tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post5556132894380295258..comments2024-03-11T07:06:28.190-07:00Comments on Mobile Opportunity: Has Microsoft Gone Nuts?Michael Macehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-2907558367822088422014-02-10T14:03:02.290-08:002014-02-10T14:03:02.290-08:00[...continued]
A fully unified ecosystem like this...[...continued]<br />A fully unified ecosystem like this makes the 'three screens' promise much more compelling. A phone, tablet, computer, and Xbox that all work together seamlessly actually does hold interest to more than just engineers. But unifying the codebase is only the first step towards that. The products must be unified, so that everything shares together. Microsoft is beginning to take baby steps in this direction, but it's not enough. <br /><br />Most importantly, what Microsoft needs is a strategic visionary who can set the tone for the company. I'm feeling optimistic about Satya Nadella. His double 'cloud and mobile' emphasis is still only a promise, but makes me feel a lot better about the long-term prospects of OneDrive, OneNote Skype, and WinPhone, which I feel are some of the best products to come out of the company. <br /><br />For Windows, I feel like hoping he'll reverse recent changes is a bit of a pipe dream. At the very least, I'm hoping he will continue with the Metro vision, and really push it forward to a touch-friendly UI that is available from 40-inch TV screens to laptops to tablets to phones to ereaders, even. The Metro UI needs to mature and strengthen -- and win32 needs to die, but only when Metro is strong enough to pick up the banner. <br /><br />With this unified, strong ecosystem, Microsoft is finally in a position to compete not just with Apple's high-quality devices that 'just work,' but also the stunning gamut of Google services that reap such valuable advertising dollars for the company. I'm not visionary enough to propose the answer to Matt's 'third-front' question, but I think what I've proposed will at least stop the hemorrhaging on the two fronts that Microsoft is already facing. From there, they will be in a position to strike that third ground. <br /><br />Andrewasdfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316467884850300896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-63044646538454358792014-02-10T14:02:29.775-08:002014-02-10T14:02:29.775-08:00I've been a cheerleader for Windows 8 since it...I've been a cheerleader for Windows 8 since it launched. Like other comments, I saw a lot of promise in the converged future that Windows 8 was promising -- if executed properly. Windows 8 was solid, 8.1 even better (though it made some worrying concessions), and since then made terrifying changes with the Threshold update.<br /><br />What I've championed since the beginning of Windows 8 is the strengthening and improving of Metro. Instead of wasting valuable time making concessions for win32, Microsoft should have been charging ahead with Metro so that it is strong enough to replace win32. At the moment, it still isn't. We have no Explorer for Metro, no Office for Metro, nor any of the <i>first-party</i> applications that Windows has on win32. <br /><br />I think the Metro environment shows a lot of promise on desktops/laptops. Some of the recent apps like NextGen reader (which toggles between two 'touch' and 'desktop' views, but both fully in Metro mode), and even Microsoft's own xBox Music (which, while still very limiting in function, manages to at least arrange its interface clearly and understandably for both touch and desktop. <br /><br />But instead of the Metro environment becoming more robust, it has stagnated, and the innovation that we were promised hasn't materialized. Microsoft has moved like molasses even in replacing their win32 apps. Absolutely crucial for Windows 8 adoption a full environment that can replace Win32 -- a fresh start. This is a herculean task, but definitely possible, especially with Microsoft's manpower. Users have rejected Windows 8 not because it was new (Like DOS-->Windows, that uproar would die down), but because it is <i>inadequate</i>, and continues to be so. <br /><br />Microsoft, in short, attacks the problem from the wrong end. Instead of dumbing down the desktop to tablet levels, the tablet must reach desktop-level functionality in a touch-friendly environment. Windows 8 originally promised a tantalizing glimpse of this possibility. In this scenario, not only would a tablet be capable of everything a desktop can do (whether it's frequently used or not), but a desktop would still be capable of everything it's always done. <br /><br />One suggestion I made early on was a slider like gMail's 'Cozy-->Comfortable-->Compact' views, which on-the-fly adapt the layout between a more touch-friendly, whitespaced version, and a compact, mouse version. I'm no coder, but WinRT seems to have the flexibility needed to adjust the UI like this on the fly. <br /><br />On a broader strategy level, Microsoft needs to work over-time on getting their services integrated, "It just works." Regardless of the playing field that Matt mentioned (the three-way