Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft’
Ads, Apple, Hardware, laptop hunter, Macbook, Microsoft
In General on Friday, 17 July 2009 at 0:13
Yes, according to Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s chief operating officer speaking at the Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans. During his speech he recounted a call he claimed to be from Apple Legal. According to the transcript:
And you know why I know they’re working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey — this is a true story — saying, “Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.” They took like $100 off or something.
Is Turner telling the truth about this? I can’t say for sure, but it’s instructive to note that in the same transcript he says this about the Laptop Hunter ads (emphasis mine)… Read the rest of this entry »
Hardware, Microsoft, Software
In General on Thursday, 16 July 2009 at 18:00
“With all those zingers flying around, it made me start remembering other instances in which Ballmer has taken a company or product to task.” Link
Microsoft, Office 2010, Software
In General on Monday, 13 July 2009 at 17:14
Only Microsoft could offer five freakin’ versions of an office suite and consider it a “simplified” lineup.
And, what’s worse, they now have two versions with “professional” in the name. Really? As if the pro designation isn’t getting old enough as it is, now we have Professional, and Professional Plus.
But it doesn’t stop there, there’s two versions with “home” in the name as well. Home and Student, and Home and Business. Seriously? Could you possibly have any idea what products might come in these versions? Is it even clear how they tie-in to “home”?
Where do they get the marketing morons who name these things, and why isn’t there somebody in the room with a club when the name is suggested?
Bing, Google, Microsoft, Search
In General on Monday, 13 July 2009 at 12:22
According to Microsoft, Bing has done well in its first month:
We saw 8 percent growth in unique users to Bing.com in June, which is an important indicator that you are trying Bing and the word is spreading.
I’m sure that, coming from Microsoft, some of this is hyperbole, but probably no more so than other companies “exaggerate”.
In my view, even if the exact figure may be disputed, I am not surprised that Bing has likely done well so far. I rather like it.
In fact, I’ve set it as my default search in Internet Explorer (though I hardly use IE) and Firefox. Unfortunately, I can’t set it as my default in Safari, because Apple seems to think there are only two search engines: Google and Yahoo. Come on, Apple, let’s open that up a bit, OK?
Hardware, Microsoft, Zune HD
In General on Monday, 13 July 2009 at 0:01
Microsoft, Software, Windows 7
In General on Sunday, 12 July 2009 at 14:26
According to one source, the answer is…
Take this with a grain of salt. Even if not true, the RTM date has been rumored to be within a couple of weeks, so it’s probably not far off anyway.
[UPDATE:] From the Windows blog:
We are close, but have not yet signed off on Windows 7. When we RTM you will most certainly hear it here. As we’ve said all along, we will RTM Windows 7 when it’s ready. As previously stated, we expect Windows 7 to RTM in the 2nd half of July.
Microsoft, Software, Windows
In General on Saturday, 11 July 2009 at 23:46
I got this screenshot off the iPhone:
Sadly, this simplified, easy-to-read EULA has been corrected. The web site has since gone back to normal.
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Windows 7
In General on Wednesday, 1 July 2009 at 14:08
It used to be a Service Pack release got some press. After all, you’re fixing bugs, tightening security, maybe even adding minor enhancements. But Microsoft’s release of SP2 for Vista has not been touted much out of Redmond.
I almost feel sorry for Microsoft. The “V” word is such poison they can’t use it in their ads, don’t speak much about it in public, and now don’t even say much when they’ve released an SP that will likely continue to make Vista better than its public perception. But perception is everything, and there’s nothing Microsoft can release to fix that… Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Windows 7
In General on Thursday, 25 June 2009 at 12:45
Microsoft today made their Windows 7 pricing policies official.
The bad news is they didn’t change much, and are still too expensive in my opinion. There’s a slight reduction on Home Premium pricing (over the similar edition in Vista) but that’s it. I think Microsoft could have (and should have) done better, but time will tell. Most of the Windows 7 licenses will come from new PCs anyway — as opposed to boxed retail sales — so perhaps this doesn’t matter as much.
Despite the bad news, there is much good news: Read the rest of this entry »
Hardware, Microsoft, PC
In General on Wednesday, 24 June 2009 at 21:59
Viewsonic has announced the availability of their first PC. An All-in-One model with an 18.5″ screen called the VPC100. Resolution is tiny for such a large screen (1366 x 768), but what’s really surprising is that the specs are all essentially that of a netbook:
- Atom processor (not even the N280, it’s the older N270)
- Intel integrated graphics
- 1GB RAM
- XP Home
- 160 GB drive
Sure, it has a few more ports than a netbook but, really, this thing is just a netbook with a bigger keyboard and a screen that’s overkill for the resolution. And at $600 it’s much more expensive and not even portable. Huh? … Read the rest of this entry »
Bing, Google, Microsoft, Search, Software, Yahoo
In General on Tuesday, 23 June 2009 at 13:44
Interesting story from Mary Jo Foley on Microsoft picking up more Yahoo! executive talent. It’s interesting because of this comment:
I’ve seen a few industry watchers refer to these moves as Microsoft “poaching” Yahoo’s talent. But I wonder whether this is a case of Microsoft poaching or Yahoos jumping ship (or maybe a little bit of both)
I think she has a point; it’s almost certainly a little of both.
One thing is for sure, and I alluded to this in my review of Bing, I don’t think Microsoft needs to mess with caring (or even pretending to care) about Yahoo’s search business so much. Bing is a nice service, and just may pick up Yahoo’s business without even the hint of a buyout.
Heck, Bing even got Google to sit up and take notice.
Bing, Google, Microsoft, Search
In General on Tuesday, 16 June 2009 at 12:31
In my review of Microsoft’s new search engine, Bing, I concluded with this:
I think Bing is an impressive offering, and have already bookmarked it for frequent use. I also think Google should get working on a sidebar — or something similar — of their own.
It appears Google has indeed taken notice, and possible changes may result:
It might not be a Google-killer (yet), but Microsoft’s new search engine, Bing, is certainly raising hackles at the Googleplex. The New York Post reports that Google co-founder Sergey Brin is personally leading a team inside the company to analyze Bing’s search engine and make changes to Google’s search results as necessary.
