<p>Thanks to skyrocketing signups, Gmail has become the biggest email provider on the Web, beating out Microsoft's combined Hotmail and Outlook.com, as well as Yahoo Mail. Will the newly unveiled Outlook.com help Microsoft take back the lead?</p><p>GeekWire reports that based on comScore-provided information, Gmail had almost 306 million unique visitors in December, 2012, an increase of 21% over the 252 million unique visitors it had in December of 2011. The combination of Hotmail and Outlook.com had a little over 305 million unique visitors for December, 2012, so fell to second place behind Gmail. Microsoft's Web-based mail service shrank from the previous year, according to comScore, when it had 317 million unique users. Yahoo's number of unique users also shrank from December 2011 to 2012, from just about 300 million to under 300 million.</p><p>The rise of Gmail explains why Microsoft launched its "Scroogled" campaign that targets what the campaign says is Gmail's privacy-invading practices.</p><p>Today Microsoft officially took Outlook.com out of its preview phase. All Hotmail users will be automatically converted to the new Outlook.com service, although they'll have the option to keep their Hotmail addresses. Microsoft expects the conversion to be completed by the summer.</p><p><a href="http://blogs.computerworld.com/web-apps/21804/microsoft-loses-out-gmail-king-web-based-mail-can-outlookcom-take-back-throne">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/19/gmail-vs-outlook_n_2714205.html">Outloook vs. Gmail: Microsoft Begins Huge Ad Push Against Google</a> (Huffington Post)</p><p><a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2013/02/19/microsoft-casts-doubt-on-gmail-privacy.html">Microsoft casts doubt on Gmail privacy</a> (Columbus Dispatch)</p><p><a href="http://ibnlive.in.com/news/microsofts-outlookcom-review-good-but-not-as-revolutionary-as-googles-gmail/374098-11.html">Microsoft&#039;s Outlook.com review: Good, but not as revolutionary as Google&#039;s Gmail</a> (IBNLive)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dQAbAsqbOhQmj8MTsMZZj4F7RyEPM&ned=us">623 additional articles.</a></p>