After May 31, 2005, MSN customers will no longer be able to access Microsoftis Internet service using its Mac OS X software, the company announced Friday. Mac customers who want to continue using the service will be able to tap into MSN and read their e-mail through any Web browser.

"MSN for Mac OS X Internet Software is whatis going away, so what customers who choose to stay with the service will then do is they will access the MSN features via a Web browser, essentially go through everything online and have their email online," a Microsoft spokesperson told TMO. "Theyill set up a my.msn.com homepage, [and] they will aggregate news in the same fashion that the Dashboard did in the software."

Microsoftis decision was due in part to the relatively small number of Mac OS X users who are MSN subscribers. "Essentially there just wasnit as much of a need for it anymore," the spokesperson said.

The move does not affect development of MSN Messenger for Mac OS X in "any way," the spokesperson stressed. "That is still being developed."

Microsoft has posted more information about the changes with MSN for Mac OS X on this page.

Brad Gibson contributed to this article.