This is good news any way you look at it. Google certainly has the savvy to rollout competitive changes fairly quickly, though as the article explains:
Google’s entire business plan revolves around text ads placed around search results… If Google has to put in “decision” links to compete with Bing, it will: 1) mess up Google’s page layout; and 2) potentially mess up the company’s massive search ad business…
Was it Microsoft’s intent to possibly disrupt Google’s chief business in this manner? I suspect they hadn’t thought of it that way, but rather simply as an example of providing a better experience than Google provides. In any case it’ll be interesting to see how the search giant reacts to its own turf being stepped on. That’s a problem it hasn’t faced in a while.
FireFox, Microsoft, Opera, Safari, Software
In General on Monday, 15 June 2009 at 9:31
There’s some browser news floating around today worth talking about. And none of it has anything to do with Internet Explorer.
Firefox
First up, Mozilla puts Safari 4’s 11M downloads in perspective:
I just read that Apple is reporting 11 million Safari 4 downloads in just three days. That’s pretty amazing.
I’d like to follow up that report with one of my own.
Firefox 3.0.11 was downloaded about 150 million times in the last 24 hours.
While there may be a touch of snark in the comment, the truth is the truth. There’s also no denying its accuracy, nor can it be doubted that it does indeed put Safari 4’s download numbers in an entirely different context. In fact, Mozilla had previously pointed out that 27% of Mac users alone have swapped from the default browser to Firefox:
Having chosen Mac, Safari users, about 27% of them, have opted out of the bundled and default browser and instead chosen Firefox. That’s an even higher conversion to Firefox rate than we’re seeing on Windows.
In short, Safari has a long way to go.
Opera
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the browser world, staunch Internet Explorer fans are requesting a boycott on the Opera browser. From the article:
Opera is simply upset because their browser is dead last in market share, and has already been surpassed by the recently released Google Chrome browser and Apple’s Safari browser for Windows.
True enough. I think Opera is asking for a seat at the table they haven’t earned. As for the boycott itself, given Opera’s share of the browser market I though it was already on.
Microsoft, Software, Windows 7, Windows NT
In General on Thursday, 11 June 2009 at 9:21
On the Windows SuperSite, Paul Thurrott questions whether Windows 7 is the Next Windows NT. That would be a great complement to Windows 7.
I believe it’s too early to make such statements, but Microsoft had six years to write Windows 7, so who knows?
What Paul absolutely got right is the part about Windows NT. To me, there’s no question Windows NT 3.5 (actually, 3.51) was the most bullet-proof, rock-solid stable OS Microsoft ever developed (not counting server flavors). I remember showing it crashed to a co-worker once because of how rare that was. Read the rest of this entry »
AntiVirus, Microsoft, Morro, Software
In General on Thursday, 11 June 2009 at 9:20
Microsoft’s free antivirus software, Morro, will soon be in beta testing. A free cure for one of the Windows world’s greatest sicknesses. And you know it’s gotta be good, because who better to close those doors than the company that opened them in the first place?
We should all practice safe computing, so as a Mac user I’m not going to mention the stark virus differences between the opposing platforms. Rather, today I suggest we lift our voice in song to celebrate the occasion with our Windows-loving friends.
Come on, you know the song, so feel free to join in…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Bing, Google, Microsoft, Search, Software, Yahoo
In General on Wednesday, 10 June 2009 at 9:04
Microsoft’s new (well, newly labeled, anyway) search engine, Bing, went live last week. I’ve been playing with it a few days and find it to be a very respectable search offering. This thing won’t be toppling Google anytime soon, but there are things about it worth noting that should push Google to begin improving their own offering. Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Hardware, Microsoft, Palm, Palm Pre, Software, Windows 7
In General on Tuesday, 9 June 2009 at 14:44
After years of touting that Mac OS X “just works”, I guess Microsoft finally decided to hang along for the ride. A reader sent in a page scan from marketing materials in their Microsoft Action Pack subscription, and look what we have here:
After years of touting that Apple’s products are “Designed by Apple in California”, I guess Palm decided to go along for the ride. According to jkOnTheRun, the new Palm Pre packaging has “a clear plastic card with the manual that says “inspired by and designed in California””.
Oh well. If you’re gonna copy, copy from the best.
Microsoft, Software, Upgrade, Vista, Windows 7, XP
In General on Friday, 5 June 2009 at 18:50
A lot is being made of the leaked Best Buy memo that outlines Microsoft’s Windows 7 upgrade program. It looks very good, but some of the story doesn’t seem to be getting out, so I’ll add my $.02.
Keep in mind that the Best Buy memo has not been confirmed. I think it’s reasonable, so I’m proceeding from the notion it does in fact outline some of Microsoft’s plans for Windows 7 upgrades.
Apple, Hardware, iPod, iPod touch, Microsoft, Zune, Zune HD
In General on Monday, 1 June 2009 at 16:22
You’ve got to give Microsoft credit. Having failed at making the Zune an “iPod killer,” they’ve given up and are trying to make it an “iPod touch killer.” Why go after big brother when little brother has kicked your butt for two years? Beats me; you’d have to ask Microsoft. All I can do is look at the Zune HD and see what it’s about…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Apple, Hardware, Microsoft
In General on Monday, 18 May 2009 at 22:14
Another Laptop Hunter ad is upon us, and with five of these babies under our belt it’s time to step back and see what, if anything, works, and what doesn’t.
It’s not hard to see the predicament Microsoft is in. It wants to push Windows machines yet is hamstrung by the following…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Microsoft, Software, Windows 7
In General on Thursday, 7 May 2009 at 15:50
Yes, I know “RC” designates Windows 7 as a Release Candidate, but a better designation would be Reality Check.
Windows 7 is an improvement over a very bad Vista, OK? Big deal. Let’s not pretend it’s more than that. The signal-to-noise ratio from some quarters is getting ridiculous.
Let’s look at the reality check…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Apple, FUD, Microsoft, Windows 7
In General on Tuesday, 14 April 2009 at 12:16
So I’ve been unwinding in Vegas the last week (yeah, I know, “unwinding” and “Vegas” do not belong in the same sentence). Now I’m back catching up on my news feeds only to see that Microsoft has attempted a return to the good ol’ days.
