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When he started Microsoft had the most popular OS, web browser and mobile OS. A decade later they lost all three and their market cap barely moved.

by nailer 6y ago

HenryKissinger 6y ago
Windows remains the most popular operating system for computers by far, and that will never change.
- TylerE 6y ago
  I suppose that depends on how all gazillion AWS instances running Linux counts.
  - rantwasp 6y ago
    AWS instances run Windows too. And MS makes money off those instances. Also, Azure runs Linux too. Microsoft is in the post-Windows phase and it's working on things that will keep it relevant long term
    - NewLogic 6y ago
      Agreed, they have even begun making good hardware outside of gaming. The surface range is hugely popular in the corporate scene.
  - pjmlp 6y ago
    On top of Hyper-V actually.
- _-___________-_ 6y ago
  Only if you play some jedi mind tricks of your own with the definition of a "computer".
  - AnIdiotOnTheNet 6y ago
    You don't need to change the statement much to make it unequivocally true: just change "computers" to "desktop computers".
    - _-___________-_ 6y ago
      Which are nowhere near the most common type of computer, so it's a fairly significant change.
      - tester34 6y ago
        honestly what kind of gymnatics we have to do in order to just accept the fact that windows is most popular os on desktop/home/work(non-server) PCs?
        nailer 6y ago
        Yes and zOS is the most popular OS for mainframes.
        _-___________-_ 6y ago
        Sure, if "computer" to you means "laptop or desktop PC". My smartphone is a computer, which I use at home and work, and it sure as hell doesn't run Windows. Smartphones are a far more significant type of computer in the modern world than laptop or desktop PCs.
donatj 6y ago
I'm pretty sure Windows at no point lost its thrive as most popular non-mobile OS
- edgyquant 6y ago
  Sure but the market moved to mobile. If you cherry pick data of course you can pretend to be right.
  - unnouinceput 6y ago
    The market did not moved to mobile. Mobile is alongside desktop. People like diversity and mobile offered another one. And people who have only mobile in their homes are poor that can't afford desktop but I see mobile as a gateway drug to desktop. Once people will have enough money, will also buy desktop exactly because mobile hooked them in the first place.
    - macintux 6y ago
      The numbers to this point disagree, and I don't think you'll find a lot of support for your prediction of a change in direction. https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/mobile-desktop-internet-usage-statistics https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/mobile-desktop-internet...
      - nitrogen 6y ago
        You can't really use percentages to say that something has declined if the whole pie is growing, and web use is maybe the one thing that looks least favorable for desktops.
        macintux 6y ago
        Ok, here are absolute numbers. PC sales look stagnant at best. https://www.statista.com/statistics/263393/global-pc-shipments-since-1st-quarter-2009-by-vendor/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/263393/global-pc-shipmen...
rantwasp 6y ago
one could argue that Windows is the most popular consumer OS even today (keep in mind the HN is not representative for what people normally run). Also, a decade later, Microsoft is experiencing a software renaissance, in part, due to the the work Ballmer setup. One example: Azure. In the cloud space there are 2 gorillas: AWS and Azure (everything else is vaporware and at this point I don't think it would be wise to bet the farm on GCP or ... Oracle). How did Azure get here? Do you think they decided to do cloud and it happened magically? Another example: the XBOX. I personally will never but a PS, and I believe XBOX is awesome in this space.
- nailer 6y ago
  The most popular consumer OS is Android. Arguing anything else goes against all known stats. Microsoft's renaissance is mainly due to Nadella focusing on software and services instead of selling Windows. You mentioned Xbox as a way to support Ballmer. The Xbox story mentioned in the article does not support Ballmer. Agreed re Azure but I don't know if Ballmer was still focusing on Windows for Azure, which seems likely. Keep in mind Azure is mostly Linux instances today.
  - pjmlp 6y ago
    Try to do Office documents for school work on Android.
    - thekyle 6y ago
      Office has a native version for Android with apparently over a hundred million downloads. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.officehubrow https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft....
      - rantwasp 6y ago
        huh? ms making money on android. shocker
      - pjmlp 6y ago
3pt14159 6y ago
I'm sorry, but their market cap is like 10x in the past decade. Their revenue streams are different now, yes, but they recognized they'd lost the platform with the SaaSification of most things and they wisely moved into other areas. Yes, they could have tried something else that kept them as the winners of the OS game, but vertical integration wasn't really in their bloodstream. Platforming and services were.
- nailer 6y ago
  >> A decade later (when Ballmer finished) they lost all three and their market cap barely moved. > their market cap is like 10x in the past decade Steve Ballmer left 6 years ago. Pick your source regarding Microsoft's market cap while Ballmer was leading: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=steve+ballmer+market+cap https://duckduckgo.com/?q=steve+ballmer+market+cap https://duckduckgo.com/?q=microsoft+lost+decade https://duckduckgo.com/?q=microsoft+lost+decade
  - 3pt14159 6y ago
    Oh, I'm wrong then. I was under the mistaken impression that he was CEO much more recently than that. Thanks for the correction, it appears that you're completely correct about his leadership. Thanks for updating my view!

