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Microsoft ready to spend--but on what?
May 3, 2006
Speaking to a crowd of MSN's largest advertisers, Gates said that Microsoft would prefer not to be coming from behind.
Bill Gates
"For Microsoft, we always want to be in the lead, making the breakthroughs," Gates said. But, in an onstage interview with ad executives and talk show host Donny Deutsch, Gates conceded that the company has made mistakes, including in some cases picking the wrong people to lead certain efforts.
He also gave credit to his rival, saying Google has "done a great job on search and what they've done with advertising." But, he reiterated his position that search today is still too much of a treasure hunt and promised that better things are in store.
"We will keep them honest, in the sense of being able to do better in a number of areas," Gates said.
With its annual MSN Strategic Account Summit, which runs through Thursday, Microsoft is both trying to hone its pitch to advertisers as well as reassure its investors, who have pushed Microsoft shares significantly lower since Microsoft announced plans last week to invest roughly $2 billion more than expected in its new businesses, largely MSN and Windows Live.
Earlier in the day, MSN executives showed off some of the work the company is doing in search as well as in Windows Live services. In a demo, MSN Vice President Blake Irving highlighted Microsoft's effort to turn its Messenger product into more of a social networking tool, showing off a feature--currently being tested in Australia--that allows people to see their buddies' buddy list, assuming the buddy and their buddies opt-in.
The company also announced plans to bulk up the amount of exclusive content on MSN, with a new effort dubbed MSN Originals. In the first of the partnerships, Microsoft is backing new Internet-based productions from Reveille, the production company behind TV's "The Office" and "The Biggest Loser."
Gates said Microsoft is not really taking a new position when it comes to content, noting that it has always created some content but largely partnered with those that do that for a living. "Every month we will have neat new deals with content companies," he said.
In general, Microsoft didn't exhibit a lot of new technology on the first day of the summit, showing mostly MSN and Windows Live services that had been previously demonstrated or are already in beta testing. The company also offered few specifics on just what it plans to buy with all of those new investment dollars, though CEO Steve Ballmer may address those issues when he speaks to the crowd Thursday.
And, even on its home turf, Microsoft took some knocks from some of its ad industry guests who noted that other Internet services have largely captured the mind of consumers.
One of the speakers, ad executive Rishad Tobaccowala, said that Google's rapid iteration of its ideas is "one of the reasons Google is running circles around Microsoft."
MSN's Irving conceded that Microsoft is playing catch-up in some areas.
"We're kind of new here," he said.
But Gates said not to count out the software maker.
"I think this is a rare case where we are being underestimated," Gates said. "That doesn't happen very often."
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Bill Gates, MSN, Microsoft Windows Live, buddy, Redmond
going to keep Google honest? Microsoft never has, and never will
create anything. Their only approach is to copy, cheapen, and ruin.
If Gates bought Intel, they'd announce a two transistor CPU for next
year, delay the introduction four more years, and then have to
recall it due to defects (we hardware folks wouldn't tolerate the
crap that goes into software).
MicroSoft faced major legal battles in both the US and Europe over dishonesty in how they marketed their products...they forced computer manufacturers to buy Windows licenses for machines on which it was never installed...they insisted that certain features could not be removed from their OS without breaking it and then proceeded to do so when forced to by a judge...
The list probably goes on but that's all I can recall at the moment. Honest was a really poor choice of a word for what Mr. Gates was trying to say (and I do hope they keep Google competitive because that will be good for us all.)
Scott
This has got to be the most blatant use of "psychological projection" we've ever seen from a company that has made a marketing strategy out of the technique.
Perhaps its Google that helping to keep Microsoft "honest!"
breakthroughs," Gates said. Well that's a dishonest statement isn't
it. Well MS may as well become the industry policeman on keeping
companies hones, because the DoJ sure failed in their case.
hahahahahahahahahaha
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http://www.buckleupnow.com
The company's idea of competing is by creating compelling products, products that consumers are "compelled" to use it because its the unchangeable default, it's locked in, it creates incompatibilities with competing products, and so on.