The Way They Were
Back in those good ol’ days, Microsoft pretty much ruled the tech press and resulting message. They pre-announced products to kill or freeze competition, and sold Bill Gates’ vision as the path to the future. We know now, of course, that the path Mr. Gates saw was one no one ever traveled. Truth is, Microsoft’s last real innovation was when they bundled a suite of apps all designed to work together and called it Office…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >
Hardware, Microsoft, Vista
In General on Monday, 6 April 2009 at 23:27
The latest Laptop Hunter ad is out, and it went where it had no business going. The first ad featured Lauren, and setting aside that she was cute, the best thing about her was that she was enthusiastic and a non-techie. Her purchase was as much emotional as anything else. While I’d disagree with that kind of computer purchasing logic, there’s a certain truth to it.
Giampaulo: Technically Impaired
The star of the new ad, Giampaulo, claims to be “technically savvy,” and then spends the rest of ad proving he’s not. Apparently, his (and Microsoft’s) definition of “technically savvy” means buying a machine with Windows on it. By that definition, Lauren was “technically savvy” as well…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Apple, Hardware, Microsoft, Vista
In General on Friday, 27 March 2009 at 11:44
Have you seen the ad yet? Lauren only has to find a laptop computer with a 17-inch screen for under a grand and she gets to keep it.
Lauren is a redhead. Long, thick, curly, lovely red hair. Did I mention redheads rule? Well, they do. Curse you, Microsoft, for using Lauren in this ad. Her engaging personality and infectious enthusiasm blinded me, and I eagerly sought the HP web site to pick up that great 17-inch laptop. After all, if it’s good enough for Lauren…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Windows, Windows 7
In General on Wednesday, 18 February 2009 at 15:47
Much is being made lately of Microsoft Windows 7 and it’s new taskbar. I’ve been running the beta myself and consider it a nice improvement over Vista. One of the improvements is in the area of window management. The new taskbar shows previews of all the open windows in an app when you hover the mouse over it, and will switch to that window if you click it.
While the above is nice, I’ve seen a few comparisons of this windows management to that of Apple’s Dock. The problem there is that OS X’s windows management is not handled by the Dock. About the only “window management” you get from the dock is that if you right-click an icon the popup menu will list open windows. Big deal.
If you want to compare Windows 7’s windows management to that of OS X, then you have to compare the new taskbar features to that of Apple’s Expose and Spaces. In this comparison, in my opinion, Windows 7 falls far short…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Ads, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In General on Tuesday, 17 February 2009 at 13:48
Joe Wilcox has an article on Microsoft Watch about Microsoft’s new ads with kids. The series is called The Rookies, and there’s a second spot up.
Joe is less impressed with the second spot than the first, but goes on to explain how these ads have potential, Microsoft needs more of them (I’m sure more are coming), the kid should get an ‘A’ on the project, etc.
That’s all nice, but it misses an awkward thing about this whole series…
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Windows 7
In General on Thursday, 5 February 2009 at 10:52
Microsoft has made public their “edition strategy” (my term, not theirs) for Windows 7. While there are still too many editions, at least they make a little more sense, and offer a better overall choice, than what Vista offered.
Paul Thurrott has a write-up on the editions at his Super Site for Windows. He was “critical” of Microsoft for their edition strategy for Vista, and is now a major cheerleader for 7’s set of editions. He believes Microsoft has really simplified things. Lost on Paul is that when a 2,000+ word article is required to outline the various editions, it’s not simple. There are too many versions, but I’ll get to that shortly.
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Microsoft, Windows 7
In General on Wednesday, 14 January 2009 at 0:01
The install was pretty easy. Sound was working fine after the install, but died somewhere along the way. Is it the beta? Is it Fusion? Who knows?
Didn’t really do this to troubleshoot beta issues since VMWare does not officially support Windows 7, and I’m sure Microsoft is not likely to be too interested in supporting that environment either.
No, I did this just to get a sense of how Windows 7 runs, feels, and acts. I did not like Vista at all, so my other VMs are Windows XP SP3. I’m interested in smacking 7 around a bit to see what gives.
[UPDATE 1:] The sound that disappeared last night mysteriously reappeared today. I had rebooted and tried a couple things last night, but could not get it back. Today, after the laptop awoke from sleep, it’s back. Odd, that.
[UPDATE 2:] This post is being updated courtesy of Windows Live Writer. I really, really like this app and wish the Mac had something similar.
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In General on Friday, 26 December 2008 at 16:16
In a previous article I discussed Apple’s approach to cloning and how far they should go in shutting down that business. This led to the question “why can’t I just buy Mac OS X and install it on any hardware I want?”, which led to a pretty typical answer that the boxed OS X is sold as an upgrade, not a new (or full) license. This answer is sometimes challenged, and brings up the idea of what an “upgrade” is in the Mac world as opposed to Microsoft.
This is not an Apple vs. Microsoft argument. It simply attempts to outline the difference in each one’s approach to OS sales, and why each uses the sales model it does. Rather than claim one is “right”, I believe each is right for the business model it supports.
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Mac OS X, Microsoft, Vista, Windows
In General on Tuesday, 4 November 2008 at 14:12
Fortune’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt comments on the latest Internet market share numbers from Net Applications. Seems Vista got a bump in October while the Mac went down, and he’s curious as to why.
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Windows 7
In General on Monday, 27 October 2008 at 15:55
When Bill Gates mentioned in January, rather arbitrarily, that Windows 7 may ship “next year”, a general consensus was that a more reasonable delivery would be 2010. With that in mind, many expected it would then “slip” to 2011, as Microsoft’s deadlines are known to do.
I was, and have been, always of the opinion that Microsoft needed it sooner. I wasn’t alonein this thinking among some of the Microsoft observers at the time, though we felt so for different reasons.
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Humor, Microsoft, Windows 7
In General on Thursday, 16 October 2008 at 12:18
Since Microsoft is trying hard not to talk about Vista, they’re falling back on their SOP of deflecting attention to a shiny new object, in this case Windows 7. To that end, the SuperSite for Windows hastaken it upon itself to become the “central location for accurate information about Windows 7.”
While I’m sure they meant well, when I read their answers I can see that either the SuperSite was not quite getting them right, or maybe they just chose to use an awful lot of words to say something that could be done much more succinctly.
Read the rest of this article on theAppleBlog >>
Microsoft, Vista
In General on Friday, 19 September 2008 at 22:33
Who would’ve thought Microsoft would use such symbolism? I guess when you cough up $300 million for an ad campaign you really get what you pay for.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft
In General on Thursday, 18 September 2008 at 11:44
Microsoft’s second phase of the new ad campaign began today, and Paul Thurrott is leg-humping it. Go here to see some screenshots of the TV and print spots.