Apple, Google, and Microsoft), the advantage that both opponents share is the 'it just works' philosophy. Apple is famous for this standard, and Google has recently made great strides (with questionable results as of yet) with their Google+ account integration, and the Android project as a whole. Microsoft needs to imitate that cohesion. OneDrive should be available on all Microsoft hardware. Office is there by default -- not promised for years and years as is the case for Metro. <br /><br />[continued]asdfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316467884850300896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-6290950296046936752014-02-10T14:02:05.752-08:002014-02-10T14:02:05.752-08:00I've been a cheerleader for Windows 8 since it...I've been a cheerleader for Windows 8 since it launched. Like other comments, I saw a lot of promise in the converged future that Windows 8 was promising -- if executed properly. Windows 8 was solid, 8.1 even better (though it made some worrying concessions), and since then made terrifying changes with the Threshold update.<br /><br />What I've championed since the beginning of Windows 8 is the strengthening and improving of Metro. Instead of wasting valuable time making concessions for win32, Microsoft should have been charging ahead with Metro so that it is strong enough to replace win32. At the moment, it still isn't. We have no Explorer for Metro, no Office for Metro, nor any of the <i>first-party</i> applications that Windows has on win32. <br /><br />I think the Metro environment shows a lot of promise on desktops/laptops. Some of the recent apps like NextGen reader (which toggles between two 'touch' and 'desktop' views, but both fully in Metro mode), and even Microsoft's own xBox Music (which, while still very limiting in function, manages to at least arrange its interface clearly and understandably for both touch and desktop. <br /><br />But instead of the Metro environment becoming more robust, it has stagnated, and the innovation that we were promised hasn't materialized. Microsoft has moved like molasses even in replacing their win32 apps. Absolutely crucial for Windows 8 adoption a full environment that can replace Win32 -- a fresh start. This is a herculean task, but definitely possible, especially with Microsoft's manpower. Users have rejected Windows 8 not because it was new (Like DOS-->Windows, that uproar would die down), but because it is <i>inadequate</i>, and continues to be so. <br /><br />Microsoft, in short, attacks the problem from the wrong end. Instead of dumbing down the desktop to tablet levels, the tablet must reach desktop-level functionality in a touch-friendly environment. Windows 8 originally promised a tantalizing glimpse of this possibility. In this scenario, not only would a tablet be capable of everything a desktop can do (whether it's frequently used or not), but a desktop would still be capable of everything it's always done. <br /><br />One suggestion I made early on was a slider like gMail's 'Cozy-->Comfortable-->Compact' views, which on-the-fly adapt the layout between a more touch-friendly, whitespaced version, and a compact, mouse version. I'm no coder, but WinRT seems to have the flexibility needed to adjust the UI like this on the fly. <br /><br />On a broader strategy level, Microsoft needs to work over-time on getting their services integrated, "It just works." Regardless of the playing field that Matt mentioned (the three-way Apple, Google, and Microsoft), the advantage that both opponents share is the 'it just works' philosophy. Apple is famous for this standard, and Google has recently made great strides (with questionable results as of yet) with their Google+ account integration, and the Android project as a whole. Microsoft needs to imitate that cohesion. OneDrive should be available on all Microsoft hardware. Office is there by default -- not promised for years and years as is the case for Metro. <br /><br />[continued]asdfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316467884850300896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-18755811394112326422014-01-14T04:49:02.910-08:002014-01-14T04:49:02.910-08:00I was really excited by the new design language in...I was really excited by the new design language in windows phone, and assumed that MS with Nokia were committed to making it work as a 'do or die' project.<br />As a result, I ported one of my apps to windows phone on the assumption that the developer rewards would pick up.<br /><br />My experience has been tiny sales and a system that seems to have been more or less abandoned. It is as if getting WP released was the huge high-priority project, but that 90% of the developers were moved elsewhere after launch day. <br /><br />In fact, the launch was no more than an start in the marathon event of trying to catch up to android & iOS. Microsoft seem to have given up shortly after belatedly joining the race.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10451162255006069715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-61365185815458020272014-01-09T06:34:55.817-08:002014-01-09T06:34:55.817-08:00@Matt,
Whoever you are, bravo!
