One for Stace: Innovation at Microsoft? Show Us, Don't Tell Us! :-)
From The Street.
=== Added ===
I'm going to list the worth-reading links from the articles here. :-)
Is Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer Crazy?
Apple's Shot Heard Round the World (Update 2)
=== That's it for now ===
Carolyn Ann
Now, now! I never said MS was innovative :)
ReplyDeleteI wish that someone would though. Things seem to be a little stagnant in the tech world at present...
Stace
No implications, Stace! I just thought you'd be interested in the articles! :-)
Delete:)
DeleteI know that first link was specifically for Stace, but I took a peek anyway. Interesting commentary below that article!
ReplyDeleteThere is an Apple fanboy at Gizmodo, who writes similar articles... and gets similar responses. I sometimes get the feeling that Apple users and other computer users really do live on different planets.
BUT... I really cannot argue with the article's author when it comes to Microsoft. They're trying to emulate Apple, and it just isn't working for them. Their TV commercial for the Surface comes off as just plain silly. It would have worked for Apple, because Apple could market a tin-plated dog turd and their loyal base of followers would eat it up AND act like it's the greatest thing in the world. The fanboys at Gizmodo and The Street would be singing it high praises, telling us how we all NEED a tin-plated dog turd.
And then Microsoft would later come out with their own version of a tin-plated dog turd... with a keyboard attached. And they'd have the audacity to call it "innovation".
You peeked! :-O :-D
DeleteThe difference between Gizmodo and The Street is that Jim Cramer's organization is putting its reputation as a financial advisor on the line. They have "skin in the game", so to speak.
While that might influence what they publish (I don't think it does - that's an ethical road very few independent researchers want to travel) I think the opinions at The Street are worth thinking about, even if you don't agree with them. The other difference is that if Apple started screwing up, you'd see posts saying that on The Street, along with the advice to get rid of any stock.
The Street is, quite frankly, part of the "earnings now!" problem. But it's also generally unbiased; they wouldn't care if the money machine was funded by Microsoft, Facebook, Google or Fred's Computer and Laundry Computer, Inc. They want results - financial results. And they want them now. It is a fairly influential newsletter; of the Wall St blogs I've come across, it's the one I think is the most trustworthy. (Of course, if they ever did allow their stockholdings to influence what they wrote, I'd mention it and dump them like a ton of bricks.) These days, quite honestly, I think they're more reliable than The Wall St Journal; that tome is so partizan I'd distrust it if it reported the sky was blue on a sunny day. (Which is a pity, because I use to read it very regularly.)
”The whole Windows-dominated, IT-security bubble popped when Apple disrupted the scene."
ReplyDeleteUmmm. No. :-)
The wall had started to crack as folk brought smartphones that would connect to the corporate email systems and company WiFi with ease. It wasn't an Apple thing, it was a Bring Your Own Device thing. Tech CEOs turned a blind eye as perceived productivity went up and unless the company has a strong security policy (and systems to enforce it), the devices were on the network.
After a while, folk started to find that you didn't need a full copy of Office to get stuff done. That's been the break IMHO. However, as good as tablets are, for reports and suchlike, lots of folk go back to their laptop or desktop.
I think MS aren't on the ball with Windows 8. They've seen the tablet market too late and I think they're going to spanner their corporate customers if they're not careful. Not very wise....hence the recent head rolling programme. I think MS were doing better with Bill Gates at the helm. Vista showed them that they couldn't dictate to the user community. They fix that with Windows 7 and then there's the Windows 8 debacle.
Google and Apple must be rubbing there hands. :-)
I think he was trying encapsulate your point, Lynn. Rocco Pendola is probably a lot more careful with his money than with his words! I like his analysis because he's usually spot on, once you get past the guff.
DeleteIt's probably a truism that most people use only about 20% of Word and Excel. And with MS consistently raising their prices, I wonder when the powers-that-be decide to switch to Google or something wholesale. (I doubt they'll switch the Apple because that would be a massive reinvestment, a lot of training and, as Stace points out - the paying of a lot more for essentially the same functionality!) Some places have made the switch, and as you might expect, it's a bit rough going. Some town, I think it was in Germany switched back to Office because they couldn't figure out how to use LibreOffice or whatever it's called.
Yeah, my (limited) experience with tablets is that they're good for content consumption, and not for content creation! Although that's inevitably going to change - at some point the input mechanisms for tablets will become as useful as existing laptops.
I imagine they are rubbing their hands! :-)