Most importantly, read the “manifesto” (as Thurrott calls it) and it comes away as what Microsoft has been saying since the early 90s: If you want compatibility, you best stay with us. They also nod to an idea or two from Apple, but that’s par for the course.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Hardware, iPod, iPod touch, Microsoft
In General on Tuesday, 9 September 2008 at 22:08
As usual, Paul Thurrott gets most of this wrong…
Incremental. It’s official, folks. The iPod market is now mature. There wasn’t a single major announcement at today’s event
Which is what most who knew what was going on suspected. And yet there was actually great stuff there if you cared to pay attention.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, FUD, Microsoft
In General on Monday, 8 September 2008 at 10:10
Paul Thurrott’s Supersite Blog apparently firmly believes at least two things:
- Apple is “bad”.
- Newsweek is a credible source for Apple commentary.
The former is nothing less than Paul has always thought, despite his claims of being unbiased, etc., even as he calls those who support Apple names every chance he gets. The latter, however, is especially telling, since of course Newsweek was little more than an Apple tool until now.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista
In General on Friday, 25 July 2008 at 11:03
Microsoft, Software, Vista
In General on Tuesday, 22 July 2008 at 22:10
Not sure what to make of Microsoft’s new ad strategy.
I do know one thing: They should have used a better analogy. This one’s too easy to make fun of. For example, I see it more like this:
Apple, FUD, Microsoft, Software
In General on Friday, 4 July 2008 at 11:46
Paul Thurrot’s occasional Fun With Headlines posts are usually pretty harmless. Sure, he uses them to get in one-sentence jabs at Apple now and then, but despite his claims to the contrary that’s his job, so no big deal.
Today, however, he must be unusually mad at Apple, so let’s see what his 4th of July Edition has to say:
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Microsoft
In General on Wednesday, 25 June 2008 at 22:16
Paul Thurrott posted an unusual piece on his Super Site for Windows, first published in an issue of Windows IT Pro UPDATE, which Thurrott calls “an email newsletter aimed at IT [read: Microsoft] Professionals.”
What makes it interesting is that Thurrott drops some pretenses he and other Microsoft fanatics have held dear. Does this mean Apple gets some well-deserved credit? No more than Thurrott ever gives. Does it mean Microsoft is being excoriated? Not really. Thurrott’s a Microsoft iShill and, as I’ve said before, knows — and in this piece admits — not only where his bread is buttered, but also where the dough is made and the loaves are baked.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Hardware, iPhone, Microsoft
In General on Friday, 6 June 2008 at 8:43
The letter Microsoft’s Andy Lees sent to their hardware, carrier, and software partners is comical on many levels, not the least of which is that why would you want to emphasize the fact that you’ve got nothing to say?
It really is kind of a stupid letter, but it follows the classic Microsoft argument (indeed, the only one they’ve ever had): When you got nothin’, toss around big numbers.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Hardware, iPhone, Microsoft, Software
In General on Wednesday, 28 May 2008 at 11:41
OK, now that Microsoft has demoed Windows 7’s multi-touch interface (”Forget Vista, look, shiny object!”), let’s look closer at these two products with multi-touch interfaces.
The idea is to look at the facts and determine who can really be said to be in the multi-touch race. For purposes of this post (and any other article that claims to be making any sense), we’ll assume the ultimate goal is to have this technology in the hands of actual users while turning a profit.
With that said, let’s look at the products:
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Windows 7
In General on Friday, 4 April 2008 at 14:42
Bill Gates says Windows 7 may be released “sometime in the next year”.
Of course it will! I mean, at the very least, they’ll say it will. I wrote this before. Mind you, whether it’s actually delivered by the end of 2009 is highly debatable.
The fact is Vista stinks, and they have to wash the taste out of everyone’s mouth as soon as possible. Talking about Windows 7 is all they have, and 2009 sounds a whole lot better than 2010.
Apple, Hardware, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In General on Wednesday, 2 April 2008 at 22:21
Bear with me a bit as I lead into what gives this article its title.
If you check my About page, you’ll see that since August of last year I’ve switched my household entirely to Apple. A 24-inch iMac Extreme, a 2.2 GHz MacBook, a Time Capsule 500GB, an Airport Express, and just last week an iPod touch.
In short, I spent a reasonable chunk of change, but it was time for new computers and I wanted to upgrade to “n” networking, etc. The time was right and I went back to Apple after many years of them, frankly, not making a computer I wanted.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista, XP
In General on Thursday, 27 March 2008 at 14:30
The Windows SuperSite, in an article about Windows XP SP3 being “good enough”, discusses the “Windows XP and the Vista conundrum“:
I mean, imagine a case in which customers were allowed to choose between a previous generation Toyota Camry and the all-new, designed-from-the-ground-up 2008 model, and the customers actually chose the old version by a roughly 2-to-1 margin, despite the fact that the price hadn’t changed at all?
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Microsoft, Safari, Software, Windows
In General on Saturday, 22 March 2008 at 17:22
Yesterday I stated my position on Apple’s use of their Windows Software Updater to “update” Safari on systems that don’t run it. Many other bloggers, analysts, etc. posted their positions as well.
There’s been a lot of debate about it, so today I thought I’d take a second look by reviewing some of the recent commentary on this topic…
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Microsoft, Safari, Software, Windows
In General on Friday, 21 March 2008 at 11:07
The mid- to late-90s seemed to be the heyday of software vendors deciding that if you ran one of their products, you’d want a bunch more as well. In my opinion, it was not Microsoft, but Real, that typified this behavior and annoyed me greatly.
