Microsoft Doesn’t Matter
One of the best bits of advice I ever is that “you can see the Bubble bulge before it bursts if you look around you”. The crux of this is that you pay close attention to what is happening you can foresee a collapse. The most famous example of this is probably that of the investor selling his entire portfolio prior to the great depression when he discovers his shoe shine boy giving him stock tips . Similarly, when people talk about buying property like they do about sports results you know the fall is coming. So for this article, I’m going to draw on my own experience in relation to Microsoft - still the largest software company in the world in terms of Market Capitalisation.
I’ve already stated that Google own much of what I do online. I love their products because they are effective, reliable and free. I’m not an open source guru, I’ve only used Linux once but I’ve recently come to realise I don’t use any Microsoft products on a regular basis. MS Office (which is by far their best product) is way down on my “to buy list”. I’ve tried Office 2007 and don’t really think it is anything special. I now use NeoOffice or Google Docs on the vastly superior OS X instead. None of their current products entice me enough to buy. Windows is buggy and a virus threat, IE is no Firefox despite the improvements and the XBox 360 just doesn’t tempt me.
I’ve decided to add this video of Steve Jobs talking about Microsoft. As like so much on Youtube the source is not credited it but it is from Bob Cringely’s excellent “Triumph of the Nerds” documentary.
In the clip above Steve states that he does not like Microsoft because “they make 3rd rate products”. Steve said this back in the early 90’s. The Microsoft of 2007 don’t make 3rd products, they just make products that don’t matter to the average Joe anymore. Office 2007 is overkill, we don’t need all the options or the formatting. I see no benefit in it over say Office 2003 or 2000 for that matter. The programming language, .NET is amazing but it is complex and expensive. Coders want free tools and hands on contact. Microsoft fail to realise that the world will always need mechanics that can get their hands dirty and .NET is too refined and structured for what the public want.
In light of my earlier comments, I jotted down my usage of Google and Microsoft products through the years and results were startling.
My Usage of Microsoft through the years (1995-2007)
1995 - Windows, Office, IE, Hotmail, Encarta
2000 - Windows, Office, IE, Hotmail
2004 - Windows, Office, IE, Xbox, Hotmail
2005 - Windows, Xbox
2006 - Windows
2007 - ?
Usage of Google through the years (2000-2007)
2000 - Search (yes I was using Google search back in 2000!)
2004 - Search, Groups
2005 - Search, Gmail, Earth, Maps
2006 - Search, Gmail, Reader, Earth, Maps, Docs, Video, Webmaster Tools, Analytics
2007 - Search, Gmail, Reader, Earth, Maps, Docs, Video, Youtube, Picasa, Spreadsheets, Webmaster Tools, Analytics,
Note that I left out 2001-2003 as not much changed as far as I can recall
So my usage of Google has reflected their share price - it has rocketed over the last 3 years. If I had some spare dosh I’d buy a share or two - literally, they cost $700+ right now. If Google continue as they do with new product launches on a daily basis they will soon be bigger than Microsoft ever was. Microsoft need to adapt and quickly. Me-too products such as Zune are not the way to go. It needs to be hundred times better - to quote Guy Kawasaki’s Rules for Revolutionaries. The idea of Microsoft Live was half-hearted and poorly intergrated and the degeneration of Hotmail in recent years is nothing short of scandalous. Redmond need to put the accelerator to the floor if they want to hang on to the number 1 spot.
Come on Microsoft, let me see some innovation, something aimed at the public. We don’t want to see products for Fortune 500 companies or a new skin on some old software. Change the way I live, work or entertain. Give Vista away, create the next Facebook instead of buying a small amount of it. Compete with Apple in the computer manufacturing game, make something beautiful. Microsoft have the cash to compete with Google, and I’m sure they have the talented staff. For the first time in 20 years, Microsoft doesn’t matter to me.
For now, Microsoft are scuffed up as hell - that’s my shoe shine boy moment.
Posted 07.11.07
November 8th, 2007 at 1:42 am
Many of the super powers from 10 years ago are still industry leaders, but more and more I’m asking myself why? Microsoft and Sony are the two I can think of firs that did some cool stuff earlier in their life span, but are really headed down a bad road now. They charge way too much for products that aren’t very good, and expect everyone to thank them for it. Apple at least has great marketing and innovative ideas, but even so there are more cool things going on in the open source community then anywhere else. We’ll see how things shift, but I think Microsoft is going to be spending some time as a down and out company soon. When people are downgrading from your most recent operating system to the one before it because the new one sucks, you know you have problems.