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CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

money.cnn.com

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Re: CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

#61

Post by Typhon »

DavidBishop wrote: post #31
mcknz wrote: post #6

CNN nails it again. Next up: Year of the Linux Desktop.

Actually, Apple is the one taking the consumer market. 1 in every 5 retail computer sales is a Mac. Best Buy's CEO recently said that 50% of their laptop sales have been cannibalized by the iPad - a 6 month old product. Apple is the #1 technology company on the planet by market cap and recently attained the 3rd place in computers by market share. Their stock price has grown over 2000% in 10 years. Apple is the one po…

OH GOD NO !

I'd rather have Microsoft's monopoly endure than have it replaced by Apple domination. Perhaps they make better software, but they're also much better at being evil.

Re: CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

#62

Post by hughw »

brudgers wrote: post #28

Saying "Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand" is somewhat analogous to saying "Mitsubishi is a Dying Consumer Brand." Though the structures are different, consumer products are only a part of their portfolio. Both have successful industrial lines, and both have flagship consumer lines that often draw flack. Importantly, both own highly successful consumer brands e.g Xbox and Nikon, respectively. What the article misse…

Right. The article was about consumer products but you've identified the major differentiator between MS and the others. MS never gets developer buy-in and then hangs you out to dry. You can still build and support OLE controls TWO DECADES later. You can invest development time in MS and they won't deprecate Java (voluntarily) or Wave on you.

Re: CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

#63

Post by richcollins »

The article inadvertently hints at the reason why Microsoft is failing. It mentions all of the markets where they lost to competitors. Perhaps they lost in all of these markets because they didn't focus on dominating a single market like the competitors that they lost to did.

Apple: Mobile Devices

Nintendo: Platform Gaming

Facebook: Social Networking

Google: Search

...

Re: CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

#64

Post by [deleted] »

hughw wrote: post #62
brudgers wrote: post #28

Saying "Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand" is somewhat analogous to saying "Mitsubishi is a Dying Consumer Brand." Though the structures are different, consumer products are only a part of their portfolio. Both have successful industrial lines, and both have flagship consumer lines that often draw flack. Importantly, both own highly successful consumer brands e.g Xbox and Nikon, respectively. What the article misse…

Right. The article was about consumer products but you've identified the major differentiator between MS and the others. MS never gets developer buy-in and then hangs you out to dry. You can still build and support OLE controls TWO DECADES later. You can invest development time in MS and they won't deprecate Java (voluntarily) or Wave on you.

[deleted]

Re: CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

#65

Post by gboyer »

points wrote: post #51
face wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An Xbox 360 has a 3.2GHz Xenon (three cores) and 512Mbs of ram [1]. Saying that it has the power of a supercomputer is a bit of a stretch (by about three orders of magnitude, #500 on the top500 list has five thousand cores [2]). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360 [2] http://www.top500.org * edit: formatting

You don't find it absolutely bizarre that it doesn't even have a web browser? Even when a tiny DSi has a very capable browser, smart phones have browsers. And a big gaming console from a supposed software company doesn't even have a web browser?

I guess it's a little strange that they haven't tried to put IE on the Xbox--but I'm glad they haven't. The whole reason I have a game console is to have an appliance that is dedicated to video games. I have plenty of other devices that provide a superior browsing experience.

Re: CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

#66

Post by kenjackson »

cryptoz wrote: post #14
iterationx wrote: post #8

Microsoft can afford to fail many times before succeeding. It beat Lotus Notes, Borland C Compilers, Playstation, people continue to pay for Windows even though Linux is free. You don't measure what's going to happen in the future by taking a tiny slice of the present and projecting forwards.

> people continue to pay for Windows even though Linux is free 99% of that is only because Windows is available in stores and Linux typically is not. I think this will all change in about a month when Chrome OS comes out and is preinstalled on cheap computers in stores like Best Buy, Futureshop, or wherever people buy computers these days. Most consumers no longer care that they are running a specific OS; they want t…

Consumers nevered cared about a specific OS. They've always just wanted a set of applications. The problem is that Chrome only answers one class of apps that people must have... web browser.

But it lacks Office (Open Office and Google Docs are not replacements for most people). Lacks a decent gaming ecosystem -- does it even have the Sims? And is missing a lot of applications that users use along the long tail... such as CS5 and iTunes.

Chrome is a non-player IMO. I think a low cost Mac and the evolution of the iPad is a LOT scarier (by an order of magnitude) to Microsoft.

Re: CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

#67

Post by rbanffy »

mcknz wrote: post #6

CNN nails it again. Next up: Year of the Linux Desktop.

The desktop is irrelevant. Linux is, most probably, the most popular OS at your home. You can't buy a modern TV, blu-ray player, DVR, wireless router, smartphone or e-book reader without buying a Linux machine.

Re: CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

#68

Post by T_S_ »

blub wrote: post #43
cryptoz wrote: post #3

I firmly believe that most of Microsoft's failings in the consumer market come from their fear of the World Wide Web. Microsoft does everything they can to hide their users from the real power of the web, since everyone - including Microsoft - knows that a ubiquitous Web means fewer sales of Windows and Office. Their logic in locking users to Windows-based experiences is old, tired, and not going to work anymore. Peo…

What is so great about HTML5 and JS for me, the user? That you can get my location? That you can have video (just like Flash, except slower)? Or is it that you can store stuff on my machine? HTML5 is one more step in the direction of web pages pretending to be applications. Reading about "the web" on HN is like reading the story of Icarus. HN'ers are so enchanted by web apps that they forget they can only fly on the…

Actually all those things are great for the user. As for HN'ers it probably means they can do more things for people at lower cost, since business ideas realized as web apps are less tied to silo-like platforms.

Re: CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

#69

Post by mkr-hn »

brentb wrote: post #52
lkrubner wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"since everyone - including Microsoft - knows that a ubiquitous Web means fewer sales of Windows and Office" I would think that the real problem is Microsoft's unwillingness to become something completely new, something other than Windows and Office. Apple was a computer company, then it became a cell phone company, a music company, a lot of other things. Microsoft now sort of reminds me of Sun circa 1999: yes, they…

"I would think that the real problem is Microsoft's unwillingness to become something completely new, something other than Windows and Office." Inability, perhaps. Unwillingness? You're out of your mind. Microsoft has had their fingers in smartphones, music players, search engines, touch computing, web mail, [you name it] for YEARS. And they are not just dabbling... they have poured billions into these areas, trying…

I'm all for trying a lot of different things, but there's a point where a company needs to step back and look at why all their tries fail.

Re: CNN Money: Microsoft is a Dying Consumer Brand

#70

Post by rbanffy »

alanthonyc wrote: post #13
cryptoz wrote: post #3

I firmly believe that most of Microsoft's failings in the consumer market come from their fear of the World Wide Web. Microsoft does everything they can to hide their users from the real power of the web, since everyone - including Microsoft - knows that a ubiquitous Web means fewer sales of Windows and Office. Their logic in locking users to Windows-based experiences is old, tired, and not going to work anymore. Peo…

They're also scared of phones. Check out their Phone 7 commercials. They appear to be catering to people who think people with phones are douchebags who walk around staring at their screen all day. I'm not sure how well this marketing strategy will work, because I am one of those douchebags, but it doesn't make me want to get one.

What I got from it: "It sucks so bad you won't want to use it"
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