You should actuall...@Matt,<br /><br />Whoever you are, bravo!<br />You should actually talk to next MS CEO :-DChanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-8046446601985021992014-01-08T06:06:04.601-08:002014-01-08T06:06:04.601-08:00[continued -- last bit, I promise]
If I'm rig...[continued -- last bit, I promise]<br /><br />If I'm right in this interpretation, then the CEO's job is to streamline the organisation behind those two big tasks, ensure that execution of each is *perfection* (and it'll need to be to come from behind in both areas), and make sure that all the potential synergies between the two are delivered.<br /><br />The alternative is that the new CEO needs to be someone who has identified that currently empty playing field of opportunity, that virgin industry sector or market that no one else has spotted yet, and also knows why Microsoft has the people and IPR assets to make it their own. Then they'll just have to reorganise the company to deliver it fast enough tht they can still do it earlier and better than any of their current competitors or insurgents who aren't even on the radar yet.<br /><br />Either of the above is a tall order, and asks big questions of the executive search process, to say the least. And in the end, maybe I'm way off beam here and Microsoft is actually just nuts. In which case, their future is in histories of business and technology in the closing decades of the 20th and early years of the 21st century. One day I might write one...<br /><br />best regards,<br />Matt<br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08446679922140956477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-28110014622513044402014-01-08T06:05:04.133-08:002014-01-08T06:05:04.133-08:00[...continued]
Microsoft faces multiple challenge...[...continued]<br /><br />Microsoft faces multiple challenges. The first, which has been around for a while but is really biting now, is that its competitors, although they're playing different games, have destroyed MS's traditional software sales business model as collateral damage. Apple's basic business model is secure -- someone is always going be able to make a profit on selling hardware; for Google, the basic business model of advertising has survived a century or so already, even if their specific "valuing eyeballs" approach feels a bit dot-com boom at times, and their veiled "real" model of inflating the share price with "if you build it they will come" innovation is even more smoke and mirrors (but not, at least, as bad as Facebook's…)<br /><br />In this context, perhaps some of what Microsoft has done looks less nuts. Maybe, with Nokia, they are trying to grab a piece of the "high margin consumer electronics" revenues that Apple don't get (Nokia, after all, is probably the only company from the "old" mobile sector that really built strong brand equity in quality, reliability and performance and invented the "premium" mobile segment). Market segment by market segment, with most consumers Nokia can still command a premium over Samsung devices, especially when customers actually pay for their devices rather than getting them free and subsidised.<br /><br />And maybe giving away the operating system and bundling free services might be a way to take the fight more directly to Google, getting eyeballs into the MS ecosystem instead.<br /><br />If they're really lucky, they might even get synergy between the two, and use gateway devices (eg XBox) to create switchers to the Microsoft ecosystem who then buy Lumia smartphones, Nokia phones for their kids and Surface tablets.<br /><br />So, I don't think Microsoft has gone nuts. They're trying to address the fundamental problem that the business model that the company was built on has been blasted apart by two guys who are trying to do something completely different. To my mind, they seem to be doing it by trying to at least start playing the same games as those guys. The alternative would be to try to find a third, innovative "different game" that has a viable business model, which Microsoft is well-qualified to play and win at, and that its team can pick up the rules of very quickly -- and which won't be crushed underfoot in its infancy in another collateral damage incident spawned by the Apple-Google main event.<br /><br />The task for the new CEO is to try to make sense of all this, and get the whole company to execute. I don't think that "war on two fronts" approach is unwinnable, but it's surely pretty hard. Nokia has to outfight Apple on the premium, innovative, beautifully designed, high-margin product front, and the MS-ecosystem behemoth has to adapt to a give it away free and count the eyeballs business model. But Nokia makes good hardware, Winphone is a nice OS, and if nothing else, the MS ecosystem has reach and eyeballs already across the home, desktops and corporates -- and the phones are even starting to sell.<br /><br />[TBC...]Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08446679922140956477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-57093949321585274482014-01-08T06:00:55.142-08:002014-01-08T06:00:55.142-08:00I'm not going to get into the relative merits ...I'm not going to get into the relative merits of Windows, IOS or Android, on whatever computing device. I think Microsoft's problem is something different...<br /><br />Back in the day, if you were a car maker, you competed for customers in the market for cars. All your competitors had the same basic business model (sell car, make profit), the same sort of costs (components, running assembly lines, distribution, advertising etc), and the same routes to market (dealer networks with showrooms, test drives etc) usually located in close proximity.<br /><br />That used to be the case in the telco sector, the software sector, the consumer electronics sector and the rest as well.