5 ms·

The thing Microsoft seems to get is that you can keep grinding on these devices even if they aren't smash hits. Eventually people like me start to consider them

The thing Microsoft seems to get is that you can keep grinding on these devices even if they aren't smash hits. Eventually people like me start to consider them a viable alternative because we know they aren't going to give up on them like Google.

Suspect 8y ago
Zune. Surface RT. Kinect. Windows Phone. Band. Just naming some things that I've personally purchased and Microsoft no longer supports. They are no better than Google at continuing to support their products.
- moron4hire 8y ago
  That's about it, though. All companies discontinue products, but Microsoft keeps them around for a lot longer than most.
- rgbrenner 8y ago
  Zune: introduced 2006; discontinued: 2012; support ended 2015 (9 years) Surface RT: introduced: 2012; Discontinued: 2013; Windows support ends 2023 (11 years) Kinect: introduced 2010; discontinued: 2015 for windows; 2017 for xbox; still supported (no date announced AFAICT) Windows phone: introduced: 2010; last release 2015; windows phone os support ended 2017 (7 years) Band: introduced 2014; discontinued 2016; still supported (no date announced AFAICT) They gave up on band and RT pretty quickly... but they still supported those users.. a 2012 laptop will probably be dead by the time Windows RT support ends. Just for comparison.. google is only 20 years old. Android is only 10 years old. Which products of Google's are you thinking of that failed and were supported for a decade? When Google Reader died, users got 3 1/2 months warning. Which Microsoft product got 3 1/2 months warning before ending support? I understand why google has their support policy, and I'm not passing judgement here... but microsoft definitely supports their products longer, and that has a real cost to microsoft, and they deserve some credit for that.
  - mhermher 8y ago
    Groove music. Had like a couple months heads up before it was shuttered. There might be others, but that is the one I remember.
  - giobox 8y ago
    I don't agree that Microsoft is worse than Google, but if you want an example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Kin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Kin "After only forty-eight days on the market, Microsoft discontinued the Kin line on June 30, 2010" "In January 2011, Microsoft shut down the kin.com website, which controlled most of the earlier phones' features..." The Kin actually had some pretty innovative for the time cloud features as well.
    - OrwellianChild 8y ago
      Just to put the Kin in context, they appeared to only have sold about 500 units [1] total. That's far below the typical absolute volume of users abandoned in most end-of-life scenarios. Microsoft's commitment to support is much longer than most similar tech lifecycles. [1] http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-only-sold-503-kin-phones-before-pulling-the-plug-a-well-placed-little-birdie-told-daring-fireballs-joh-2010-7 http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-only-sold-503-kin-p...
  - lstamour 8y ago
    Re. Kinect for Windows, manufacturing was switched from a separate Windows-only SKU to an adapter that could be shared across Xbox and Windows, however even that ended in 2018, giving Kinect 8 years of sales: https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/2/16842072/xbox-one-kinect-adapter-out-of-stock-production-ended https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/2/16842072/xbox-one-kinect-ad... The last SDK release for Windows was SDK 2.0 in 2014, whose page now says: > Manufacturing of the Kinect sensor and adapter has been discontinued, but the Kinect technology continues to live on in products like the HoloLens, Cortana voice assistant, the Windows Hello biometric facial ID system, and a context-aware user interface. > Microsoft is working with Intel to provide an option for developers looking to transition from the Kinect for Windows platform. Microsoft will continue to provide support for the Kinect for Windows SDK via our online forums, premiere