Some say that Microsoft will evolve to survive the demise of its software
business (overpriced CD's with huge margins). Figures on the ground,
however, suggest that it might be an impossibility. Here's the latest.
Microsoft Refuses To Acknowledge Major Wireless Headset Flaws
,----[ Quote ]
| Weeks after the release of the new Wireless 360 headset, many
| customers have complained about hundreds upon hundreds of documented
| flaws with no official response or product recall from MS.
`----
http://www.2old2play.com/News/Microsoft_Refuses_To_Acknowledge_Major_Wireless_Headset_Flaws
So can these alternative markets have any prospects?
How will Windows survive the death of the PC?
,----[ Quote ]
| For Microsoft, the answer is critical, since Windows is still not a
| natural fit for a mobile platform that has no PC heritage.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/16/samsung_runcom_help_microsoft/
Some alternative markets:
Microsoft to join municipal Wi-Fi fray
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is jumping into the municipal wireless space with a deal
| to provide local content and ads for MetroFi's free wireless
| Internet service in Portland, Ore., by the end of this year,
| the companies are expected to announce on Wednesday.
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6135679.html
Gates to generate your electricity
,----[ Quote ]
| His personal investment vehicle -- a nice drive if you can afford
| it -- Cascade Investments is today expected to partner with New
| Mexico-based PNM Resources on electricity generation and trading.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35521
Microsoft Looks Within to Design and Test Chips
,----[ Quote ]
| For more than two decades, Microsoft's software and
| Intel's processors were so wedded that the pairingc
| ame to be known as Wintel. But as that computing era
| wanes, Microsoft is turning to a new source of chip
| design: its own labs.
`----
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/19/technology/19soft.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin
Microsoft takes it to the bank
,----[ Quote ]
| Is the world ready for Microsoft Banking? Banks are traditionally
| very conservative with their software and hardware choices, and
| most still rely on expensive mainframes with multiple levels of
| failure protection. However, banks are also making a huge push
| to expand into other services, such as investment planning, and
| all these new services require new software. If they are
| successful, Microsoft will be laughing all the way to the, er, bank.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2006/11/14/5956
None of this seems to work too well, though. Hardware in particular is a
budget drainer.
How Much is Too Much?
,----[ Summary ]
| Microsoft says it will stick with Xbox. But with years of heavy losses
| behind it, the pressure's on for the gaming division to make good
`----
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/oct2006/id20061013_283856.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories
http://tinyurl.com/yxdr4j
Microsoft stoic despite massive losses
,----[ Quote ]
| If you were to judge by the PR rhetoric, you'd think the 360 was
| an unstoppable commercial juggernaut. As usual though, PR lies.
`----
http://www.gamerscan.com/articles/06/10/09/microsofts.massive.losses/
Microsoft Hides Its Mobile and Business Apps Divisions
,----[ Quote ]
| The company is folding its two worst-performing divisions -- Microsoft
| Business Solutions (its business applications unit) and its Mobile and
| Embedded units -- into the Microsoft Business Division and Microsoft Home
| and Entertainment units, respectively.
`----
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1990243,00.asp?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535
Gamers Say Microsoft Understates Xbox Problems
,----[ Quote ]
| An insider from Electronic Arts, Inc. is saying that the failure rate
| of Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming console is actually ten times higher than
| what Microsoft spokespeople have admitted.
|
| Game Daily BIZ, a gaming industry publication, reported that the
| anonymous source tallied that of the 300 consoles EA has received,
| 30-50 percent of them have failed.
`----
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/08/xbox_gamers02.html
Game Sales Jump, Despite Xbox Slump
,----[ Quote ]
| Regardless of what happens this holiday season, August represented yet
| another month of disappointing sales for Microsoft's Xbox 360. Pachter
| for one had predicted that the company would sell between 200,000 and
| 300,000 consoles last month, but the sales came in at the bottom of
| that range, according to the NPD data he cited.
`----
http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/newsanalysis/techstockupdate/10308023.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA
The Secret Failures of Microsoft
,----[ Quote ]
| There is no choice involved; even most Linux users are forced to pay for a
| Microsoft license in order to obtain a brand name PC.
|
| [...]
|
| They are bound to an oath to swear allegiance to Windows XP Professional,
| and must never mention Linux and Windows in the same breath. If they step
| out of line in any way, Microsoft dramatically raises their OEM licensing
| fees and sends them to indoctrination camp, where they face chairs being
| hurled at them by angry monkeys.
|
| [...]
|
| Why do Windows enthusiasts exibit much hostility to an obvious fact?
| Because if they admit that 80% of the company's revenues come entirely
| from an OEM tax, and not from any choice on the part of consumers...
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft's decade of investments in WinCE and Windows Mobile
| Smartphones have only barely matched the market share of Palm, which
| itself is a run down company out of ideas. Microsoft couldn't
| out-maneuver the incompetent Palm within a decade of trying; now both
| are ineffectually fighting over the dying PDA industry while Linux and
| Symbian slaughter them in the smartphone arena:
|
| Symbian 75%; Linux 14%; Microsoft 5%; Palm 5%.
|
| [...]
|
| (many more failures listed)
`----
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/Q4.06/2E6D9BB2-FE1B-4556-8389-67BD581FBCCC.html
Google, Ask Gain Search Share; Yahoo, Microsoft Lose Ground
,----[ Quote ]
| Thursday afternoon reported that Google increased its share of
| U.S. search queries in September to 45.1%, up from 44.1% in
| August and 43.7% in July.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/061020/18896_id.html?.v=1
Zune MP3 player has a lot of catching up to do
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft's sturdy Zune foot soldiers will march out in an improbable
| mission to topple Apple's world champion iPod MP3 player.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061112/tc_afp/afplifestyleitinternet
MSN Still Going Nowhere Fast
,----[ Quote ]
| It is worth noting that Microsoft still hasn't made any headway
| in the search-and-portal game and, in fact, is falling farther andf
| arther behind. As a result, it is not surprising that Steve Ballmer
| is now warning media companies that Google is the Evil Empire --
| because no other competitive tactic has worked.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/061116/20767_id.html?.v=1
The company will be forced to shrink. While it might be acceptable to
management, many juniors will remain unemployed.
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