calendar, marking our progress on marketing activities, or simply documenting developer stages. Which type of messenger app does your team use and why?

Cheers, 

Jessica and the Zenkit Team

Image credits: Canva Studio via Pexels, Global Digital Overview 2020 by We Are Social Inc., Chat GIF, Kim’s Convenience GIF

The post Messenger Apps: Genius Invention or Productivity Curse? appeared first on Zenkit.

As you may have already heard, Wunderlist is due to shut down on the 6th of May, 2020.

What’s significant about this shutdown—compared to other app shutdowns—is that Wunderlist’s discontinuation isn’t because of a decline in sales or poor user count. It had 13 million users and more than 1 billion to-dos at the time of the acquisition.

The popular list and task management app was acquired by Microsoft in 2015 and while many were hoping that the tech giant would somehow incorporate Wunderlist into their Office repertoire, it seems that after years of a “will they? Won’t they” scenario, they’ve decided to shut it down.

I get it, if I were a tech heavyweight with lots of cash and wanted to eliminate the competition, I’d have done just the same. And if I were a startup who created a product so successful that someone was willing to give me literal millions for it, I’d also have done what the Wunderlist founders did. After all, for some, the point of creating a startup is to eventually have the product or service sold for squillions, is it not?

While the acquisition was a happy day for the Wunderlist team, it was a sad day for many to-do list enthusiasts, as those who were familiar with Microsoft’s habit of buying small successful products and then discontinuing them feared that Wunderlist would suffer the same fate. And they were right.

So, to honour one of the most successful apps to come out of Germany, let’s take a look at how it all began and how it came to be.

The History of Wunderlist

“We launched it and literally had overnight success with it,” said 6Wunderkinder CEO Christian Reber on Wunderlist’s initial release. “We grew faster than we ever dreamed of and from then on, it became a serious product.” (source: Tech.eu)

Wunderlist was created in 2011 by Berlin-based startup 6Wunderkinder, fronted by founder and CEO, Christian Reber. The idea for the task management app came from the desire to “reinvent project management”.

You see, Wunderlist wasn’t what the six “wonder kids” (rough translation of the company name) first sought to create. What they wanted to develop was an all-in-one productivity app which merged workplaces, notes, profiles, and other collaborative tools to help with efficient teamwork. That app was Wunderkit.

During Wunderkit’s development, Reber realized that it was going to be a while until a fully-fledged app would be available. So, in the meantime, they released Wunderlist, the to-do list part of the all-in-one app, to keep customers interested.

And interested they were. Wunderlist turned into an overnight success. It took the app only nine months and two days to reach one million users! (For comparison, that’s a faster initial growth rate than huge companies like Twitter and Foursquare.)

The success can be attributed to the app’s simplicity and cloud-based flexibility. It is essentially a to-do list app that allows you to keep a record of your tasks, but its cross-platform and sharing features make it an excellent tool for collaboration.

Once Wunderkit was released in 2012, the young startup found it difficult to balance the two products. Later that year, Reber made the difficult decision to cease the development of Wunderkit so they could focus solely on Wunderlist.

“We were lost in perpetual discussions about how features should work and what they should look like. Unfortunately, we were never fully satisfied with the result. That was when we understood we had to make a decision, it’s either the one or the other. Either we focus on Wunderkit or Wunderlist — both would be too much of a challenge. In the end, the decision was pretty obvious, but it was still hard to make.” – Christian Reber

The decision wasn’t made in vain, as Wunderlist went on to enjoy many accolades including App of the Year in 2013 for their Mac app and Google Play’s Best Apps of 2014. Then, in 2015, it was acquired by Microsoft for a rumoured $100 million to $200 million.

The Journey to Microsoft To Do

If you’re a Wunderlist user, you’d know that the journey to Microsoft To Do hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. Microsoft planned to take the best features of Wunderlist and implement them into their very own list app called Microsoft To Do. But due to technical complications experienced during the transition, Wunderlist remained available online while Microsoft was getting itself together.

A lot of the issues were due to technical porting challenges. As Reber explained, “Wunderlist’s API runs on Amazon Web Services, and should then be ported to Azure. But that was extremely time-consuming, so everything had to be rewritten.”

There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of Wunderlist. While it was known that Microsoft would eventually retire it, an official date or announcement hadn’t been made, and the bumpy transition into Microsoft To Do left users very disheartened. It even reached a point where Reber offered to buy the app back to keep it running.

