Microsoft confirms acquisition of calendar app Sunrise for estimated US$100m

12 Feb 2015

Software giant Microsoft has confirmed the acquisition of Sunrise, maker of the popular next-generation calendar app for iOS and Android devices. It is understood Microsoft paid US$100m for the company.

Sunrise is an attractive and intuitive calendaring app that works across desktop and mobile devices.

The company was only started up in 2012 in New York by Jeremy Le Van and Pierre Valade.

It first emerged as a highly acclaimed iOS app and now works on Android as well as on Mac and PC desktops.

The app is adored for the quality of its user experience (UX) and no doubt Microsoft – in its quest to be adored – sees an opportunity in marrying good UX with productivity.

Microsoft will no doubt use the acquisition of Sunrise to transform how it delivers calendaring experiences, by pulling in more relevant information including news, weather and more, as well as changing how calendar information takes up real estate on the small screen.

Rethinking productivity

“Our goal is to better help people manage and make the most of their time in a mobile-first, cloud-first world,” explained Rajesh Jha, corporate vice president for Outlook and Office 365.”

He said the acquisition chimes in neatly with Microsoft recent acquisition of Acompli as well as Microsoft’s new touch-optimised universal Office apps for Windows 10.

He said it is all part of Microsoft’s mission to rethink productivity.

“Our goal is to create more meaningful, beautiful experiences in mobile email and calendaring across all platforms. And as you will hear in the video below, the creative talent and fresh thinking at Sunrise and Acompli will make a lasting impact on the Microsoft family as we seek to reinvent productivity,” Jha said.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com