6 ms·

If Microsoft trimmed the friction points (management/bloat) they would actually be rocking it. Look to the XBox team for inspiration. They've absolutely come

If Microsoft trimmed the friction points (management/bloat) they would actually be rocking it. Look to the XBox team for inspiration. They've absolutely come out of nowhere, dominated, innovated (look at the tech behind xbox live), and even beat apple so far in the living room. Have you guys ever checked out windows home server? Probably not. They don't promote it enough, but it's the best product they have made in ages. It's functionality pisses on Apple's Time Capsule and I love time capsule to death. My guess in the next decade? Their core businesses get shaken up (office, windows, etc.) causing them to trim a LOT of this fat after the stock takes a rocking. They finally get the gut check they need and start pulling ahead in other areas (Bing, XBox/Entertainment, etc.)

TeHCrAzY 17y ago
I have a legit copy of home server. Next step: Convince my parents to turn this old pc into a home server as well. S many hassles solved, especially with the backups.
- jasonlbaptiste 17y ago
  I think it's the marketing. Server is just a scary word. Most people don't know it exists either. I'm REALLY hoping they update it at CES with the 2008 Server platform without jacking up the OEM costs.
jbeda 17y ago
The XBox 360 may be a great machine and have great software (I have friends that have worked on it) but from a business perspective it is a disaster. It is pretty clear that Microsoft will never make up for the billions that were sunk into the original XBox and the 360. I know that the old Microsoft Bag Holder blog (which seems to have disappeared) ran the numbers. Once you add the RROD issues and the fact that the Wii is kicking the Xbox's butt from a marketshare/penetration perspective it is hard to say that the XBox is a slam dunk success.
- snprbob86 17y ago
  Maybe you haven't heard, but we've been profitable for 5 quarters. The org is well on it's way towards climbing out of the hole it dug. I think getting the foot into the living room was well with the price of admission. Well, except maybe that $1B RRoD loss...
  - jacquesm 17y ago
    5 quarters of profitability on an 8 year run leaves a pretty big hole to be plugged (and doesn't say how profitable). And do you mean profitable including the start up losses or profitable for those quarters only? Wherever I go I see WIIs, Xboxes not so much any more. They're still being sold in record numbers but WII outsells xbox by a comfortable margin.
    - bad_user 17y ago
      I own a Wii and I hate it. That controller is cool but once you get used to it the games themselves are pretty lame. And you can't use Wii for pretty much anything else. Surely you could "buy" a browser with Wii-points (if they haven't made it free already). But the web-browsing experience is also pretty lame. And you can't use it to watch movies. So I bought a Wii because it was cheaper at the time (not anymore). But you won't catch me buying any games for it. I just borrowed some games I didn't like and now it's just sitting there ... and from time to time when a friend comes I just take out the free "Wii Sports" that came bundled with it. If Wii really outsels Xbox it doesn't say much because they target different markets.
      - jacquesm 17y ago
        For many people it's a 'one or the other' even though they're technically different target markets. WII hit the sweet spot and sold an enormous number of units in a very short time, and for a very large number of those one xbox less was sold.
      - root 17y ago
        When the kids got a Wii I bought some Wii points just to get the browser. I used it once. An app that requires me to sit pretty much exactly in front of the tv to be able to control it just isn't all that useful to me.
axod 17y ago
The battle over the living room was firmly won by the wii. Households that have never had games consoles, now have a wii in the living room. I'd be willing to bet there are far more wii's in living rooms than any other console. I think one reason the xbox looks like a great success is due to how badly the ps3 sucks, and how stupid Sony got. £300 for a games console is ridiculous, and basing it on a soon to be obsolete bluray standard is just more idiocy. They never seem to learn - minidisc, UMD etc - they always try to lock in these ridiculous new formats. For me, the only innovator lately has been Nintendo. They have absolutely turned gaming on its head, and come out with some truly imaginative games that focus soley on fun and gameplay. They've captured amazing large new markets of gamers who have never played before. The xBox is a good all round console, but it's just more of the same IMHO. I don't see much innovation going on there. I'm sure ms are pleased with xbox, but I wonder just how much money they've lost in total doing it. Maybe they'll break even in the next generation, or maybe Sony will realize just how stupid they've been. Maybe they'll go back to their playstation 1 roots.
- jasonlbaptiste 17y ago
  the nintendo wii is the farthest thing from winning the actual living room. It created a new segment of gaming/consoles/etc and opened it up to the mainstream, which is awesome. I actually had a Wii. I even waited in line to get it. I returned it within 24 hours. I wanted something more. The ability to rent movies, stream media, download new games, multiplayer over xbox live,etc. I'm not even a hardcore gamer. I only own the Halo franchise of games. The wii is best described as a very very advanced toy, rather than a gaming console. I don't think that's a bad thing either.
  - axod 17y ago
    I don't want any of that. I don't want to watch movies on a games console :/ Rent movies? On a games console? Why??? Games consoles are the most locked down unexpandable things imaginable (For reasonably good reasons). Why would I want to use one to do things like that. It won the living room, in that it's the console in most living rooms. You can happily play multiplayer on the wii against people in other countries (xbox live like I guess). It does what it's designed to do - entertain. The idea that one device will "win" the living room and provide everything, I think is an unrealistic pipe dream. And certainly not a device that isn't expandable or user modifiable in an easy way like a games console. The Mac mini is actually an awesome 'living room' device. If they marketed it right they could really capture some market there. Frontrow movie previews, playing backed up dvds, music, etc. It does well for a small cheapish box.

