Comments on: What Microsoft will do next

By: Bruce Williams, Pasadena CA

Bruce Williams, Pasadena CA — Sun, 25 May 2008 03:38:27 +0000

This is all about fighting the last war. Cell phones will become the dominent internet platform. This is the pattern in Europe and the United States, let’s not even attempt to mesure the growth potential in China and India. Whoever creates and captures dollars there will quickly overtake and pass the current leaders. Search has become the economic killer app because you can link to what the person is currently interested in. With a cell phone, which goes with the person all day, you can link to where he goes and ( with the cell phone replacing credit cards ) what he does.

By: John, Toronto, Canada

John, Toronto, Canada — Thu, 15 May 2008 03:07:33 +0000

I put Microsoft’s chances of pulling this off at somewhere around Z-E-R-O. These pitiful slobs have had TEN YEARS to turn a simple email program (Hotmail) into something usable, and have failed miserably. My hotmail account is unundated with 50 spam messages a day that the people at MSFT seem to be unable to filter. My gmail account? Not ONE spam message gets through, and not ONE real message gets accidentally sent to junk. Gmail has effectively completely eliminated spam for me. Not to mention that their UI is roughly 1000 times better, faster, and more reliable and easier to use than MSN. MSN and Microsoft are an EMBARRASMENT to the web at the moment, and there is no excuse for this. Unless they fire everyone and hire away all the smart people at Google, I give them a ZERO percent chance of ever catching up. Their web strategy is nothing but a pathetic and colossal failure at this point, and they should be ashamed of their efforts.

By: Ben, Boulder Colorado

Ben, Boulder Colorado — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:33:22 +0000

The next logical step is for Microsoft to acquire NewsGator Technologies. NewsGator has been the number 3 player worldwide in Enterprise RSS. In the last year they created Social Sites which sits directly on top of MOSS/SharePoint. This would give Microsoft an upper hand in the Enterprise Social Computing space, and would put them light years ahead of IBM’s Lotus Connections. Plus its a much cheaper acquisition with far superior technology to the consumer version of FaceBook.

This would put OpenSocial on the ropes.

By: Kris, Houston, TX

Kris, Houston, TX — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:08:28 +0000

I think, MSFT’s strategy is “not winning” but “slowing the pace of GOOG’s growth”. The more $$$$$ GOOG has in it’s pockets, the more it tries harder to diversify it’s business. With less $$$$, GOOG might take a real hard look at it’s diversification strategy instead of investing in a million products as it is doing these days. That’s indeed a scary situation for GOOG.

By: dick, dallas, texas

dick, dallas, texas — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:31:37 +0000

Microsoft should design a fantastic web experience that is really useful and makes people want to use it?

By: cynik, zurich, switzerland

cynik, zurich, switzerland — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:15:23 +0000

Really good journalism. I am impressed. You stayed out of favourites game and we all learn something.

By: Steven Mather, Tampa FL

Steven Mather, Tampa FL — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:07:02 +0000

I like to go to the dog races. I have favorite kennels and dogs. I always bet on them. They don’t always win, but they usually do and I’m ahead in winnings vs. losings. Microsoft (and even Apple)are a few of my favorites at the dog race called of beat the competitor. Odds are, they win more than they lose.

By: Pam. Vancouver. BC. Cda.

Pam. Vancouver. BC. Cda. — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:41:57 +0000

Dealgonesour in Portland – Boy, did you ever hit the nail on the head. Copycats indeed. I’m following the Yahoo story closely, but the techie around here is my husband. His take on Microsoft is that, even if they hire a few of the brightest, their claim to fame has never been innovation. In his words, Microsoft merely “buys their innovation”.

Great Article.

By: Bugga, Sammamish WA

Bugga, Sammamish WA — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:49:52 +0000

Excellent article that truly captures the feel of Microsoft. It’s like you used to work there as well. You nailed it.

By: RK, Windsor, Ontario

RK, Windsor, Ontario — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:22:55 +0000

MSFT does not have to beat GOOG to win this battle. At present their web-market share is less than 10%. If they can show a positive trend and reach 20-30% that will be great.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:30:15 +0000

MSFT will not win in every space and will not win every time.
neither will GOOG.

When I was a kid there was this home computer called MSX (correct if wrong) there were about 6 companies producing it. It did not win, it did not even do well. But it was a try.

Decades later MSX was reborn as XBOX. Now you tell me that Microsoft does not have what it takes to come back.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:19:51 +0000

In the capitalist world money can buy as much talent as possible, so long as it is managed properly. If Msft was willing to bet $46 billion dollars on Yhoo you can rest assured they are prepared to go all in and since neither GOOG or YHOO possess technologies that money can’t provide my bet is on Msft. The Yhoo offer from Msft was nothing other than an expedient which Msft paper can easily compesate for if they choose to go it alone.

By: PNW Trojan, Puget Sound WA

PNW Trojan, Puget Sound WA — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:42:50 +0000

Given the enormous cash resources at MSFT, clearly, the leadership is impotent, and too siloesque. MSN was MUCH better than the competition, but starved for resources to make it a wonder product… too many TOMs at MSFT – Tired Old Men. New blood, new faces, FRESH ideas to EFFECTIVELY EMPLOY the cash flow. But, re Google, GIVE IT A REST…they are FAR from being the 2nd Coming…very good a SEARCH, but a the web is anything but static.

By: michael berkens, Hillsboro Beach, Florida

michael berkens, Hillsboro Beach, Florida — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:16:48 +0000

How about this Idea.

Microsoft buys some of the publicly traded companies that have large domain holdings and currently are using Yahoo or Google to send the traffic to, and moves all that traffic to MSN. Then Microsoft buys some of the large privately owned domain portfolio’s, which generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue now with Yahoo and Google and sends that traffic to MSN.

MSN might take away 10% or more from Yahoo and Google and put it with MSN.

We have blogged on this.

You can read it:

http://www.thedomains.com/2008/05/13/what-should-microsoft-do-with-that-46-billion-how-about-buy-domains/

By: Eclectic Investor, Mumbai, India

Eclectic Investor, Mumbai, India — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:29:09 +0000

Face it! Google has slowed down. What had turned out to be a revolution around email and unlimited storage – has in fact become an advertising and media company. In the last year Google has run out of ideas, in pretty much the same way Yahoo had – especially noticeable here in India. Yahoo lost out on glaring winners like Youtube – so did Microsoft – especially when Gates had talked of education through video – made very possible with the advent of flv files. Tell me one great innovation that Google has made besides selling text ads – an easily duplicable technology these days. I think search will continue to be Google’s dominance but this does not necessarily guarantee growth. As for Microsoft – it’s wins will come from India and China – Eclectic Investor (www.eclectic-investor.blogspot.com)

By: Deal GoneSour, Portland, Oregon

Deal GoneSour, Portland, Oregon — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:52:04 +0000

What a very well researched and well written article. The MSN group at Microsoft does not have the talent to even begin to catch up to Yahoo or Google. At best they will copy the others features until they can get rid of the current team and bring on real talented developers. I don’t think they can do it. MSN is stuck in their own mud of arrogance and will need to toss billions into MSN to even see if they can catch up. By that time Google and Yahoo will have leaped into the future and MSN will always be left behind. There are few things that Microsoft has done that are truly creative. At best, they are mere copy cats.