Considering Microsoft’s reputation for buying successful apps and then discontinuing them, fans and commentators said that Reber should have foreseen the fate of Wunderlist once he accepted their offer.

Since the official Wunderlist shutdown date was announced in December, new users are unable to register for an account. Existing users, however, will be able to work on the web, desktop, and mobile platforms until the 6th of May, 2020. What access users have after then is still unclear, but the apps will no longer sync across platforms. This signals Microsoft’s seriousness in discontinuing the beloved task management app.

Wunderlist’s Impact

At the time of its launch, Wunderlist was a hit with many users. In comparison to what was on offer on the market, it had an intuitive interface and a collection of impressive features. The list-sharing feature, especially, was a favourite. It turned the app into more than just a to-do list, but a tool for collaboration. Since then, many apps have followed suit and the collaborative productivity software market is still on the rise.

The success of Wunderlist didn’t just affect the productivity software market, but it also placed Berlin on the map as a credible place for starting a successful international business. 6Wunderkinder was the first Berlin startup to raise funding from Sequoia in California. Now, if you go to Berlin, you’ll find that there’s no room to swing a cat without knocking over someone who works for a startup.

Final Thoughts

Wunderlist’s story is inspiring, especially for German startups trying to make their mark (hi ). Perhaps the best thing about it is that Reber and the wonder kids didn’t try to recreate the wheel, but instead, gave customers what they wanted. They took an everyday tool and made it better. And in thinking about what customers wanted, they took their dream of “reinventing project management” and turned it into a multi-million dollar product that will be missed by many.

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit team

The post What Happened to Wunderlist? appeared first on Zenkit.

**Updated on 08.04.20 to provide instructions on how to import into Zenkit To Do**

Microsoft has finally announced when they will shut Wunderlist down for good. According to an article posted on Wunderlist’s blog this week, the app will be shut down on May 6th, 2020. They stated difficulty maintaining the app as it ages and an inability to guarantee that the app will work as it should, as reasons to finally pull the plug. In addition to no longer pushing updates to the app, it is now no longer possible to register for a new account.

What Does This Mean for Wunderlist Users?

Wunderlist users have until May 6th to move their data elsewhere, either by importing into To Do, or exporting it to upload to another app. The blog article states that –

“You can keep using Wunderlist while we keep supporting it. You’ll still be able to access your data – you can choose to export it, or import it into To Do. Of course, we’d love for you to continue your journey with Microsoft To Do.

After May 6th, your to-dos will no longer sync. For a period of time, you’ll still be able to import your lists into To Do. Starting today, we will no longer accept new Wunderlist sign-ups.”

The implication is that up until May 6th, users will be able to export their data to use in other apps. While they state that users planning to switch to Microsoft To Do will be able to do so after that date, there’s no guarantee that it will be possible to export data to other apps after this point. So, it’s up to you to switch over to a new tool before then!

Make the Switch to Zenkit To Do

For those of you looking for a Wunderlist alternative, you’re in luck! It’s super easy to move your Wunderlist data into Zenkit To Do using our direct import, and we’ve worked hard to pack To Do with many of your favourite Wunderlist features (like Favorites, subtasks, and that oh-so-satisfying chime when a task is checked off).

1. If you haven’t already, get your Zenkit To Do account (you can log in using your existing Zenkit login info)

2. At the bottom of the left-hand panel, click “Import from other apps”

3. Choose “Wunderlist”

4. Log in to Wunderlist if propted

5. Pick the lists you want to import.

That’s it! All your starred tasks, due dates, comments, attachments, inbox, folders and everything else will be imported and you can start working with them again right away!

Want to Try Zenkit Base Instead?

1. If you haven’t already, get your free Zenkit account.

2. Create a new collection and select ‘Import’, then ‘Wunderlist’.

3. Sign in to your Wunderlist account, then pick the lists you’d like to import.

4. Done! Continue using your lists in their brand-new home.

You can learn more about importing from Wunderlist in our Knowledge Base.

We’re always happy to welcome any new users on board, from Wunderlist or otherwise! If you ever have any questions about making the switch to Zenkit, please feel free to get in touch with our lovely support team via the chat bubble, or email service@zenkit.com.

Cheers,

Siobhan and the Zenkit Team

The post Wunderlist is Shutting Down on May 6th, 2020 appeared first on Zenkit.