The Microsoft Way

From 2007:

Scott, to Me:

More disgusting Microsoft tactics. In about 2 hours from now, Apple will have brand new incredible iPods on the market for sale... they are rumored to be out-of-this-world INCREDIBLE that is going to make even people that currently own iPods want to throw out their existing iPods and get these
brand new ones. It's special "Apple mornings" like these when I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, counting down the clock, waiting to tune into the live news of the event. So meanwhile, on Microsoft's end of the fence, instead of improving on the horrible & unintuitive & clunky Zune, they cut their selling price of the Zune by $50 instead to try to undermine Apple. They are most certainly taking a loss on the Zune at this point, just like the Xbox. Are people finally waking up to the fact that Microsoft makes crap? Here's the link:

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/09/05/microsoft_slashes_zune_pricing
_ahead_of_apple_ipod_event.html

Me, to Scott:

Actually... yes.  People are waking up.  The Xbox 360, which I of course refuse to participate in, is NOT selling.   They, as usual, are taking a loss on the product, and keep slashing the prices, and the hardware is piling up on retail shelves.  There was an original group that ran out to buy the thing believing, once again, naively, that Microsoft would have used the original xbox as a training ground and would now have their act together.  Impossible  of course.  And now I hear the thing is as loud as a wind tunnel?!  When you are trying to play a game?! 

 

In no uncertain terms let me say there is NO way a microsoft product is ever going to be an all-in-one.  The original Xbox was supposed to play games AND store/play music.  It did neither one well, and the music feature was really bad. 

 

I hadnt heard these new tactics they are pulling with the 360, but its not a surprise.  That they would sell it now as a full entertainment center?  That's laughable, but of course it's what they do isn't it.  Take a product that doesn't do anything they claimed and say it is competitive with an Apple product that does something totally different.  Then they promise in the fine print that you *will* be able to do those things, once the patches/upgrades come out.  Then those upgrades either:  a) don't come out, b) come out, but don't do what they said, AND  c) cost a lot.

 

People flat out stopped buying the 360... and let me tell you what's more interesting:  the new Nintendo Wii is OUTSELLING them.  Nintendo was nearly DEAD.  This new Wii, which personally doesn't interest me but I have to admit is the first innovation in gaming in a while, has revived that franchise. 

 

Why doesn't microsoft take some of those  billions and really invest in a gaming system?  Let's ask the real question.  Apple has innvoated.  Now Nintendo has innovated.  Sony is constantly innovating. 

 

With all that money... why isn't Microsoft an innovator?  The first answer is that they just don't care about the consumer... but the second question has to be that starting from the top, from the TOP... innovation is just not that important.  Listening to the talk Bill Gates and Steve Jobs gave, Jobs talked all night about innovation, product, creation, and hard lessons learned about PARTNERSHIP. 

 

Bill Gates talked all night about "betting".  Betting on the future.  The asshole is a gambler.  And we know what gamblers eventually do in order to keep winning.  They try to "fix" the bet.  That's what all this sounds like.  It sounds like Bill Gates is just "betting", and trying to hands-on, guarantee a win.