After a relentless decade-long climb to more than 35 million global subscribers, the number of America Online users has slipped for the first time. Tucked in among the more dramatic announcements in its earnings release on Wednesday, the online division of AOL Time Warner reported the departure of 170,000 U.S. users — despite the splashy release of its latest software, version 8.0.
“While AOL is still the No. 1 online service in terms of reach and time spent online, it is losing relevance steadily,” said Dylan Brooks, an independent analyst of Internet service providers.
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