Even when all I wanted was their media player, it seemed I was stuck with their little message center and other crap. Turning it all OFF was a pain in the rectum, and in my opinion should never have been necessary. It made me hate Real, and I’ve yet to install any more than the minimum software of theirs needed.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Vista SP1
In General on Friday, 21 March 2008 at 10:28
See this from Information Week:
The affected chipset is Intel’s 945G Express series, which is used in computers from virtually all major system vendors. It’s also found on standalone motherboards sold by Asus. The 945G Express chipset driver versions between numbers 7.14.10.1322 and 7.14.10.1403 won’t work with Vista SP1, according to Microsoft…
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, FUD, iTunes, Microsoft, Rentals, Thud, Vista Capable
In Uncategorized on Monday, 3 March 2008 at 10:48
A pair of articles on the SuperSite clarify just what a Microsoft bias this site carries, as well as highlighting its love of Apple-bashing.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Friday, 29 February 2008 at 12:10
Apple, FUD, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 25 February 2008 at 23:03
[UPDATE:] The original headline was “John Dvorak Writing For Windows SuperSite?”. Reader Scott took me to task for using a headline and premise that substitutes John’s work for Paul’s. His comment struck me, and I realized he was right. My critique of Paul’s post is still 100% valid, but the over-the-top headline and two-sentence opening have been struck. Also, my apologies to both John Dvorak and Paul Thurrott for the mis-characterization.
There’s a new article post on Paul’s SuperSite Blog for Windows attempting to explain Mac fanatics. Since it’s the usual Dvorak drivel I won’t link to it.
Problem is, I don’t see John’s name anywhere on it. Yet it fits his M.O. to a tee, so maybe he’s ghostwriting for Paul Thurrott?
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista, Vista SP1
In Uncategorized on Sunday, 24 February 2008 at 23:28
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 11 February 2008 at 23:24
Apple, Hardware, iPhone, Microsoft, Windows Mobile
In General on Monday, 11 February 2008 at 20:04
From Paul Thurrott’s Windows SuperSite today, a shocking revelation:
In the second half of 2007, Microsoft’s partners shold [sic] 14.3 million Windows Mobile phones. This compares to 4 million iPhones that Apple sold in the same time period.
Put another way, Windows Mobile outsold the iPhone by over 3 to 1.
Most would compare iPhone sales to other smartphone sales, but not Paul. Windows Mobile is on many phones no one would consider “smart”. So, put even another way, non-smartphones outsell smartphones in general.
Thanks for the newsflash, Paul. Got any updates on the Hindenburg?
Google, Microsoft, Yahoo
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 9 February 2008 at 13:30
So it looks like Yahoo is going to reject Microsoft’s bid. I, like seemingly everybody else, think the merger would be a mess (except for Google) so it’s probably just as well Yahoo may reject it.
However, what happens next could be just as troubling.
Read the rest of this entry »
Google, Microsoft, Software, Yahoo
In Uncategorized on Sunday, 3 February 2008 at 23:34
Everybody and their little brother is all over this. Heck, it even managed to knock all the MacBook Air fawning/despising off the charts. Like most major issues, there seem to be opinions lining up on one side or the other, with few voices in the middle.
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Microsoft, Vista, Windows 7
In General on Monday, 28 January 2008 at 23:36
Apple, FUD, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Security, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 24 January 2008 at 11:40
Apple, Hardware, laptop, Mac, Macbook, MacBook Air, Microsoft, notebook, Sony Vaio, sub notebook, Vista
In General on Wednesday, 23 January 2008 at 23:16
There’s been so much written about the MacBook Air since it was introduced that you can’t swing a dead cat on the Internet without running into some commentary on it.
A lot of what’s written is pretty silly. Seems like only now are some people getting a handle on its dimensions, etc. that should have been obvious from day 1.
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Software, Vista, XP
In Uncategorized on Sunday, 20 January 2008 at 23:13
Apple, Hardware, iPhone, Microsoft, tech headlines, Universal, verizon voyager, Vista, Zune
In General on Saturday, 12 January 2008 at 0:20
Let’s face it, next week we’ll all be discussing Macworld news, so I thought I’d review some tech headlines from the last few days and get them out of my system before the real fun begins next week…
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FUD, iPhone, Microsoft, Software
In General on Monday, 7 January 2008 at 1:16
FUD, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 7 January 2008 at 0:01
Joe Wilcox of Microsoft Watch was at least decent enough to correct Bill Gates’ statement during his keynote Sunday night at CES about 100 million people actually using Vista:
“We have 100 million people using Vista now,” Gates told the capacity crowd in Las Vegas this evening. Maybe the user number was wishful thinking on the part of Gates. Microsoft’s press release refers to the more believable number of 100 million licenses sold.
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Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Friday, 4 January 2008 at 11:19
There is a great article on Blackfriars’ Marketing on this topic.
It’s been known for a long time that Windows Vista has DRM built-in that could shutdown your media if it felt something wasn’t “right”. Now that someone has bumped up against this wall, it’s almost frightening to see it in action.
The money quote from Blackfriars’:
Technology vendors need to remember a simple rule: the people who pay them for their products are their customers, not hardware OEMs, Hollywood studios, or music labels. Tech vendors who ignore that rule — no matter how big they are — risk the future of their business. It’s that simple.
I wouldn’t hold my breath for Microsoft learning that lesson anytime soon.
Apple, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 22 December 2007 at 23:49
Apple, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 15 December 2007 at 14:21
FUD, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Thud, Vista
In Uncategorized on Friday, 14 December 2007 at 12:06
Joe Wilcox of Microsoft Watch took time off from his recent Apple-bashing to reflect on Vista. Joe previously stated that Vista is fine now; the problems you read about were early issues that have been fixed. But he provides no details for this assertion, and given the continued flow of negative Vista press it seems no one else received the “fixes” Joe imagined. Still, Mary Jo Foley, Paul Thurrott, and others jumped on the bandwagon to declare Leopard the new Vista, though few actually believed the story.
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FUD, iPhone, Microsoft, Software
In General on Thursday, 13 December 2007 at 0:31
On his blog, a software test engineer in Redmond had this ridiculous thing to say:
“I will say that if you are impressed by the “touch features” in the iPhone, you’ll be blown away by what’s coming in Windows 7.”
First, what’s with the phrase “touch features”? Did he think referring to it generically in quotes would minimize the iPhone’s interface? Come on, guy, say it with me: Multi-Touch. This is a bona-fide user interface with over 200 patents running on a successful, shipping hardware platform. It’s really silly (if not ignorant) to try blowing it off with the use of a quoted phrase.
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Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 12 December 2007 at 11:52
From Windows IT Pro: “Will XP SP3 Slow Your Migration to Vista?”
Um, no. Only Vista will slow down my migration to Vista.