<br /><br />There is no well-defined, bounded "telco” sector, “software sector" or “CE Sector” any more.<br /><br />Microsoft's problem is that their traditional business model was to sell expensive Office software to end consumers, via OEM or direct sales, license OS software to vendors, and sell volume licenses and bundles of "high value" software suites to corporate clients. The company was engineered around that model. And it used to compete with, say Lotus, Oracle and those kinds of guys. Very successfully.<br /><br />Today, though, who are Microsoft's "competitors" that we are all discussing? Apple, a highly profitable maker of high-margin consumer electronic devices that are selling by the shedload, which uses software and services to "sweeten" the perceived value of these nice objects still further. Apple doesn't really care about software revenues: they're prepared to "defer" $1bn. of iWork revenue by making it free, to turn into increased iPad sales down the line. Apple's main interest is in creating "switchers" to the Apple ecosystem, starting with one "gateway" device (as in "drug", not "router"), like an iPhone or iPad, which is then shortly followed by an Apple TV, Time Capsule, a couple of Airports and eventually a Macbook Air, 'cos it's all so much EASIER when you drink the Kool-Aid.<br /><br />And the second competitor is Google, whose revenue comes from advertising, and which depends on simply getting as many people in front of as many of their services as they can. It's all about the Adwords, friends. For them, the population engaging with their service ecosystem is the key, and making the services free, and giving away Android to embed those services on a range of devices outside the traditional desktop/browser, like phones, tablets, set-top boxes and smart TVs makes complete sense. And you could probably argue that in Google's case, even the actual revenue is a "second-order" goal -- the primary one being to drive shareholder value based on market cap, which is driven not only (or even mainly) by proven revenues, but by sentiment that Google is so innovative that one day in the future the revenues will come because they own sectors we can only dream of today, which explains the "shoot for the moon" projects in robotics and self-driving cars... They may look like crazy, blue-skies pie in the sky futurology, but actually they are driving real shareholder value TODAY (and probably more so than they will if they ever actually deliver a nuts and bolts business).<br /><br />So where does that leave Microsoft? It's competitors, annoyingly, are on the same playing field, but they're both playing different games, trying to score in different goals, and using different playing equipment. Microsoft's trying to score an end run while Apple is blocking the field with a bobsled track, and Google has filled the defensive half with the world's largest Scrabble tournament.<br /><br />[TBC]Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08446679922140956477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-29668250885603731512013-12-29T05:30:06.414-08:002013-12-29T05:30:06.414-08:00If these are any reliable sources.. plus Android a...If these are any reliable sources.. plus Android and iOS device sales sure signals troubles for MS<br /><br />http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/print/9245050/Chromebooks_success_punches_Microsoft_in_the_gutChanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-90594109225097550232013-12-25T02:11:10.381-08:002013-12-25T02:11:10.381-08:00I think Microsoft's concept of a single user i...I think Microsoft's concept of a single user interface across all devices is a good one and the fact that RT doesn't run win32 progs is not a big deal, afterall no one expects an ipad to run OSX progs. The real issue is that Microsoft's marketing department can't seem to communicate the concept without confusing the consumer.<br /><br />ps lose the capcha, it's unreadable!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-43914899231003279342013-12-24T22:04:50.933-08:002013-12-24T22:04:50.933-08:00Great analysis! This is something that has been bo...Great analysis! This is something that has been bothering me as well. I really don't know what to make out of all the news that is coming out on Microsoft. Back when WP7 came out I wanted to buy it, but wasn't sure if the platform had a future. And my fears were right when it was announced that existing WP7 devices wouldn't upgrade to WP8 and I ended up with Android which I am happy with.<br /><br />And now when Windows Phone has matured and stabilized Microsoft seems to be in a disarray again making me think twice on whether I should go for it or not. What if the new CEO has different plans? All these news is simply making buyers (at least like me) go back on their plans to switch to Windows Phone.Naveenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13749813125193888405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-14983263677573644772013-12-23T15:16:40.918-08:002013-12-23T15:16:40.918-08:00@Curtis Gray: There are a lot of very fanatical an...@Curtis Gray: There are a lot of very fanatical anti-Microsoft people on the internet - Apple worshipers, Linux dead-enders, and so forth who have been harping on their personal obsessions for decades. I don't know if you're one of them.<br /><br />What I do know is that most of us only care what works best want the best possible products and services. Windows 8.1 is now the best mobile operating system on the market. <br /><br />Suggesting that Microsoft should abandon Windows and focus on providing apps for iOS and Android users is lunacy. Every time I see that kind of comment, I interpret it this way: there are things that you can only realistically get from Microsoft, and you want this things on your non-Windows platform so you can continue being the anti-Microsoft guy while admitting that there are certain things (many things in fact) for which Apple and Android completely suck, and have no solution.