TeHCrAzY 17y ago

I have a legit copy of home server. Next step: Convince my parents to turn this old pc into a home server as well. S many hassles solved, especially with the backups.

jasonlbaptiste 17y ago
I think it's the marketing. Server is just a scary word. Most people don't know it exists either. I'm REALLY hoping they update it at CES with the 2008 Server platform without jacking up the OEM costs.

jbeda 17y ago

The XBox 360 may be a great machine and have great software (I have friends that have worked on it) but from a business perspective it is a disaster. It is pretty clear that Microsoft will never make up for the billions that were sunk into the original XBox and the 360. I know that the old Microsoft Bag Holder blog (which seems to have disappeared) ran the numbers. Once you add the RROD issues and the fact that the Wii is kicking the Xbox's butt from a marketshare/penetration perspective it is hard to say that the XBox is a slam dunk success.

snprbob86 17y ago
Maybe you haven't heard, but we've been profitable for 5 quarters. The org is well on it's way towards climbing out of the hole it dug. I think getting the foot into the living room was well with the price of admission. Well, except maybe that $1B RRoD loss...
- jacquesm 17y ago
  5 quarters of profitability on an 8 year run leaves a pretty big hole to be plugged (and doesn't say how profitable). And do you mean profitable including the start up losses or profitable for those quarters only? Wherever I go I see WIIs, Xboxes not so much any more. They're still being sold in record numbers but WII outsells xbox by a comfortable margin.
  - bad_user 17y ago
    I own a Wii and I hate it. That controller is cool but once you get used to it the games themselves are pretty lame. And you can't use Wii for pretty much anything else. Surely you could "buy" a browser with Wii-points (if they haven't made it free already). But the web-browsing experience is also pretty lame. And you can't use it to watch movies. So I bought a Wii because it was cheaper at the time (not anymore). But you won't catch me buying any games for it. I just borrowed some games I didn't like and now it's just sitting there ... and from time to time when a friend comes I just take out the free "Wii Sports" that came bundled with it. If Wii really outsels Xbox it doesn't say much because they target different markets.
    - jacquesm 17y ago
      For many people it's a 'one or the other' even though they're technically different target markets. WII hit the sweet spot and sold an enormous number of units in a very short time, and for a very large number of those one xbox less was sold.
    - root 17y ago
      When the kids got a Wii I bought some Wii points just to get the browser. I used it once. An app that requires me to sit pretty much exactly in front of the tv to be able to control it just isn't all that useful to me.

axod 17y ago

The battle over the living room was firmly won by the wii. Households that have never had games consoles, now have a wii in the living room. I'd be willing to bet there are far more wii's in living rooms than any other console. I think one reason the xbox looks like a great success is due to how badly the ps3 sucks, and how stupid Sony got. £300 for a games console is ridiculous, and basing it on a soon to be obsolete bluray standard is just more idiocy. They never seem to learn - minidisc, UMD etc - they always try to lock in these ridiculous new formats. For me, the only innovator lately has been Nintendo. They have absolutely turned gaming on its head, and come out with some truly imaginative games that focus soley on fun and gameplay. They've captured amazing large new markets of gamers who have never played before. The xBox is a good all round console, but it's just more of the same IMHO. I don't see much innovation going on there. I'm sure ms are pleased with xbox, but I wonder just how much money they've lost in total doing it. Maybe they'll break even in the next generation, or maybe Sony will realize just how stupid they've been. Maybe they'll go back to their playstation 1 roots.

jasonlbaptiste 17y ago
the nintendo wii is the farthest thing from winning the actual living room. It created a new segment of gaming/consoles/etc and opened it up to the mainstream, which is awesome. I actually had a Wii. I even waited in line to get it. I returned it within 24 hours. I wanted something more. The ability to rent movies, stream media, download new games, multiplayer over xbox live,etc. I'm not even a hardcore gamer. I only own the Halo franchise of games. The wii is best described as a very very advanced toy, rather than a gaming console. I don't think that's a bad thing either.
- axod 17y ago
  I don't want any of that. I don't want to watch movies on a games console :/ Rent movies? On a games console? Why??? Games consoles are the most locked down unexpandable things imaginable (For reasonably good reasons). Why would I want to use one to do things like that. It won the living room, in that it's the console in most living rooms. You can happily play multiplayer on the wii against people in other countries (xbox live like I guess). It does what it's designed to do - entertain. The idea that one device will "win" the living room and provide everything, I think is an unrealistic pipe dream. And certainly not a device that isn't expandable or user modifiable in an easy way like a games console. The Mac mini is actually an awesome 'living room' device. If they marketed it right they could really capture some market there. Frontrow movie previews, playing backed up dvds, music, etc. It does well for a small cheapish box.