Yes, I know Joe Wilcox and a few others are waging a campaign that says all Vista problems were from months ago, and since then they’ve all been fixed. But that’s not true, as more new articles attest:
I’m not sure exactly when Vista’s issues were supposed to have been fixed (Joe & Co. never say), but from all the recent press it’s no better than it was when released to the public 10 months ago.
FUD, iTunes, iWork, Kindle, Mac OS X, Media, Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Music, Nokia, Software, Thud, Universal, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 5 December 2007 at 13:18
Apple, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Monday, 26 November 2007 at 11:21
Hardware, Microsoft, Music, Zune
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 24 November 2007 at 11:16
Paul Thurrott believes shoppers think the year-old Zune 30 (you know, the huge, brown, Boat Anchor one) is suddenly a great MP3 player.
Paul uses an article by Macworld as an excuse to drool all over the “success” of the closeout brown Boat Anchor 30 (BA30) Zune being #1 on Amazon’s MP3 player list (it’s given away for $172). The black BA30 is also cheap, but even with a better color the extra $25 is too much, so it’s at #10 — behind five iPods.
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Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 14 November 2007 at 21:55
Isn’t it amazing how a Microsoft devotee on ZDNet can tout an industry report with one headline, whereas a person who doesn’t feed off the Microsoft teat can read the report’s summary and provide another, more revealing, headline?
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Hardware, iPod, Microsoft, Zune
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 14 November 2007 at 21:47
Do the new 2G Zunes have what it takes to compete with the latest iPods?
Well, in an article titled “7 Ways Zune Beats iPod?” Team Zune Luv certainly thinks so. In fact, the “team” claims the Zune is
“…better for the consumer in a number of way [sic] that, at this point, the iPod simply can’t touch”
I disagree, so let’s take a look at their list and see what we can make of it:
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Apple, Dell, Google, Linux, Mac OS X, Media, Microsoft, Microsoft Surface, Music, Software
In Uncategorized on Monday, 12 November 2007 at 12:40
As I continue to fight off some sort of cold, or flu, or death, or whatever it is, it’s time for another review of recent headlines.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 7 November 2007 at 21:30
It’s amazing the amount of fecal matter the usual suspects are shoveling onto the Leopard FUD pile. They’re suffering from memory loss as well.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Hardware, Microsoft, Thud, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 5 November 2007 at 21:03
Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 31 October 2007 at 20:29
Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 31 October 2007 at 0:35
Apple, Greenpeace, iPhone, Microsoft, Nokia, Universal, Vista
In General on Saturday, 20 October 2007 at 12:32
Let’s face it, the big news for Apple is next week with their quarterly earning call on Monday and Leopard release on Friday. Still, there was a lot of interesting stuff this week to comment on…
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Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Friday, 19 October 2007 at 21:04
InfoWorld published an article on Mac OS X Leopard, calling it “a beautiful upgrade.” What I really like about their take on Leopard is that it doesn’t just spend a few paragraphs re-hashing the “obvious” features, but rather dwells more on the overall operating system and its beauty-is-more-than-skin-deep quality:
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Apple, Hardware, IE7, Media, Microsoft, Music, Radiohead, Software, Steve Jobs, Thud, Universal, Warner, Zune
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 6 October 2007 at 12:19
Hardware, Media, Microsoft, Music, Zune
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 4 October 2007 at 17:07
Paul Turrott has been laying low lately. He says it’s because he’s been working hard on his Microsoft Propaganda SuperSite blog, but I tend to think he was also ramping up for some serious Zune humping. He did not disappoint.
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Hardware, Media, Microsoft, Music, Zune
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 3 October 2007 at 17:01
So the new Zunes are here. Stories are just rolling in since the embargo only recently lifted for the major outlets a little while ago (though smaller outlets trickled the word out, such as the Gizmodo picture above).
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Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Friday, 28 September 2007 at 18:39
Apple, iPhone, iTunes, Microsoft
In General on Monday, 10 September 2007 at 13:40
Oh brother. I take a small trip to Vegas (the team I rooted for won the football game, thanks for asking) and look at all the stuff that goes down. I’ll just touch lightly on these because it’s all old news:
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FUD, iTunes, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Thud, Vista
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 1 September 2007 at 12:27
On Fridays, Paul Thurrott typically uses his Internet Nexus site to take quick shots (mostly at Apple) without actually having to write much. He does so by tossing snarky comments at headlines, apparently thinking because the word “fun” is in the headline it’s OK. Normally this is no big deal, but this week’s edition is especially egregious:
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Microsoft, Software
In Uncategorized on Friday, 31 August 2007 at 16:55
See this article. According to the US Department of Justice:
“”competition and consumers have benefited from the final judgments entered because of the Department’s antitrust enforcement efforts against Microsoft.””
How clueless can these people be? Read on to see:
Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft, Thud, Vista
In Uncategorized on Friday, 31 August 2007 at 16:40
I discussed Vista’s announced first Service pack in an earlier post. Paul Thurrott has also commented on SP1 on his Internet Nexus site. In it he references his lengthy article on his SuperSite for Windows. Seems to me if a service pack requires that much explanation as to why it’s not really a big deal, it is a big deal.
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Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 30 August 2007 at 16:30
DRM-free, Media, Microsoft, Music, Universal
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 22 August 2007 at 23:06
“What are you, a wise guy?”
What would happen if the three stooges tried to take on Apple’s iTunes Store? Well, now we know, because its happened.
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Mac, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Vista
In General on Tuesday, 14 August 2007 at 13:43
Apple, Mac, Microsoft
In General on Sunday, 12 August 2007 at 23:28
(ACCURACY ALERT: No quotes from John Dvorak or Rob Enderle were used in the making of this post.)
There’s an article in PC World about corporations slowly considering Macs.
The article starts pretty typically, outlining the new iMac configurations and mentioning how they’re price competitive with PCs. Then we get this quote from IDC’s Richard Shim:
“”Apple isn’t necessarily selling on just hardware either,” Shim said. “They’re innovating on the experience that the customer has, and a lot of other vendors are disadvantaged because they haven’t done that.”"
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Apple, iLife, iWork, Mac, Microsoft, Software
In General on Friday, 10 August 2007 at 23:15
Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Security, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 8 August 2007 at 23:07
I wrote about Microsoft’s latest security ploy last month (link at the end of this article). This is a “prequel” to that piece…
For the six years prior to January of this year, these were the perceptions about Microsoft Windows’ security:
1) It is weak.
