4 ms·

Has Microsoft Leapfrogged Apple?

8 points by aespinoza 14y ago

killnine 14y ago
What a way to put it... To me it all boils down to familiarity. That is, how familiar the user base is with the technology. I would predict that if both the original Android phone and the original iPhone were released at the same time, the android phone wouldn't stand a chance. Why? Because the user base wouldn't know how to use the android phone, whereas the iPhone is meant for the most basic of users. Now that user base is familiar, they want more: more options, more configurations, more control and power. Apple motto is to refuse that. Android is to give it away. The same goes for Microsoft. So the the author's timeline, it took apple's 80's dominance to get the user in the know of a computer. Then when they learned and knew enough, they wanted a PC which allowed them to configure how they want, add what they want, integrate third party applications. There goes the 90's. Then came mobile. Apple lays out the ground work. Users get smarter. Users dont want basic any more. They want to get crafty. Welcome back MS.
ChuckMcM 14y ago
I think that the answer is 'No' although the author doesn't put it out there expressly. I find it hugely amusing that Microsoft threatened people [1] trying to hack the Kinect and now treat it as some gift to the world [2]. And one of the things that people don't seem to point out is how much money Microsoft has invested in things like Xbox that has never been recouped. In my definition for company A to leapfrog company B they have to both create a new industry leading product and two they have to successfully exploit that market for business gain. Microsoft 'leapfrogged' Xerox PARC because they made a successful product out of a windows + mouse based environment. But they haven't 'leapfrogged' Apple or Nintendo or Sony with respect to telephony or video games. [1] http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20021836-52.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20021836-52.html [2] http://blogs.technet.com/b/next/archive/2011/06/16/official-kinect-developer-kit-now-available-for-download.aspx http://blogs.technet.com/b/next/archive/2011/06/16/official-...
- onedev 14y ago
  I think this applies here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridges_Law_of_Headlines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridges_Law_of_Headlines
  - mikeash 14y ago
    It applies to every question headline! I can't remember ever seeing such a headline where the answer was "yes".
bluedanieru 14y ago
Windows 8 is fucking disaster. So no. Also: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visualstudio/archive/2012/06/05/a-design-with-all-caps.aspx http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visualstudio/archive/2012/06/05/a-de... This headline makes more sense if the Apple they're leap-frogging over is the Apple of 20 years ago, and they're leap-frogging over them right into a pit of bullshit products.
mindstab 14y ago
This isn't an article, it's a PR narrative of how they'd like things to look now and how they'd like it to go. It's an ad.
jpxxx 14y ago
This is pointless linkbait amounting to "Microsoft has products". The profitable and growing products, unfortunately, are not customer facing. So the Apple comparison is pretty unnecessary. Edit: 'consumer facing', rather. Their only happy story there is Office, for the twentieth year in a row.
jakobe 14y ago
As a smart person once said, every headline ending in a question mark can be answered with "No."

8 points by aespinoza 14y ago

What a way to put it... To me it all boils down to familiarity. That is, how familiar the user base is with the technology. I would predict that if both the original Android phone and the original iPhone were released at the same time, the android phone wouldn't stand a chance. Why? Because the user base wouldn't know how to use the android phone, whereas the iPhone is meant for the most basic of users. Now that user base is familiar, they want more: more options, more configurations, more control and power. Apple motto is to refuse that. Android is to give it away. The same goes for Microsoft. So the the author's timeline, it took apple's 80's dominance to get the user in the know of a computer. Then when they learned and knew enough, they wanted a PC which allowed them to configure how they want, add what they want, integrate third party applications. There goes the 90's. Then came mobile. Apple lays out the ground work. Users get smarter. Users dont want basic any more. They want to get crafty. Welcome back MS.

ChuckMcM 14y ago

I think that the answer is 'No' although the author doesn't put it out there expressly. I find it hugely amusing that Microsoft threatened people [1] trying to hack the Kinect and now treat it as some gift to the world [2]. And one of the things that people don't seem to point out is how much money Microsoft has invested in things like Xbox that has never been recouped. In my definition for company A to leapfrog company B they have to both create a new industry leading product and two they have to successfully exploit that market for business gain. Microsoft 'leapfrogged' Xerox PARC because they made a successful product out of a windows + mouse based environment. But they haven't 'leapfrogged' Apple or Nintendo or Sony with respect to telephony or video games. [1] http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20021836-52.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20021836-52.html [2] http://blogs.technet.com/b/next/archive/2011/06/16/official-kinect-developer-kit-now-available-for-download.aspx http://blogs.technet.com/b/next/archive/2011/06/16/official-...

onedev 14y ago
I think this applies here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridges_Law_of_Headlines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridges_Law_of_Headlines
- mikeash 14y ago
  It applies to every question headline! I can't remember ever seeing such a headline where the answer was "yes".

bluedanieru 14y ago

Windows 8 is fucking disaster. So no. Also: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visualstudio/archive/2012/06/05/a-design-with-all-caps.aspx http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visualstudio/archive/2012/06/05/a-de... This headline makes more sense if the Apple they're leap-frogging over is the Apple of 20 years ago, and they're leap-frogging over them right into a pit of bullshit products.

mindstab 14y ago

This isn't an article, it's a PR narrative of how they'd like things to look now and how they'd like it to go. It's an ad.

jpxxx 14y ago

This is pointless linkbait amounting to "Microsoft has products". The profitable and growing products, unfortunately, are not customer facing. So the Apple comparison is pretty unnecessary. Edit: 'consumer facing', rather. Their only happy story there is Office, for the twentieth year in a row.

jakobe 14y ago

As a smart person once said, every headline ending in a question mark can be answered with "No."