and paid technical support. As developers transition from Kinect hardware, Microsoft encourages developers to look into Intel's RealSense depth cameras. https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/kinect https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/kinect For those who find this comment later via Google, there are libraries that support both Microsoft and Intel depth cameras: https://github.com/jing-interactive/Cinder-DepthSensor https://github.com/jing-interactive/Cinder-DepthSensor As noted later in this comment thread, there now exists Project Kinect for Azure: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/campaigns/kinect/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/campaigns/kinect/ To me, this sounds like Microsoft using the Kinect and Azure IOT brands to provide their own SDK/hardware for Intel RealSense cameras, but it's unclear what the tech. is under the hood. It's certainly not compatible with older Kinect sensors and the old SDKs.
- daok 8y ago
  For a company that has been there for about 40 years, I would say that this list is quite small compared to Google. Google deprecate product way faster, look at the lineup of communication/chat products in the last decade which is bigger than the list you posted.
- zeusk 8y ago
  Zune, Band and Surface RT are still functional with running back-end infrastructure (except for 1st party music purchases on Zune). Kinect is not dead, it still works on xbox/windows and they released a new enterprise offering just this past month.
  - Paraesthetic 8y ago
    The Kinect was the worst thing to stop making at full scale. It was an awesome device (referenced by the iphone having to use the Generation 1 tech in their phones)
- jkestner 8y ago
  Does anyone support financially unsuccessful products? I think Google gets a bad rap because a) it can kill products with large amounts of users that still aren't valuable enough to the bottom line or company strategy, and b) it can't seem to focus behind one way to solve a problem. Whereas we don't knock hardware companies as much, because the thing has a finite lifespan and more or less continues to work for its useful life. Windows RT — were there any users to miss it? I loved Windows Phone, but I was surprised Microsoft didn't kill it sooner.
- andr 8y ago
  The Surface RT is probably making a comeback, as several Windows ARM tablets were just released. It was just early to market.
  - roryisok 8y ago
    Nah they can do full windows on arm now, no need to go the hobbled route
- VeronicaJJ123 8y ago
  You are wrong about support. Zune, Surface Rt, Kinect all have received support well after they were discontinued. Also Microsoft is typically clear about whether the device is experimental (Band) or flagship.
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  > Surface RT Let's not forget the original Surface.
dragonwriter 8y ago
Uh, Google very often keeps grinding on stuff that doesn't succeed, although often the brand dies and either a new one is born or the tech gets rolled into something else (sometimes, even before the old brand goes away). Sure, e.g. Nexus Q never got a general release after the I/O preview model under that branding... But instead of “Nexus Q 2” we got “Chromecast” and “Nexus Player” and...
jasonvorhe 8y ago
Google kills a lot of consumer stuff, but their Chromebooks and meeting hardware definitely aren't consumer stuff. What gives you the idea they'd just kill something like the Jamboard?
whywhywhywhy 8y ago
As a Mac user in the Pro market this is what I currently admire about MS over Apple. MS genuinely seems to be trying hard to scratch the itches of people in the workplace and more importantly sticking with it while Apple couldn't even commit correctly to a screenless pro desktop. So many people in the Apple circles made fun of the Surface line, but look at Apple now the iPad Pro with it's keyboard and pen is a direct response and attempt to imitate that niche MS worked hard to carve. Definitely got my eyes on Surface line with how bad my experience with the USB-C MBP has been, 6 months in both my command key and return key are screwed.