<br /><br />If you want to get away from the Windows desktop, guess what? They've got a new touch interface, and they've got mobile devices. That's partly what the article is about, and you'd have be living under a rock to not know it.<br /><br />Their current approach is absolutely the correct one, and they're carrying it out with a level of quality that is unmatched by the alternatives. The problem is that they've been slow to market. Which is reportedly the primary reason Ballmer stepped down. The board liked the direction the company was going, but wanted a faster timetable. Ballmer apparently concluded he was out of gas and decided to let somebody else handle it.<br /><br />They are on the right track. They just need to not screw it up.JoeS54noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-55968919120535702352013-12-23T11:26:29.731-08:002013-12-23T11:26:29.731-08:00Hard to imagine what the leadership at Microsoft i...Hard to imagine what the leadership at Microsoft is thinking. They are blowing an enormous opportunity. They were once the smartest company in the industry (and the most ruthlessly competitive). The company's roots are in cross-platform applications that are tightly integrated with one another. Tight integration is what makes Office so popular. For example, drag a document into a spreadsheet and vice-versa; easy-peasy. The Exchange and Server products are nearly flawless when combined with the desktop applications. This is still true today.<br /><br />Somewhere along the way Microsoft lost their mojo and put all of their chips on Windows: a sensible move when Windows is dominant and there is no real competitor in sight.<br /><br />But not now.<br /><br />Android and iOS share the end-user computing platform landscape with Windows. Worst of all, people (and competitors) are actively looking for a way to eliminate the Windows desktop from their lives. Microsoft is responding to this with panicky organizational moves, shrill press announcements and flailing product launches.<br /><br />None of this makes any sense. The solution to their problems is to go back to what made them great in the first place.<br /><br />Microsoft should be offering the very best (and lightweight) native email, calendar, and contact management app in the industry. It should be tightly integrated with everything from Exchange to Gmail. It should run on absolutely everything you use: Windows, iOS, Android, Web, Blackberry, Windows RT, Xbox, everything. And not just the latest, but the most dominant versions of these platforms. <br /><br />That app should be like Netflix: everywhere, on everything, all the time. Switch phones, carriers, OS's, platforms and keep all of your contacts, email settings, and calendaring in sync using a single username/password. Google does this now, but only on Android and web.<br /><br />The experience should be absolutely flawless and distinctively Microsoft. This is a no brainer.<br /><br />I repeat the original question: what are they thinking?<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08236677379021371008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-4269372333230006102013-12-23T10:13:29.684-08:002013-12-23T10:13:29.684-08:00@Chan: I already told you the numbers, you can loo...@Chan: I already told you the numbers, you can look them up your self if you don't believe me. Desktop and laptop PC sales have been declining, but they are still outselling tablets. There are projections that tablets will surpass them, but that hasn't materialized yet.<br /><br />For personal, recreational computing tasks, phones and tablets are obviously seeing a lot of adoption. For business and productivity, Microsoft still has a strong advantage, and they are moving in the right direction to capitalize on it. They have been slow to get there, without a doubt. The big explosion in phones was something they were ill-prepared for, and Apple and Google got a headstart on tablets as a result. But if you think 'mission critical' apps are going to some other OS when Windows has a viable option, I think you're dreaming.<br /><br />And as I said above, their offerings in touch and cloud ecosystem are now significantly superior to Apple and Google.<br /><br />JoeS54noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-2191141805200288412013-12-23T09:13:27.614-08:002013-12-23T09:13:27.614-08:00Also I see another interesting thing happening tha...Also I see another interesting thing happening that I have run Android and iOS emulators on the Mac<br /><br />Surprisingly mobile apps people love so much on their phones and tablets runs pretty much the same on the desktop environment with mouse and keyboard so may be Android desktop will find more success among commons than Linux.<br /><br />On contrast none of the legacy Windows apps are usable on touch devices unless re engineered. <br /><br />This interestingly taking us another direction that mobile apps taking over the desktop scenario for most of the consumer apps<br /><br />We have seen this iOSification of Mac OS X apps of Reeder/ email clientsChanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-91718462781281498662013-12-23T06:25:38.880-08:002013-12-23T06:25:38.880-08:00@JoeS54
