4 ms·

Of course, Microsoft's real problem is not that they killed the product, but that they made it public at a time when it wasn't clear it would really go to marke

Of course, Microsoft's real problem is not that they killed the product, but that they made it public at a time when it wasn't clear it would really go to market.

colin_jack 15y ago
Don't agree, to me the real problem is actually that they failed to make it or any other similiar consumer product.
- roc 15y ago
  If it wasn't working in practice, not making it is a virtue, not a problem.
  - colin_jack 15y ago
    Don't really follow, what makes you say it was not working in practice?
    - roc 15y ago
      I said if. Microsoft killing it is only a problem if it was turning into a great device. Which we don't know any more than we know whether it was turning into a bad one.
Hoff 15y ago
Microsoft has a long history of commencing marketing well before a product is ready. How long was the run-up to Windows Cairo? (Ki-Rho; XP) That can be a very effective way to reduce or eliminate competition, and it's a technique that's helped Microsoft acquire dominance in a number of markets. With the current fondness for years of lead time for some Microsoft products and the occasional failure to release, Microsoft's competitors can target Microsoft's products well prior to release, and the inevitable critical reviews can gain visibility in the market. The actual Microsoft product releases - when the products are available to consumers, and the profits commence and the reviews and the competitors have all adapted and retargeted - have become anti-climactic.
contextfree 15y ago
They didn't intentionally make it public. The videos and so on were leaks. The internet seems to have decided that Microsoft intentionally leaked this stuff to disrupt the iPad launch, but I find that very unlikely considering that according to these and other stories, the project was already in severe danger of being killed by the time the videos came out. It's more likely someone on the team leaked them out of frustration with the impending cancellation - leaking something you're about to kill is not a PR win (as we've seen).

Of course, Microsoft's real problem is not that they killed the product, but that they made it public at a time when it wasn't clear it would really go to market.

colin_jack 15y ago

Don't agree, to me the real problem is actually that they failed to make it or any other similiar consumer product.

roc 15y ago
If it wasn't working in practice, not making it is a virtue, not a problem.
- colin_jack 15y ago
  Don't really follow, what makes you say it was not working in practice?
  - roc 15y ago
    I said if. Microsoft killing it is only a problem if it was turning into a great device. Which we don't know any more than we know whether it was turning into a bad one.

Hoff 15y ago

Microsoft has a long history of commencing marketing well before a product is ready. How long was the run-up to Windows Cairo? (Ki-Rho; XP) That can be a very effective way to reduce or eliminate competition, and it's a technique that's helped Microsoft acquire dominance in a number of markets. With the current fondness for years of lead time for some Microsoft products and the occasional failure to release, Microsoft's competitors can target Microsoft's products well prior to release, and the inevitable critical reviews can gain visibility in the market. The actual Microsoft product releases - when the products are available to consumers, and the profits commence and the reviews and the competitors have all adapted and retargeted - have become anti-climactic.

contextfree 15y ago

They didn't intentionally make it public. The videos and so on were leaks. The internet seems to have decided that Microsoft intentionally leaked this stuff to disrupt the iPad launch, but I find that very unlikely considering that according to these and other stories, the project was already in severe danger of being killed by the time the videos came out. It's more likely someone on the team leaked them out of frustration with the impending cancellation - leaking something you're about to kill is not a PR win (as we've seen).