Suspect 8y ago

Zune. Surface RT. Kinect. Windows Phone. Band. Just naming some things that I've personally purchased and Microsoft no longer supports. They are no better than Google at continuing to support their products.

moron4hire 8y ago
That's about it, though. All companies discontinue products, but Microsoft keeps them around for a lot longer than most.
rgbrenner 8y ago
Zune: introduced 2006; discontinued: 2012; support ended 2015 (9 years) Surface RT: introduced: 2012; Discontinued: 2013; Windows support ends 2023 (11 years) Kinect: introduced 2010; discontinued: 2015 for windows; 2017 for xbox; still supported (no date announced AFAICT) Windows phone: introduced: 2010; last release 2015; windows phone os support ended 2017 (7 years) Band: introduced 2014; discontinued 2016; still supported (no date announced AFAICT) They gave up on band and RT pretty quickly... but they still supported those users.. a 2012 laptop will probably be dead by the time Windows RT support ends. Just for comparison.. google is only 20 years old. Android is only 10 years old. Which products of Google's are you thinking of that failed and were supported for a decade? When Google Reader died, users got 3 1/2 months warning. Which Microsoft product got 3 1/2 months warning before ending support? I understand why google has their support policy, and I'm not passing judgement here... but microsoft definitely supports their products longer, and that has a real cost to microsoft, and they deserve some credit for that.
- mhermher 8y ago
  Groove music. Had like a couple months heads up before it was shuttered. There might be others, but that is the one I remember.
- giobox 8y ago
  I don't agree that Microsoft is worse than Google, but if you want an example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Kin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Kin "After only forty-eight days on the market, Microsoft discontinued the Kin line on June 30, 2010" "In January 2011, Microsoft shut down the kin.com website, which controlled most of the earlier phones' features..." The Kin actually had some pretty innovative for the time cloud features as well.
  - OrwellianChild 8y ago
    Just to put the Kin in context, they appeared to only have sold about 500 units [1] total. That's far below the typical absolute volume of users abandoned in most end-of-life scenarios. Microsoft's commitment to support is much longer than most similar tech lifecycles. [1] http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-only-sold-503-kin-phones-before-pulling-the-plug-a-well-placed-little-birdie-told-daring-fireballs-joh-2010-7 http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-only-sold-503-kin-p...
- lstamour 8y ago
  Re. Kinect for Windows, manufacturing was switched from a separate Windows-only SKU to an adapter that could be shared across Xbox and Windows, however even that ended in 2018, giving Kinect 8 years of sales: https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/2/16842072/xbox-one-kinect-adapter-out-of-stock-production-ended https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/2/16842072/xbox-one-kinect-ad... The last SDK release for Windows was SDK 2.0 in 2014, whose page now says: > Manufacturing of the Kinect sensor and adapter has been discontinued, but the Kinect technology continues to live on in products like the HoloLens, Cortana voice assistant, the Windows Hello biometric facial ID system, and a context-aware user interface. > Microsoft is working with Intel to provide an option for developers looking to transition from the Kinect for Windows platform. Microsoft will continue to provide support for the Kinect for Windows SDK via our online forums, premiere and paid technical support. As developers transition from Kinect hardware, Microsoft encourages developers to look into Intel's RealSense depth cameras. https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/kinect https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/kinect For those who find this comment later via Google, there are libraries that support both Microsoft and Intel depth cameras: https://github.com/jing-interactive/Cinder-DepthSensor https://github.com/jing-interactive/Cinder-DepthSensor As noted later in this comment thread, there now exists Project Kinect for Azure: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/campaigns/kinect/ https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/campaigns/kinect/ To me, this sounds like Microsoft using the Kinect and Azure IOT brands to provide their own SDK/hardware for Intel RealSense cameras, but it's unclear what the tech. is under the hood. It's certainly not compatible with older Kinect sensors and the old SDKs.
daok 8y ago
For a company that has been there for about 40 years, I would say that this list is quite small compared to Google. Google deprecate product way faster, look at the lineup of communication/chat products in the last decade which is bigger than the list you posted.
zeusk 8y ago
Zune, Band and Surface RT are still functional with running back-end infrastructure (except for 1st party music purchases on Zune). Kinect is not dead, it still works on xbox/windows and they released a new enterprise offering just this past month.
- Paraesthetic 8y ago
  The Kinect was the worst thing to stop making at full scale. It was an awesome device (referenced by the iphone having to use the Generation 1 tech in their phones)
jkestner 8y ago
Does anyone support financially unsuccessful products? I think Google gets a bad rap because a) it can kill products with large amounts of users that still aren't valuable enough to the bottom line or company strategy, and b) it can't seem to focus behind one way to solve a problem. Whereas we don't knock hardware companies as much, because the thing has a finite lifespan and more or less continues to work for its useful life. Windows RT — were there any users to miss it? I loved Windows Phone, but I was surprised Microsoft didn't kill it sooner.
andr 8y ago
The Surface RT is probably making a comeback, as several Windows ARM tablets were just released. It was just early to market.
- roryisok 8y ago
  Nah they can do full windows on arm now, no need to go the hobbled route
VeronicaJJ123 8y ago
You are wrong about support. Zune, Surface Rt, Kinect all have received support well after they were discontinued. Also Microsoft is typically clear about whether the device is experimental (Band) or flagship.
seanmcdirmid 8y ago
> Surface RT Let's not forget the original Surface.

dragonwriter 8y ago

Uh, Google very often keeps grinding on stuff that doesn't succeed, although often the brand dies and either a new one is born or the tech gets rolled into something else (sometimes, even before the old brand goes away). Sure, e.g. Nexus Q never got a general release after the I/O preview model under that branding... But instead of “Nexus Q 2” we got “Chromecast” and “Nexus Player” and...

jasonvorhe 8y ago

Google kills a lot of consumer stuff, but their Chromebooks and meeting hardware definitely aren't consumer stuff. What gives you the idea they'd just kill something like the Jamboard?

whywhywhywhy 8y ago

As a Mac user in the Pro market this is what I currently admire about MS over Apple. MS genuinely seems to be trying hard to scratch the itches of people in the workplace and more importantly sticking with it while Apple couldn't even commit correctly to a screenless pro desktop. So many people in the Apple circles made fun of the Surface line, but look at Apple now the iPad Pro with it's keyboard and pen is a direct response and attempt to imitate that niche MS worked hard to carve. Definitely got my eyes on Surface line with how bad my experience with the USB-C MBP has been, 6 months in both my command key and return key are screwed.