I would like to be wrong on this, but buy...@JoeS54<br /><br />I would like to be wrong on this, but buy and large paradigm shift in computing is rapidly taking place.<br /><br />The desktop, MS main business is no longer relevant.<br /><br />Desktops have saturated to a point all the PC makers from Dell to China is having a ever shrinking PC sales and not going o be recovered as it seems now. Making it Metro makes matters worse.<br /><br />Meanwhile even though you tend to disagree with us most of the none productive computing work is "already" shifted to smartphones and tablets on the consumer/household market whether you accepted it or not. <br /><br />Only remaining piece is the office productivity and the enterprise. And I see more and more people now do their presentation meeting stuff on tablets. Next wave will be mission critical app wave.<br /><br />Education and sales almost all going to tablets now.<br /><br />Only renaming part is back office functions, special tasks, and professional and content creation is largely done on desktop.<br /><br />Even there are some journalists now don't go much to the back office just post them from tablets, get back the art department work back to their iPads and approve it right away. Easy world.<br /><br />PC are more and more going to the back office and could systems giving the front face to the tablets and smartphones. It is more and more becoming virtual and VPN stuff that you no longer need a PC to do the real thing.<br /><br />I think this is the problem you don't see and what MS has to counter with.<br /><br />There are very few productivity areas that are yet to be taken over by the could. Like specific creative work, labs, pre-press, production, music like <br /><br />The freaking thing I don't understand is why the hell MS did all the wonderful Metro thing (making windows touch friendly) but did not do that to the MS Office.<br /><br />For the recode I can pretty well run full MS Office (Windows/ MAc OS) from my iPad without a hitch either as VPN, Remote desktop, or by a cloud service like CloudOn.The nightmare is that MS Office is NOT touch friendly enough people start using Google Colud and iWork more and more.<br /><br />And soon I am sure even the desktop destined Adobe Creative suite, XCode like developer IDEs, specific desktop applications, tools will all get touch friendly interfaces and pushed out from a cloud that you no longer needs the desktop.<br /><br />It's happening already for most of the part.<br /><br />MS has to accept desktop matters less and less and should try to leverage their other core strengths (MS Office/ Services) untethered from Windows and give a run for Goggle and Apple services.<br /><br />That is the biggest opportunity they are missing. I hope they will push Office 360 more.<br /><br />There is virtually no space for MS to grow the Windows business. Google and Apple (Mac OS) has commoditized and ended the OS sales for good.<br /><br />And also not to be taken lightly that Apple just made their iOS 64bit that all the heavy stuff can easily be brought in to iPad by the developers.<br /><br />On the other hand Google making Chrome desktop, Acer likes making Android desktops, iPad is rumored to be getting a Pro upgrade that everything puts the last nails to the MS desktop business.<br /><br />MS has huge business no question, but it can't grow no more. So the legacy desktop application eco-system can no longer grow even if you have high hopes for Surface Pro. And when the Android and iOS so much appealing MS can't push their developers enough to re-write their legacy windows apps touch friendly (or Metro)<br /><br />Nokia and BB was huge in 2007, now where are they? <br /><br />Apple won because they were willing to risk all their iPod business to iPhone, Mac business to iPad.<br /><br />MS should do the same to stay in the business. Period.Chanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-24204226601317556252013-12-22T20:51:46.499-08:002013-12-22T20:51:46.499-08:00Best thing for Micro$oft to do? Forget phones, its...Best thing for Micro$oft to do? Forget phones, its not their thing. Focus on business, PC, and laptop users by revisiting Windows 7, improving on it, and get back to offering what their traditional customer base likes.Joe Blowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506887879269294079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-23807521537640735242013-12-22T20:51:11.968-08:002013-12-22T20:51:11.968-08:00@Chan: To the extent that I understand what you...@Chan: To the extent that I understand what you're saying, my response is this: iPad are far too expensive for what they do. Android tablets do the same things for much less, and Windows 8 tablets do much more for the same price.<br /><br />I'm aware that some people are trying to use iPads in professional settings, but that is not what they're made for, and they're not cost-effective for it. The arts and media have always been the one area where Apple has seen widespread professional use. That goes back long before the existence of the iPad, or even the iPod. But even there, the iPad is still a novelty item.<br /><br />In the long run, if tablets see widespread adoption for productivity (which remains to be seen), it's going to be Windows tablets. There is no other player even in the same ballpark.<br /><br />Microsoft is a big ship that turns slowly, and Apple and Google have gotten a headstart. But tablet sales as a whole are still below desktop and laptop PC sales, even though the market saturation of desktops and laptops is complete. Everybody who could conceivably want one already has one, and it's a question of getting them to upgrade. And they're still outselling tablets, which most people don't yet own.<br /><br />Smartphones have seen truly massive sales, far beyond PCs. But tablets have not. The two should not be confused just because they often run the same OS. The weakness of Android and Apple tablets is that they run phone OSes. In the long run I do not believe they will be dominant.JoeS54noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-78168108590608164652013-12-22T19:09:58.365-08:002013-12-22T19:09:58.365-08:00Gosh... You are Joes 54
