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Why Microsoft is Doomed to Fail

By on May 10, 2011 in Business, Microsoft, Opinion with 1 Comment

You’ve probably seen the announcement by now:  Microsoft is buying Skype.

I like Skype.  A lot.  I’m depressed.

My initial thought was:  how long before Microsoft runs it into the ground?  Microsoft has been all over the road.  Ray Ozzie, their supposed visionary, has left the building.  They’re increasingly being seen as an dinosaur.  The large, nimble giant is now a lumbering, aimlessly wandering giant.  And Steve Ballmer’s answer?  Bury your head in the sand, and just keep pounding the same Windows beat…

I was pondering all of this after hearing the Skype news and had a revelation.

I used to be a big Microsoft fan.  I made my living for 25 years by developing Windows software.  I hated Macs and wished they would just go away already.  Today I work on OSX exclusively and wouldn’t use a Windows machine if it were GIVEN to me.   What changed?  What happened?   I think I know.  And it’s a huge, fundamental problem.  I have not seen anyone pick up on this yet — this is entirely my opinion, right or wrong.  Here goes:

They reached their goal, and have no clear vision anymore!

That’s it.  That’s the problem:  they’re done.

Allow me to explain.

Since the earliest days of Microsoft, when they were just a handful of guys teetering on the verge of bankruptcy in dusty New Mexico, they had a vision.  A vision driven by their Founder, Bill Gates:   A computer on every desktop, running Microsoft software.

That was their mantra.  And they worked towards global domination.

But a funny thing happened:  they achieved it!    Now what?  There’s no “new” vision.  Now all they’re doing is trying to hang on.  Maintain marketshare.  Maintain earnings.  Please Wall Street.

If you stop and look at the “movers and shakers”, they are all on a mission to accomplish something.   Facebook wants to connect everyone in the world and create the social web.  Google is out to make it easier for individuals to find stuff.  And so forth.

So Microsoft is out chasing Google.  What’s Google doing?  They’re trying to help people find stuff faster, easier.  Why did they buy YouTube?  Because it’s one of the largest search engines on the planet outside of Google.  People searching for videos.   Why did they launch Google Maps?  To help people find places.  Why are they getting into mobile?  To help people find stuff faster and easier on the go.  And so forth.

Microsoft really does not have a clear vision or raison d’etre anymore, and they can only hold on to marketshare for so long, fending off the wolves.  They have massive cash reserves (that are about $8 billion lighter now), so they can wait it out a while yet. And they do have some cash cows still.  But their heyday has long since passed.   Mark my words.  It’s all downhill from here.

Tips for PC to Mac Switchers

By on June 18, 2010 in Mac, Opinion, Software, Tutorials & Explanations, Windows with No Comments

Thinking about switching to a Mac?  You can click here to read all about my gradual shift from the land of Windows.  C’mon in … the water’s nice!

Here are a few practical tips and things to think about, for first-timers contemplating the big shift.  In no particular order:

1. I have some practical, hands-on tips further down, but let’s start with cost, since cost is the most-cited reason for holding off.  Well, a Mac can cost more, but it doesn’t have to.  I have a couple different thoughts/opinions on this matter.

First, a Mac Mini is $699.  It’s a full-blown Mac, but keeps costs down by letting you use your old monitor, keyboard and mouse from your PC.  This is a great way to make the jump incrementally.  To test the waters, so to speak.  $699 is the same ballpark as a generic Windows machine, and the Mac Mini is super fast and capable, so cost is not really an issue.

Cost is only an issue when comparing a PC to a more high-end, “all in one” machine such as an iMac or a MacBook Pro.  However, it’s extremely short-sighted to compare only the upfront costs of the machine itself.   After a couple years of experience on the other side of the fence, I can say that all things considered, the “total cost of ownership” is no greater for a Mac than a PC.   A Mac is pretty all-inclusive.  There’s very little that the average user needs to buy after purchasing the Mac itself.  However, the same can not be said of a PC.  The Mac comes with a heck of a lot more high quality, usable software bundled-in than a standard Windows machine does.  And the add-on business software you might choose to acquire is relatively cheaper too. Read more…

Upgrade Your Browser, Or You’ll Get a Virus and Die

By on June 11, 2010 in Browsers, Humor, Opinion, Software, Windows with No Comments

In the hilarious 1990 movie “Crazy People”, Dudley Moore plays Emory Leeson, an advertising industry exec who is fed up with being, essentially, a professional liar.  He has a mental breakdown and produces a whole series of marketing campaigns based upon (gasp!) telling the truth!   Of course, he does it with humorous, dramatic flair.  For instance, he pitches the dietary fiber supplement Metamucil with the tagline  ”Use Metamucil.  Or you’ll get cancer and die.”   After an unexpected mixup (of course — there wouldn’t be much of a movie without some sort of conflict to kick-start the plot, right?) the “bogus” marketing campaigns actually go into production/distribution.  And the stuff flies off the shelves!

This came to mind when researching the latest browser usage statistics.  As of this day and age (June, 2010) Microsoft’s crappy-assed Internet Explorer 6  (aka IE 6) is still responsible for …get this… 25% of all web traffic!   You’ve GOT to be kidding me!   Not only is this browser nearly 9 years old now, but its replacements (IE 7, IE 8, and soon to be IE 9) have been out and shipping for 4 years!   To add insult to injury, IE 6 has got to be the crappiest, most problematic, non-standards-compliant, security-hole-laden modern browser you can find!

Twenty Five Percent!  25%!!!  Of all traffic!  Oy.

Why?   Well, in my opinion (and LOTS of anecdotal evidence) it’s because IE 6 came installed on Windows XP.   Windows XP has been arguably the single most successful version of Microsoft Windows, with the largest installed base.  As we all know, by far the largest portion of the installed base bypassed Windows Vista’s release and stuck with XP.  The kicker is this: all of these IE 6 people have Automatic Updates turned off.   Yes, that’s right.  In every single instance where I’ve seen IE 6 installed, the computer did NOT have automatic updates enabled.

Of course, IE 7 was pushed down via Automatic Updates in 2006.   Yes, FOUR YEARS AGO!   But all these folks with Auto Updates turned off did not get it.   So they continue to use this security-hole-laden, craptastic browser to this day.   What’s potentially even MORE scary is that with Auto Updates off, they’ve missed up to NINE FRIGGIN’ YEARS of general Windows security updates as well!   Hello, McFly?!!!

Then they wonder why they got hacked, or got a virus, or whatnot.

We still have 25% of all traffic using this old, outdated browser.  Not only does it open up the end user to all sorts of malicious attacks, but it wreaks havoc with web developers trying to build modern web sites and yet still keep them backwards compatible with this browser.  25% is a big chunk of audience to ignore.

IE 6 is officially unsupported by Microsoft.  It’s time to retire it once and for all.  The old “beg, borrow, or steal” approach isn’t working.  It’s time to step up our game and get more aggressive.  I’m not too proud to whip up a dose of old-fashioned guilt.  A nice passive-aggressive approach to guilting users into updating is a start.

Even better yet:  let’s get Emory Leeson to launch a new campaign for us:  ”Upgrade IE6, or your computer will get a virus and die!”

That has a certain Je ne sais pas…