2) XP SP2 is going to fix it.
3) It is weak.
4) Internet Explorer 7.0 is going to fix it.
5) It is weak.
6) Vista is going to fix it.
Those are simple, but they sum it up well.
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Microsoft, Software, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 6 August 2007 at 23:04
To set the stage for this article, consider the following:
From the above it doesn’t take a genius to see that Microsoft is trying hard to get a Microsoft OS, any Microsoft OS, on PCs in China. My question is simply this: Why?
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Apple, iMac, Mac, Microsoft, Music, Security, Software
In General on Saturday, 4 August 2007 at 8:27
Well, I’m back from the “out of town” portion of my vacation. I still have a few days off and some projects planned at home, but I’ll get to blogging as well. For my first post since coming back I’ll highlight some of the stuff that went on while I was gone. This is stuff I may have written complete posts about had I been here.
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Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Friday, 27 July 2007 at 6:07
Macworld published an article about Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s talk during Microsoft’s annual financial analyst meeting on Thursday.
The last time I looked in on Steve B. he was getting some PR treatment. In an article, he mentioned taking the long-term approach and how long it took Microsoft to do anything right (OK, he didn’t say it exactly like that, his words were that it took them 10 years to get Windows popular and many years to get database popular).
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Hardware, Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 26 July 2007 at 11:53
See what channel-stuffing gets you?
MacNN reports that, according to Reuters, Microsoft announced at their annual meeting with financial analysts that Vista had sold 60 million copies. MacNN then goes on to state the following:
“The announcement appears to confirm a permanent slowdown in Vista sales, which ran to 20 million in the first month, but were halved for both March and April.”
No. While a slowdown is certainly possible (what with PC makers offering XP as a substitute for Vista, and Dell even offering Linux), what this really shows is that Microsoft’s initial sales figure of 20 million was a fabrication in the first place. They had to halve the next few months’ numbers in order to clear out the channel-stuffing they did to get that initial 20 million.
I don’t know why Microsoft doesn’t understand that this practice provides only a short-term “boost,” and always catches up to you eventually, making things look worse. Didn’t they learn that with the Xbox? I guess not.
Apple, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 23 July 2007 at 23:15
Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 23 July 2007 at 9:22
Hardware, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Sunday, 22 July 2007 at 23:17
Apple, FUD, Hardware, Microsoft, Thud
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 21 July 2007 at 23:57
I disagreed with Paul Friday regarding his look at PC market share, primarily focusing on his blowing off Apple’s US performance. In the following day and a half I’ve learned a few things.
In the comments of my article Paul says his article “was a post, not an analysis.” I’m not sure what that means, but it seems to imply that criticism can be deflected because a “post” doesn’t count as much as an “analysis.” Personally, I don’t care what it’s called; I have a problem with it for reasons stated in my article, which I stand by.
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Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Monday, 16 July 2007 at 23:01
Robert McLaws on WindowsNow posted a response to an AP story about Vista users still being dissatisfied after six months.
In a nutshell, he says that Vista doesn’t suck.
I guess.
As you read it, you see that it isn’t really much of an endorsement. Especially not for the casual computer user (or even the enthusiast). Below are quotes from the post along with what they appear to really mean.
Read the rest of this entry »
Hardware, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 7 July 2007 at 20:43
Microsoft Watch has an article that explains “doing the right thing” is hard, and costly, but gives Microsoft credit for doing so in reference to their action on faulty Xbox 360 units (a.k.a. “the Red Lights of Death”).
From the Microsoft Watch article:
“”The fact that Microsoft is taking action and not hiding its head in the sand is encouraging,” said David Riley, an NPD senior manager.”
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Microsoft, Security
In Uncategorized on Saturday, 23 June 2007 at 11:48
Just as it did last quarter, Microsoft’s own security report says Vista is more secure than other operating systems.
In order to pull this off, Microsoft had to redefine how to measure security. In their world it isn’t about actual attacks, but rather a game of statistical juggling.
You know the saying: There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Can we get back to reality? What matters are actual attacks in the wild. Was my system compromised (applications act funny, popups from nowhere, lost data, system degraded, crashes)? That’s what users care about. By this obvious measure Windows has always been a virus and malware magnet. There’s no denying this. It’s why antivirus and anti-malware software is a requirement on a Windows system (including Vista). No reputable party disputes this. No wonder Microsoft had to redefine security metrics!
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Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 20 June 2007 at 13:23
Microsoft has implemented a new approach to getting Windows XP users to move to Vista: pleading. With there being no consensus on Vista, especially in comparison with Mac OS X, the scuttlebutt has been to at least wait until SP1 is released before upgrading to it.
Since SP1 is not slated until the last half of the year (and maybe not even by then), clearly MS doesn’t want anyone to wait.
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Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Software, Vista, ZDNet
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 13 June 2007 at 19:45
In a previous post I wrote about a horrendous article on ZDNet saying they believed Apple’s Leopard operating system looks like Vista. The article was filled with such misinformation and outright ridiculous statements that most who commented or blogged on the topic called the author on it, as you might expect.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple, Microsoft, review, Safari, Software
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 13 June 2007 at 12:03
[UPDATE:] I have posted part II of this review, with further good points, bad points, and Firefox comparisons.
I’ve been using Safari since the public beta became available on Monday. In that time I’ve had enough experiences to comment on.
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Apple, Mac OS X, Microsoft, Vista
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 12 June 2007 at 14:19
Apple, iPhone, Microsoft
In General on Sunday, 3 June 2007 at 19:28
The smoke is beginning to clear from Microsoft’s announcement of Surface, a specialized system consisting of numerous components (transparent glass table top, rear projector, infrared grid, five cameras, and barcode reading capability) built within a coffee table enclosure. The demo looks pretty good, but just how real is it, and will it ever be more than an intellectual exercise or high-priced item for retail outlets and casinos?
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Apple, FUD, Google, Microsoft, Thud
In Uncategorized on Friday, 1 June 2007 at 10:12
Rob Enderle is one of a handful of names the Mac community knows well. There’s kind of a “Three Musketeers” of Apple analysts: Rob, Paul Thurrott, and John Dvorak, who are generally confused about Apple’s strategies and target markets. They have always viewed Apple through Microsoft-colored glasses, attempting to shoehorn their every move in terms the Redmond giant would use.