When he started Microsoft had the most popular OS, web browser and mobile OS. A decade later they lost all three and their market cap barely moved.

by nailer 6y ago

When he started Microsoft had the most popular OS, web browser and mobile OS. A decade later they lost all three and their market cap barely moved.

HenryKissinger 6y ago

Windows remains the most popular operating system for computers by far, and that will never change.

TylerE 6y ago
I suppose that depends on how all gazillion AWS instances running Linux counts.
- rantwasp 6y ago
  AWS instances run Windows too. And MS makes money off those instances. Also, Azure runs Linux too. Microsoft is in the post-Windows phase and it's working on things that will keep it relevant long term
  - NewLogic 6y ago
    Agreed, they have even begun making good hardware outside of gaming. The surface range is hugely popular in the corporate scene.
- pjmlp 6y ago
  On top of Hyper-V actually.
_-___________-_ 6y ago
Only if you play some jedi mind tricks of your own with the definition of a "computer".
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 6y ago
  You don't need to change the statement much to make it unequivocally true: just change "computers" to "desktop computers".
  - _-___________-_ 6y ago
    Which are nowhere near the most common type of computer, so it's a fairly significant change.
    - tester34 6y ago
      honestly what kind of gymnatics we have to do in order to just accept the fact that windows is most popular os on desktop/home/work(non-server) PCs?
      - nailer 6y ago
        Yes and zOS is the most popular OS for mainframes.
      - _-___________-_ 6y ago
        Sure, if "computer" to you means "laptop or desktop PC". My smartphone is a computer, which I use at home and work, and it sure as hell doesn't run Windows. Smartphones are a far more significant type of computer in the modern world than laptop or desktop PCs.

donatj 6y ago

I'm pretty sure Windows at no point lost its thrive as most popular non-mobile OS

edgyquant 6y ago
Sure but the market moved to mobile. If you cherry pick data of course you can pretend to be right.
- unnouinceput 6y ago
  The market did not moved to mobile. Mobile is alongside desktop. People like diversity and mobile offered another one. And people who have only mobile in their homes are poor that can't afford desktop but I see mobile as a gateway drug to desktop. Once people will have enough money, will also buy desktop exactly because mobile hooked them in the first place.
  - macintux 6y ago
    The numbers to this point disagree, and I don't think you'll find a lot of support for your prediction of a change in direction. https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/mobile-desktop-internet-usage-statistics https://www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/mobile-desktop-internet...
    - nitrogen 6y ago
      You can't really use percentages to say that something has declined if the whole pie is growing, and web use is maybe the one thing that looks least favorable for desktops.
      - macintux 6y ago
        Ok, here are absolute numbers. PC sales look stagnant at best. https://www.statista.com/statistics/263393/global-pc-shipments-since-1st-quarter-2009-by-vendor/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/263393/global-pc-shipmen...

rantwasp 6y ago

one could argue that Windows is the most popular consumer OS even today (keep in mind the HN is not representative for what people normally run). Also, a decade later, Microsoft is experiencing a software renaissance, in part, due to the the work Ballmer setup. One example: Azure. In the cloud space there are 2 gorillas: AWS and Azure (everything else is vaporware and at this point I don't think it would be wise to bet the farm on GCP or ... Oracle). How did Azure get here? Do you think they decided to do cloud and it happened magically? Another example: the XBOX. I personally will never but a PS, and I believe XBOX is awesome in this space.

nailer 6y ago
The most popular consumer OS is Android. Arguing anything else goes against all known stats. Microsoft's renaissance is mainly due to Nadella focusing on software and services instead of selling Windows. You mentioned Xbox as a way to support Ballmer. The Xbox story mentioned in the article does not support Ballmer. Agreed re Azure but I don't know if Ballmer was still focusing on Windows for Azure, which seems likely. Keep in mind Azure is mostly Linux instances today.
- pjmlp 6y ago
  Try to do Office documents for school work on Android.
  - thekyle 6y ago
    Office has a native version for Android with apparently over a hundred million downloads. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.officehubrow https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft....
    - rantwasp 6y ago
      huh? ms making money on android. shocker
    - pjmlp 6y ago

3pt14159 6y ago

I'm sorry, but their market cap is like 10x in the past decade. Their revenue streams are different now, yes, but they recognized they'd lost the platform with the SaaSification of most things and they wisely moved into other areas. Yes, they could have tried something else that kept them as the winners of the OS game, but vertical integration wasn't really in their bloodstream. Platforming and services were.

nailer 6y ago
>> A decade later (when Ballmer finished) they lost all three and their market cap barely moved. > their market cap is like 10x in the past decade Steve Ballmer left 6 years ago. Pick your source regarding Microsoft's market cap while Ballmer was leading: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=steve+ballmer+market+cap https://duckduckgo.com/?q=steve+ballmer+market+cap https://duckduckgo.com/?q=microsoft+lost+decade https://duckduckgo.com/?q=microsoft+lost+decade
- 3pt14159 6y ago
  Oh, I'm wrong then. I was under the mistaken impression that he was CEO much more recently than that. Thanks for the correction, it appears that you're completely correct about his leadership. Thanks for updating my view!