Sure enough people do i...Gosh... You are Joes 54 <br /><br />Sure enough people do in need of post pc productivity tool that is the argument of the article <br /><br />And you are in a dream world dating tablets are extension of a smartphone mobile is. <br />Even Android tablet market is booming and you probably have not used iPad and have not seen some professionals have completely revolutionised their workflow with iPad optimised touch apps<br /><br />I personally know few of music producers, doctors, field officers, photographers who have revolutionised their workflow with iPad. <br /><br />Yours truly MS with surface pro doesn't being in that to pros and doesn't sell is the point hereChanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-24042024753968622272013-12-22T17:12:05.733-08:002013-12-22T17:12:05.733-08:00Why WinRT has that strange limited "classic&q...Why WinRT has that strange limited "classic" desktop?<br /><br />I think the reason is, that Microsoft themselves still have no idea how to express their own Microsoft Office using their new Metro UX language.<br /><br />And this is the big fundamental problem not only for the Microsoft themselves but also for every software vendor out there building something more complex as just an "simple" phone app with (figuratively speaking) three options and five buttons.<br /><br />So, I think they will need to rethink their unified UX strategy. Or they will remain stuck with something what falls between two stools.<br /><br />in my opinion, Metro as it is right now is too dogmatic (no compromise) for a real world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-31904147999818145652013-12-22T14:10:08.023-08:002013-12-22T14:10:08.023-08:00Very well put, Joe. Thanks for posting.Very well put, Joe. Thanks for posting.Michael Macehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-46720381105526369662013-12-22T11:01:53.936-08:002013-12-22T11:01:53.936-08:00@MichaelMace:
The way I see it, Microsoft has don...@MichaelMace:<br /><br />The way I see it, Microsoft has done what they had to do with Windows and its other products and services, but it was never going to happen without bumps in the road. They still need to refine the approach, but they're on the right track. And in my opinion, they're actually ahead of the game.<br /><br />As an observer and consumer, the only thing I've seen happen in the past few years is explosive sales of cheap smartphones running Android, and Apple stagnating and beginning to drift without Steve Jobs. In a bad economy with wary consumers, I think Microsoft has positioned itself well for the future, even if it hasn't paid off yet.<br /><br />There are many reasons why Windows 8 has seen a slow adoption rate, all of them reasonable. People installing it on a system without a touch screen are not going to experience most of the benefits. PC hardware has improved over time, and software complexity has slowed, to the point where the upgrade cycle for PCs has slowed. With consumer dollars tight, cheaper tablets and phones are more appealing. But I still think they had to do what they did, and I think the quality of what they've produced is significantly superior to the competition.<br /><br />I don't know how they crack the nut of phones, or even if they can. I think phones are a very different device from full PCs and even tablets. But standardizing their interface and code base as much as possible across all form factors is the best route to get there. I will consider a Windows Phones next time around, especially if Apple continues to stagnate.<br /><br />JoeS54noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-33650543863409154672013-12-22T02:35:50.296-08:002013-12-22T02:35:50.296-08:00JoeS54 wrote:
>>This article is not analysi...<b>JoeS54 wrote:</b><br /><br /><i>>>This article is not analysis, it's an anti-Microsoft rant. </i><br /><br />I’m sorry you see it that way, Joe. As I’ve said in several other articles, I want Microsoft to succeed in mobile; we need more diversity in the market, and I think there is room for multiple standards. But I think they’re on the wrong track (or several wrong tracks in this case).<br /><br /><br /><i>>>the "Metro" interface is the best touch interface on the market, by a mile. </i><br /><br />If used as a pure tablet OS, I think there’s a lot to be said for it. I was incredibly excited when Microsoft previewed it (and said so in this blog). That made me even more disappointed when I got the beta and saw how awkwardly Microsoft had married it with Win32.<br /><br />I don't know what Microsoft's thinking was, but it seemed as if Microsoft lacked the confidence that users would adopt Metro voluntarily, and so they deliberately crippled or removed parts of Win32 in order to force users to interact with Metro. That forced touch-ification of desktop users made them feel like second-class citizens and penalized adoption of Windows 8.<br /><br />It was a huge, fundamental error on Microsoft's part. If you want to see the result, read Sachi's comment above.<br /><br /><br /><i>>>iOS and Android are modeled on the old Windows desktop</i><br /><br />Joe, you’re making some legitimate points; there’s no need to spoil it by engaging in spin. If iOS was modeled on any desktop, it’d be the Mac desktop, not the Windows one. And I don’t think the fact that iOS has app icons makes it a copy of any desktop. Give Apple credit for the substantial originality in their work, especially the way they thought through how a finger-driven interface should work.<br /><br />Acknowledging the success of a competitor doesn’t take anything away from the substantial coolness and originality in Metro.