Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products • Hacker News Board

Re: Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products

#211

Post by HarHarVeryFunny » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 7:12 PM UTC

donkey_brains wrote: post #192

HarHarVeryFunny wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like Siri - unable to control much of anything on the iPhone outside of reading/sending text messages and setting alarms.

And that’s ok. Those are core features of the phone that absolutely must work reliably and consistently. Far better to do a few important things really well than a hundred things execrably.

I would expect Siri to be able to do anything on the iPhone that I can - change settings, report stats, kill/launch apps, etc.

It would be nice if it could control 3rd party apps too, like GMail, but being able to control the stuff that Apple themselves have built doesn't seem a lot to ask.

Re: Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products

#212

Post by IlikeKitties » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 7:14 PM UTC

ZeroConcerns wrote: post #62

Well, the major problem Microsoft is facing is that its AI products are not only shoddier than average , which is nothing new for them in many categories, but that this time the competition can actually easily leapfrog them. Like, I have a 'Copilot' button prominently displayed in my New Outlook on MacOS (the only platform where the app-with-that-designation is sort-of usable), and it's a dropdown menu, and it has...…

> So, my question to anyone in the Microsoft C-suite: have you ever tried to, like, actually use, like anything that you're selling? Because if you would have, the failings would have been obvious, right? Right??

They all use Macs lol.

Re: Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products

#213

Post by saubeidl » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 7:14 PM UTC

cezart wrote: post #168

Draiken wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a great tool to allocate resources efficiently Sorry but... WTF are you talking about? It rewards self-destructive behavior in favor of short-term gains. Shareholders have *zero* commitment to the companies they buy shares from and will happily switch their entire portfolios on a whim. It's essentially people chasing the new shiny thing every single day. Let's not forget it's a known fact that people with insider k…

Depends what you compare it with. I grew up in the post soviet union. That system allocated resources to various monopolies who were too big to fail. Turns out allocating capital based on who can make things that people want/need to buy, and do it with a profit, multiplies said capital way faster. From this point of view, over time your initial base grows into all kinds of industries etc. That's probably why the USA…

I'd argue the Cold War isn't over and the US is losing it right now with how their president grovels before the Russian one

Re: Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products

#214

Post by SoftTalker » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 7:15 PM UTC

jeremyjh wrote: post #133

this_user wrote: post #9

Microsoft's entire business model for decades has been to shove shoddy products down people's throats. And somehow, they have figured out how to do it too, because otherwise Teams wouldn't be used by anyone.

Its all about Excel. It really is the best spreadsheet, and everyone knows how to use it. But that comes in an Office bundle that includes Teams. And that is why we must suffer.

Was certainly the case in the early years of Google Sheets. For me, the gap is entirely closed. I'm willing to believe that Excel still has the better platform for extreme power users but I've done some pretty slick stuff with Google Sheets and that was four or five years ago. It must be even better today (though I'm not currenlty doing much with spreadsheets).

Re: Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products

#215

Post by guluarte » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 7:15 PM UTC

IcyWindows wrote: post #91

guluarte wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Onedrive, that useless app that creates a mess in the desktop if you have a laptop and a desktop like most users

Most users do not own two computers.

well, onedrive is the ms solution to dropbox which is main purpose is syncing between computers

Re: Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products

#216

Post by TheOtherHobbes » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 7:16 PM UTC

graemep wrote: post #171

graemep wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think its obvious the GP means free market capitalism, which is what almost everyone who favours capitalism thinks is the form it should take.

I assume the downvotes are because people do not know the difference between "free market" and "entirely unregualted market"? Please get your definitions from someone reasonable (Adam Smith might be a good start) rather than Ayn Rand.

Applies globally.

Re: Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products

#217

Post by kevinrineer » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 7:17 PM UTC

Scubabear68 wrote: post #191

I moved largely away from Microsoft products in 2010 personally, and 2015 or so professionally. Just came back to them last year for a client. What I am seeing are two really disturbing patterns: 1) really, really bad stuff that has been there for decades is still there, weighing everything down, for "backwards compatibility", and 2) a lot of horrible fluff and nonsense everywhere. #1 is pretty self-explanatory, as I…

Backwards compatibility has always been a Microsoft staple. What used to be a huge selling point - depending on the audience - is now clearly a crutch. Right now, it seems that the tech debt has finally started making the whole stack lean like the Tower of Pisa.

Re: Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products

#218

Post by SoftTalker » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 7:17 PM UTC

WhyOhWhyQ wrote: post #203

I personally never found Microsoft software anything but shoddy: Microsoft word, internet explorer, power shell, outlook, powerpoint... these all make me shudder... I'll give them visual studio, that one is pretty good. I think Excel is fine. Skype was okay I guess. Anyway, I think the shoddiness can't really be the actual threat to Microsoft given their track record.

Skype was an acquisition.

Re: Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products

#219

Post by mikkupikku » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 7:17 PM UTC

Wojtkie wrote: post #87

ZeroConcerns wrote: post #62

Well, the major problem Microsoft is facing is that its AI products are not only shoddier than average , which is nothing new for them in many categories, but that this time the competition can actually easily leapfrog them. Like, I have a 'Copilot' button prominently displayed in my New Outlook on MacOS (the only platform where the app-with-that-designation is sort-of usable), and it's a dropdown menu, and it has...…

I bet c-suite uses Mac

I bet they use iphones and leave computers to their underlings/assistants.

Re: Microsoft has a problem: lack of demand for its AI products

#220

Post by btbuildem » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 7:18 PM UTC

kayhantolga wrote: post #96

As a .NET developer who actually likes some Microsoft products, I can say this: the Copilot series is the worst thing they've shipped since Internet Explorer—and honestly, it might overtake it. The sad part is they had a huge head start before competitors gained access to powerful models, yet this is what we got. If you haven’t seen how bad it is, here’s one example: Copilot Terminal. In theory, it should help you wi…

> lack of real integration is basically the core design of most Copilot products

I would wager a month's wages that this is the doing of some internal Security Review, wherein a bunch of out-of-touchers decided that the customers will want to prefer to be Safe and Secure instead of getting some actual value from integrating copilot into shell workflows.

Meanwhile people are yolo'ing it with various janky DIY wires and duct-tape githobbits that mash together whatever open weights model and user-level access to the system (or worse).