It wasn’t the quirky SkiFree monster sweater we had hoped for. Or even a new line of 90s-nostalgia themed smartwatches.
Microsoft’s anticipated “softwear” Twitter announcement was just a Windows 95-themed ugly sweater giveaway. Thursday’s announcement simply asked followers of the official Window’s Twitter account to keep an eye on their DMs to see if they won one of the colorful Windows 95 sweaters.
On Wednesday, December 12, the official Windows Twitter account posted a somewhat cryptic tweet. The tweet (see above) was simply composed of a close-up photo of the old Windows 95 logo printed on a cozy white sweater and a brief message telling followers to “tune in tomorrow for a major ‘softwear’ announcement.”
Microsoft then revealed what it meant by “softwear” on Thursday, December 13. The close-up of the Windows 95 logo from the previous day’s tweet turned out to be a close-up of the exact promotional item the technology company intended to give away to “a few lucky fans.”
Introducing the latest #Windows95 custom "softwear."😉 Wish you could rock the #WindowsUglySweater? 👀 your DMs, because we're giving a few lucky fans one of their very own. pic.twitter.com/84kQLtYsF2
— Windows (@Windows) December 13, 2018
If you happen to love the look of this Windows 95 ugly sweater, you’re in good company. Most of Microsoft’s Twitter followers adore it too, enthusiastically reacting to the sweater giveaway announcement. Here are a couple of our favorites:
https://twitter.com/axha16/status/1073632115563094021
I’d wear the hell out of this and hum the startup and shut down 95 music every time I put it on and take it off #WindowsUglySweater #WheresMeJumper pic.twitter.com/rifKL5uTXf
— Laurie – Light Maven (@choiceIrregular) December 14, 2018
When the “softwear” announcement was first teased, we had half-wished for a SkiFree sweater, but mostly wanted a new (successful) line of smartwatches from Microsoft. We had hoped Wednesday’s sweater fabric tweet indicated a new line of wearable tech. (Bonus points if the watches or fitness trackers had Window 95-themed features or other 90s pop culture references. Slap bracelet watch bands anyone?)
While Microsoft has made a few steps into the smartwatch and fitness tracker market, it hasn’t found much success with developing either kind of product. The technology giant missed the boat by not following through with its Moonraker smartwatch idea. And the Microsoft Band fitness tracker unfortunately didn’t garner a positive reaction from consumers.
It wasn’t what we wanted, but the sweater isn’t the worst merch ever offered. The giveaway sweater falls into the “so ugly, it’s beautiful” category. If you want to bring a little 90s nostalgia into your next ugly sweater party, this one’s a solid choice.
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