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Apple, FUD, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Wednesday, 30 May 2007 at 9:31
Well, the bad reporting on Microsoft’s Surface has already begun. For example, see this article on ZDNet. Mary Jo Foley claims “An unblinking eye on Microsoft”. Well, it’s easy not to blink when you’re asleep. This article is just silly.
For example, we get this gem:
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Hardware, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 29 May 2007 at 21:01
Microsoft issued a press release today introducing Microsoft Surface at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference. Put simply, Surface is surface computing designed primarily for retail locations. To see this technology in action check out Microsoft’s web site for it.
This looks like pretty good stuff. It appears to have gone through a few iterations, and is past any early stages. The press release says it will be available for restaurants, hotels, etc. by Winter of this year.
A lot of people are looking forward to Bill Gates and Steve Jobs on the stage together tomorrow at All Things Digital. Some may have felt that Jobs might overshadow Gates, since Apple is a hot company right now and the iPhone is right around the corner. This may change that; Steve might be busy fielding a few questions about Bill’s latest technology announcement.
Linux, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 29 May 2007 at 13:58
In a previous post, I wrote that the Linux community should not sit idle while Microsoft implies that Linux violates numerous patents, and could be sued for this.
Based on an article in Information Week, I’m happy to say they will not be idle at all:
““Touch one member of the Linux community and you will have to deal with all of us,” Linux Foundation director Jim Zemlin warned Microsoft in a column that appeared May 25 on the BusinessWeek “Viewpoint” slot of its Web site.”
Good for them! And the best part of all:
“Labeled the foundation’s “formal” response to Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith’s statements earlier this month, the column suggested that the foundation was prepared to step in with countervailing patents if Microsoft took action against anyone.”
As mentioned in my post, it’s likely Microsoft has some patent violations of their own. Kudos to the Linux group for letting Microsoft know that patent suits can go both ways.
FUD, Microsoft, Music, Thud, Zune
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 29 May 2007 at 10:37
So Paul Thurrott retracts his previous post about Microsoft selling one million Zunes. But he does so in a manner that makes it appear to be no big deal.
Paul specifically said in his original post that it was “not too shabby”. Further, it was a big enough deal for him to post it in the first place (and on a holiday, no less). Now that he has to retract it, well, hey, it’s only a month away (if it happens), so it’s apparently still some sort of accomplishment. Um, no.
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Microsoft, Music, Zune
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 29 May 2007 at 9:45
Microsoft’s Zune player was released on 11/14 last year, and a dud pretty much right out of the box. Sales dropped so quickly after the first week that three weeks later Microsoft had to put on a brave face and say that sales were meeting expectations (really? they expected it to sell so badly?) and would reach one million by the end of June, 2007:
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Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Sunday, 27 May 2007 at 15:14
You know the old joke about looking up a certain word in the dictionary and finding someone’s picture? Well, look up the word ‘desperate’ in the dictionary and you’ll find a team photo of the “Longhorn Reloaded” project of Joejoe.org. Apparently, this project has plans to resurrect the Microsoft Windows Operating System formerly known as “Longhorn”.
So what is this project trying to accomplish? Well:
“To put the project’s aims simply, we aim to finish off what Microsoft started before the operating system [known as Code Name ‘Longhorn’] was canceled.”
Naturally, after the project was announced 98.237% of all people said it couldn’t be done (the other 1.763% could not be reached for comment). It wasn’t just the technical roadblocks — roadblocks troubling enough to cause Microsoft to cancel Longhorn — but also the small matter of potential legal issues. Still, the team has announced the delivery of Milestone 1. Whatever.
I don’t know what’s more comical, the project itself, or Microsoft’s denial that Longhorn was ever canceled in the first place. Please. Now that’s some serious spin by Microsoft’s marketing group. Hmmm, maybe the word ‘desperate’ should have two pictures by it…
Apple, FUD, Microsoft, Thud
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 24 May 2007 at 12:43
Paul Thurrott takes a shot at Apple in this post from Internet Nexus. Having received a new Dell, he states the following:
“Credit Dell for making PCs in the US. By comparison, press darling Apple makes a big point of how it “designs” its hardware in California, but everything they make (Macs, iPods, etc.) ships from the dark wilds of China. Where, I’m sure, the human rights abuses are kept to an absolute minimum.”
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Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 24 May 2007 at 8:21
Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer has been in two recent articles that would indicate he’s trying to shore up Microsoft’s image, and his own.
The first article is an Aaron Tan BusinessWeek piece. The discussion is about Microsoft’s “innovation”. I think it’s wise for Microsoft to try to play this card since the perception is that they innovate very little. Look around you, game platforms (Xbox), music players (Zune), search (Live search), and even their latest Operating system (Vista), are all just “me too” products after PS3, iPod, Google, and Mac OS X Tiger.
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Linux, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 22 May 2007 at 13:53
A ZDNet UK article says that Microsoft will not sue over the alleged patent infringements by free software.
Aw, aren’t they just swell? What a bunch of great guys.
But wait a minute. If they sued they’d have to prove the alleged infringements, and in turn would get sued back since they surely have dirty laundry in the form of patent infringements of their own.
So it appears their plan is to act like a charitable behemoth, yet still drop tidbits to the press about how free software violates 235 of their patents. And they’ll do this without ever having to prove it, or even name the patents involved! This would be classic FUD. If they repeat it enough (and get it in the papers) without opposition then it will soon be assumed to be true.
I think Linux and other free software organizations should cry foul. If Microsoft isn’t suing, then they should shut up about these so-called infringements. Since they probably won’t, every time they drop this notion the Linux community should make it a point to mention that there are no official allegations, no specific patents mentioned, and they have no knowledge of any infringements.
Sure, this is strictly a war of words, but you lose those if your opponent is the only one talking. Bottom line is free software should not be silent on this, and at least offer a “canned” response every time Microsoft goes into their act.
Linux, Microsoft
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 22 May 2007 at 9:54
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes of ZDNet has a nice article on what the Linux community doesn’t understand about the average computer user. You should read the entire article to understand the five points he raises. Below are my comments on each:
1) On the whole, users aren’t all that dissatisfied with Windows. Forget the fact that this point is damning with faint praise (”on the whole”, “all that”?), it’s generally true to the extent that users never try anything else. Still, if the true thrust of this point is that Windows has not yet been so bad that even average users are screaming for something better, it’s true enough.
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