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Microsoft launches Windows Mobile 6
February 7, 2007 -
Apple's Jobs calls for DRM-free music
February 6, 2007 -
Microsoft's Bach looks for harmony in entertainment
January 11, 2007
(continued from previous page)
In the consumer space, we are hearing about a big shift to advertising-supported business models--a lot of predictions that consumers are going to spend less on software generally. What do you see as the role of ad-supported software?
Bach: What you are going to see is a diversity of business models. I think people are going to continue to buy packaged software--I'm a firm believer in that. It's a way people are comfortable with buying. I think that people will buy that packaged software in a store sometimes. They might buy it online. The idea that somehow people are going to stop buying physical goods is just wrong.
On the other hand, I do think download models are a valid model, and I do think ad-supported models are a valid model that people will add. You'll see us doing more ad-supported work across all of the things we do. In each of our platforms, we do work to support that type of advertising model, so that other people can do it. It's not just a Microsoft thing.
The real challenge on a phone and on any small device is, "What is the ad model? Is it the same ad model that we see happening online on the PC?" I'd be a little skeptical of that myself. Maybe it's more commerce-based on a phone. Maybe it is more location-based.
Another area that has been important in the mobile device space has been music. The biggest thing Microsoft has been doing in the music area lately has been Zune. What is the role of Zune in the phone market?
Bach: We get asked the question a lot--about whether we are doing a so-called Zune phone or some kind of phone device that plays music.
The Zune team is off to a good start and is very focused on delivering the music scenario on a music device. You can assume that's where we are going to be focusing most of our attention.
Now the company as a whole is very involved in the music space, across the board. We're doing a lot of work with operator partners who want to bring out their own music services. We continue to invest heavily in our video and music codecs, and in our DRM technologies around those products.
People have talked about the idea of a Zune phone. That wouldn't necessarily be the only way to get Zune content onto a phone. Presumably, any Windows Mobile phone could play Zune content, if you guys decided to go that way. It could be hardware partners. Do you see all of those as potential possibilities?
Bach: Any of those are possibilities in the future. Think of it as us being focused on music on a Zune device. That's our primary goal right now.
So things like having different form factors of traditional music players, video services--those things would be higher on the priority list?
Bach: Basically, expanding on the things we've done with Zune already is the top, middle and the bottom of the priority list right now.
It's taken Microsoft a long time to get to the place it is at in the phone business. What are the key things that the company still needs to do in the phone area?
Bach: Windows Mobile 6 is a huge stride forward. Of course there is more work we can do. One of the key milestones we have reached is getting great hardware design and great operator integration. As you look to the future, it's now taking advantage of that.
I actually think brand development is important to us in this space. If you look at a bunch of the devices out today--cutting-edge things like the Q and the Dash and the BlackJack--getting people aware that those are Windows Mobile devices, and that when they go into a store that they want to ask for a Windows Mobile device, is an important objective for us.
Today, people actually don't think about the company RIM (Research In Motion) as much as BlackBerry the brand. We want people when they think about these handsets, not so much thinking "That's a phone from Microsoft," because it's not. What we want them to think is "Oh, that's a Windows Mobile phone and that's what I want."
Who do you view as the most serious competitors in the phone space?
Bach: Certainly the two people that have the most attention here would be RIM/BlackBerry and Nokia/Symbian. We're ahead of RIM/BlackBerry today. We're still behind Nokia. They do a lot of feature phone work, so that makes the volume comparisons really tough for us. In the business space, certainly, we think we're getting tons of traction, even in competing against Nokia.
On the Xbox side of things, is there any update there?
Bach: Xbox continues to go quite well. We continue to see the kind of market momentum we had coming through the holiday. January went, I'd say, as we planned it to go. It's always a good month.
The game lineup continues to look awesome. Gears of War has continued to sell very well, and as an online phenomenon, is really driving Xbox Live in a big way.
So the shipment cut on Xbox is really just an inventory thing, then?
Bach: It's all part of managing the business. Everybody always asks me, "So when are you going to make money?" We've told people we're excited about the volume we're at. Getting to 10 million was a big milestone.
But we've also told people that next year, we're going to make money and we're going to run the business to make money. Given where we see competitors priced and where we see their volumes in the marketplace, we feel great about where we are. We're taking the opportunity to make sure we are optimizing the business model. That may mean a few fewer units in the short term, but we think it means a bigger and better business in the long term.
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Microsoft Windows Mobile, touch screen, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0, digital-rights management, Microsoft Zune
to scare people from buying the iPhone. What's worse, he's
expanding on Bill Gate's lies to do it.
There is no lifestyle/work-style difference and he knows it. The
iPhone can connect with your companies email servers through
imap and pop, it has Google Maps, which is important for many
businesses, and what business can't benefit from a full web
browser?