<br /><br />As for Android, yeah they’ve kind of admitted modeling much of its look after iOS. <br /><br /><br /><i>>>the Surface line has apparently had a very strong Holiday shopping season</i><br /><br />If so, I’ll be happy for Microsoft. But I don’t think anyone could argue that Surface, and Windows 8, have achieved the very high expectations that Microsoft set for them at launch.<br /><br /><br /><i>>>I must be a fool though, because according to the article Microsoft is going bankrupt</i><br /><br />I did not say that. Microsoft is not going broke. Its challenge is that the stock price hasn’t been increasing, and investors are becoming more and more impatient with that. Ten years or so ago, a huge chunk of the company’s stock was still controlled by insiders, so it didn’t matter what anyone outside thought. But the situation has changed, and I think the forced departure of Steve Ballmer is a sign that investor pressures are coming into play.<br /><br /><br /><i>>>and should be broken up and sold off for parts. </i><br /><br />I didn’t say that either. I think there’s a strong risk that’s going to happen, because it’s the obvious biz school thing to do. But it’s not what I recommend, or what I want.<br /><br />To survive investor pressure and not get broken up, Microsoft needs to start growing again. And I think the best chance they have to do that is through fundamental innovation in functionality, not just messing with the underlying code bases.Michael Macehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17966107280587843091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-25360175322700570092013-12-22T01:38:21.835-08:002013-12-22T01:38:21.835-08:00I am one of the Window desktop users that is pisse...I am one of the Window desktop users that is pissed at Microsoft. The reason a tablet has a touch screen instead of a mouse is because people were not going to drag a mouse with them wherever they went. A desktop machine with a mouse is 10 times more productive than a touch screen. The new interface insults my intelligence. The touch screen is a downgrade not an upgrade. I also am pissed that they said they would put the start button back in. The teased us and then gave us a button that did almost nothing. Whoever decided to downgrade the desktop to low performance level of a tablet was nuts. I see tablet fan boys that probably only play games all day saying how wonderful win8 is but if you have real work to do the new win8 sucks. I want my OS to improve not to devolve. The Win8 rollout really reminds me of OBAMACARE. I want what I had before because I do not want to embrace the SUCK!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15877029817620474541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17898384.post-14269696571113727802013-12-21T09:29:54.985-08:002013-12-21T09:29:54.985-08:00I try to be objective when looking at any situatio...I try to be objective when looking at any situation. I must be in the minority. This article is not analysis, it's an anti-Microsoft rant. <br /><br />I held off on buying a tablet for a long time. Having owned and heavily used both an iPhone and a Samsung Galaxy S4, I saw no point in spending hundreds of dollars on a large device running a phone OS. Microsoft got me to finally buy a tablet with the Surface Pro 2.<br /><br />Best device I've ever owned. More importantly with respect to the article, the "Metro" interface is the best touch interface on the market, by a mile. iOS and Android are modeled on the old Windows desktop, while Windows has come up with something completely new. <br /><br />It seems to me that a lot of people are following shiny objects rather than looking at things as a whole. Smartphone sales have been astronomical. There has been a lot of money made there, so it's understandable that it would get a lot of attention. The problem is that tablet sales have not been anywhere near as huge, and indeed have still not eclipsed desktop and laptop PC sales. A lot of people are claiming they will, but it isn't happening yet. And the Surface line has apparently had a very strong Holiday shopping season (my own purchase included).<br /><br />"Traditional" PCs running Windows are absolutely ubiquitous. Their market saturation is almost universal, after 20 years of explosive growth. It is now a mature market.<br /><br />Smartphones are the big new thing, and they are indispensable. But the intersection between mobile devices and existing computers is still in flux. For me, it didn't make sense to buy a tablet until I had something that could do much of what my PC could do. That meant waiting for a Windows version that was legitimate. In my opinion, they've achieved it, and done so with a lot of style and substance. That's what made me buy one.<br /><br />My opinion of Apple is that it was very much a one man show, and the death of Steve Jobs has left them directionless, hanging on to past success. Android is an OS that feels cheap and buggy, and more importantly feels like nothing but a scheme to get your personal information into the hands of Google and its advertisers. Google's services likewise are junk. An advertising-driven business is never going to be focused on quality.<br /><br />Having experienced all sides of the mobile market, I've chosen a Surface Pro 2, SkyDrive and Office365 as my personal "ecosystem". There is something almost comforting about getting back to Microsoft after experiencing all the downsides of iOS and Android. More importantly, their services in each of these areas is far superior to the other two, and their devices are rivaling Apple for build quality.<br /><br />I must be a fool though, because according to the article Microsoft is going bankrupt, and should be broken up and sold off for parts. Wall Street must be missing the boat, too. But obviously this author has the real scoop.JoeS54noreply@blogger.com