But, yes, I would like to see Microsoft create a better product that wins in the market because its better and not because consumers are compelled to use it.
Google has already become of Internet, what Microsoft has been of desktop. This is a war Microsoft is deemed to lose, coming from behind.
Stop talking high Mr.Gates and focus on your desktop goals. Get the ever-slipping-never-shipping Vista out of the door and then go and blow your bugle. Otherwise, just shut up.
Beware Microsoft, more and more people are getting wise to you. Someone just might come along and keep you honest.
But keep on posting as if what you have to say or do might have an impact. It makes for good comic relief.
As for the Arrogance, I would have to say if I was Bill Gates I would be pretty arrogant too.
week or something? First Bob Johnson's UFUD <http://
news.com.com/2102-7349_3-6067167.html?tag=st.util.print> on
May 2nd, then this?
Essentially I'm saying this: the ability to toss 70 billion dollars at a given problem, in this case internet search, shouldn't be forgotten. Call me a fanboy, say what you like, I don't care. The fact can't be ignored that Microsoft still retains the resources needed to make a comeback.
People are finally starting to realize what garbage MS offers.
The only thing that will save them is to do the one thing they have never done: create innovative, useful software that reasonably secure.
It makes me wonder what else I am missing when I do a google search.
Oh well, my the best billionare win.
As a side note, I would just LOVE it if Microsoft became the next advertising giant. And we know how they are once they become drunk with power. Am I the only one that can imagine MSFT becoming the next Gator-like intrusive advertising company? I hope they alienate all their customers and drive themselves to the poor house.
Youth wants 2 know!
Did he do it? Who knows, but it is certainly within his 'character'. The man is a hot-headed, retarded clown.
Bill? How many years do you have left? I mean we have left? To think all your money will not buy you one minute more. Happy times Bill in your VAIN pursuits. Cast your eyes on the rich forgotton men in cemetaries with crumbling tombstones only to be dug up by a future archeologist and placed into a museum with the wrong iterpetation of who you where. In othere words Bill do some good with your money like investing in Google and others and let them finish the work the are doing and concentrate on making your windows software into something more perfect then what it is. Do good to your neighbor. You may find them liking you more.
How did you get taking the place of god out of that?
Here, take this prediction to hart Microsoft, by the end of 2006 Google will have produced a browser of all browsers. Notice I didnt' just call it a web browser because Google has already proven that I can browse anything, it just doesn't use it's own BROWSER yet! YET!
~Justin
That kind of feedback loop is happening here too, but not at the same scale, because Google is being far bolder, cleverer, and more overt about setting up the feedback than we are (or anyone else is, for that matter.)
If you think about it, marketing ourselves as programmers isn't really something we've had to do in a very long time. When I was in school, worried about job interviews, a more senior guy in my class told me not to worry ? he said that your first interview is you marketing yourself, but after you have some experience, the companies are all competing to hire you. You get to pick and choose. I felt a rather awed disbelief at the time, but experience bore his assertion out, for the most part. In the 1990s, as long as you weren't a complete idiot, interviews tended to start and end with "when can you start?"
But not at Google. Now even some of the smartest people wonder whether they'd get a job there. Rumor has it that if you don't have a Ph.D. or equivalent, don't bother applying. Regardless of whether that rumor is true, it's contributing to the marketing hype.
So Google has no trouble finding good people, because through careful maneuvering, they've convinced most of the world that Google is where the smartest people work. By doing so, they've begun to create a network effect that's leaving many of their competitors to scrabble for "leftovers". "
As quoted
Gerard Rotonda
- M & G
- by dosts May 4, 2006 10:42 AM PDT
- All comments below are from only people who support G it seems and loyal to them. Just Search is not everything in this Computer world. I am wondering why so much one sidedness. We have seen M all these days. G will show its true colors in coming yrs and then let us see some x will emerge.
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