The abilitiy to send/receive emails while talking is another
important business feature. In fact, when I first saw the iPhone,
this and several other features had me convinced that this was
the perfect phone for my business. Now I'm supposed to believe
that it isn't just because this guy says so? I think not.
a choice...
Personally... everyone I know is excited about the iPhone and I can
not wait!!!
I'd have been curious what they updated in Windows Mobile under the hood myself. Does it still fill it's memory when multiple programs are opened without being closes? As I remember, the older versions quickly return "out of memory" messages if you don't exit programs within the phone.
wasn't dismissive, angry, or even attempting to 'sell' his product
by bashing Apple. Apple execs, on the other hand, often work in
some dig at MS and other producers. Its good to see someone
acting like an adult.
2) The story mentions that when MS started out in the phone
business they didn't have many people behind them and they
had horrible sales. However, they kept plugging away at it and
each iteration took gained more and more market share.
Basically it underlined that MS is dogged in its persuit of its
goals and even initial failures are just seen as a stepping stone.
They have the resources to persue a strategy for years and years
and can afford to make mistakes on the way. Other companies
are in a more fragile position and one big failure will have a
devastating impact. Which I think helps explai what is happening
in point 1.
But then again bashing competitor produces gets tiresome after the 100th time. I mean yeah, commercials doing this are cute at first, but it starts to get annoying after a while, and makes lose interest in the product itself they're SUPPOSED to market. Not to mention they start to sound and look like little children vying for attention.
want to take a look at." How do you get more dismissive than
that? He doesn't even know all of the phones capabilities or what
the service plan will be yet, but he's already trying to relegate it
to one little corner of the market.
He's using a straw man: Apple doesn't do business (how do they
manage theirs???) so that he can dismiss not only the phone, but
the rest of their products in one swoop! That's the whole thrust
of his interview!
and dismissing their competition. Ever read the book "Opening
the Xbox" by Dean Takahashi? Remember the part about a pair
of Microsoft Xbox execs in Tokyo drunk in a bar and calling up a
Sony exec late at night around the time of the initial Xbox
launch to ask him what he thought about the Xbox? Remember
the part about them posing for pictures with an Xbox prototype
in front of Sony's office building? Your claim that Microsoft execs
behave like "adults" is laughable. The reason why Bach is so
subdued and diplomatic in the interview is that he is smart
enough to know that iPhone has completely trumped the Zune,
and that any trash-talking by him would be seen as "sour
grapes" by everyone.
It's also laughable that you applaud Microsoft's "dogged pursuit
of its goals" even with flopped "initial failures". You're right
about the initial failures part. Microsoft has a long history of
putting out version-1.0 flops. It makes me wonder who out
there is actually foolish and stupid enough to buy anything new
the Microsoft puts out. Yes, I'm talking to you, all of you Zune
owners.
Ballmer: How are you going to use the iPhone for business when it does even have any keyboard keys?
GUI touch screen system...keyboard is part of GUI & has auto correction during typing.
iPhone can auto-sync all your internet & personal contacts from a PC or MAC computer and email / calendars sync too. Works with Microsoft Exchange Server via Mac OSX. ( so, once again WORKS FOR BUSINESS TOO!)
Don't you love how MS is attempting to paint the iPhone as just "another lifestyle choice device from that toy computer maker Apple",
but MICROSOFT, well THAT'S for serious business people...
Get the facts from the source...
http://www.apple.com/iphone/
http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/j47d52oo/event/
Many Blackberry and Treo users at my work want iPhones when they come out, but they won't buy them because they don't want to have to go back to their desktops to sync their Exchange-stored info.
In 2007, mobile/wireless sync of all Exchange data is a must for business.
-Mister Winky
And his comments regarding DRM also show a complete lack of vision or leadership. I guess that Microsoft is not really interested in selling either the Zune of music. Either that, or they believe that consumers are so stupid that they will just buy whatever Microsoft gives them.
There are a lot of MP3 players on the market and there have been for some time.
I doubt Zune is a distant second.
Both of them.
There are a lot of MP3 players on the market and there have been for some time.
I doubt Zune is a distant second, considering the time it has been on the market and it's lack of popularity.
-Mister Winky
we get requested from our operator partners and from our
media and content partners."[/i]
...notice how the word "customer" is lacking? Quite telling, one
must say.
I'll stick with OSX and Linux, thanks.
/P
Customers are completely out of the picture.
They have a choice to buy a computer or not to buy one with Windows. Hey, competition is good except when it comes to OSes on Intel-based CPUs. Then it's not. In fact, choice is evil.
Roberto
- Apple iPhone Ad!
- by Llib Setag February 26, 2007 5:32 PM PST
- http://www.apple.com/iphone/hello/
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