With the launch of Windows 7 many signs point to the fact that Microsoft seems to have gotten its operating system engineering in order. That's obviously good news for its OS business unit and also good news for PC manufacturers and software companies that develop for Windows.
A rising tide of Windows adoption is not a bad thing for the technology industry in economic terms but it doesn't yet do a lot to enhance the way we use computers and applications in our every day lives.
The main problem is that Windows 7 reinforces a desktop centric-paradigm for 93 percent of the market and continues to exert a certain level of misguided design principles in the way the system handles data and file structures. And while it's a giant leap forward in terms of customization, visual effects, and security there is a missed opportunity in the cross-border approach of combining the desktop and cloud services.
Cloud-based applications and storage are still so nascent that Microsoft could jump in and usurp much of the power and market share while shoring up its cloud story for the future. Having the dominant desktop landing pad gives Microsoft a huge advantage over upstarts--even Google and Apple, if it can focus on integrating the services.
Here are a few ways Microsoft could assert its dominant desktop position to compete with Google and Amazon as a cloud player:
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Microsoft's launch party videos have proven to be entertaining to viewers even if not for the reasons for the marketing department had hoped for. There were a great many comments on my post that provided context to their release, but generally speaking most industry-watchers have been confused as to the goals behind the program, questioning the target audience not just for the videos, but for the launch parties as well.
I reached out to Microsoft for comment but they withheld at this time as the videos are apparently just one step in a much larger integrated marketing campaign.
I personally found the most recent video weird, but after thinking through things a bit I think this is a case of a good idea hampered by poor execution. The videos are well-done and professional and try to connect with consumers in a humanistic tone. The fact that it feels like you stumbled into a shiny-happy Windows world filled with sit-com throwaways is the problem. Even if this is a training video to show others how to throw a launch party, it's hard to connect with the vapid characterizations of party guests.
This is the crux of Microsoft's marketing problems. It's not that they aren't good at technical marketing issues, it's that the brand itself is so voluminous, it's very hard for people to connect to specific products like Windows. And the efforts to persuade consumers isolate the tech media and confuse IT shops.
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Microsoft is no longer selling Windows 3.x licenses as of November 1st. This means that Windows 3.x has been sold for 18 years, whereas Windows 98 barely made it for 8 years and Vista looks like it will be lucky to make it for more than 3 years as Microsoft is already pushing Windows 7.
It's clear that Microsoft has finally recognized that Vista hasn't lived up to Microsoft's own hype. As CNET's Ina Fried wrote earlier today, Microsoft needs to re-establish trust with its customers and vendors
It was all of the things Microsoft didn't ship. In the years leading up to Vista's release in November 2006, Microsoft changed course several times, leading to wasted time and energy for hardware and software makers that had made bets on features or timing that later were changed.
It's interesting to see how Microsoft's ups and downs in the OS versions hasn't negatively affected its financial performace. Consider Windows 98 (bad) versus 2K (decent) or XP (good) versus Vista (bad) and it's clear that marketing and lock-in go a long way to having a fantastic business.
I've written in the past about how sub-notebooks are a great opportunity for Linux on the desktop. There is no need to run Windows (or MacOS for that matter) when you are using the machine primarily for browser-based applications.
I've been running Ubuntu on a Thinkpad X300 for the last 2 weeks and while it's still a bit too geeky, the issues I have run into appear to be largely due to the fact that IBM doesn't officially support Ubuntu (yet.) With the exception of Adobe Photoshop I have yet to run into any business reason why I can't use Ubuntu full-time.
In light of consumer response to Vista (not great if you haven't been paying attention) there is an opening for Linux to swoop in and grab some market share. The big hardware vendors just need to start playing along.
Like it or not, Vista is coming simply because its easier for IT to manage just one platform. Josh Greenbaum makes sense of this over on the Enterprise Anti-matter blog.
Enterprise IT has never run a popularity contest, and if you doubt that just look at the unbelievably crappy user experience that has dominated enterprise software since the dawn of time. IT runs an increasingly cost-conscious effort aimed at trying hard not to pay too much attention to worrying about how much its users are actually loving their software. IT wants efficiency above all, and will always opt for expediency over technical "correctness", which means that Microsoft's incumbent position on the desktop -- combined with the significant cost-differential between a Mac and a Window PC -- isn't going to be usurped just because Vista sucks.
Schools might consider using Vista if rolling out all-new infrastructure, but should not introduce it piecemeal alongside other versions of Windows, or upgrade older machines, said the agency, which is responsible for advising British schools and colleges on their IT use.
"We have not had sight of any evidence to support the argument that the costs of upgrading to Vista in educational establishments would be offset by appropriate benefit," it said.
I suppose the real question on Vista is if it's better than XP? So far, the verdict is a resounding no according to PC World which gave Vista the #1 sucker spot.
It's just that Vista isn't all that good. Many of the innovations the operating system was supposed to bring--like more efficient file and communications systems--got tossed overboard as Microsoft struggled to get the OS out the door, some three years after it was first promised. Despite its hefty hardware requirements, Vista is slower than XP.
MS Office and the Zune are also on the list of worst products and yet somehow Microsoft continues to mint money.
Leopard came in at #8, which is not much to be proud of either.
The 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007- prev
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