> You hit the nail on the head about Windows and Office. I think Microsoft could bank (and has to an extent) on customers flocking to its services if they could

> You hit the nail on the head about Windows and Office. I think Microsoft could bank (and has to an extent) on customers flocking to its services if they could work on delivering specifics instead of, what seems like for the last decade, just reactions. I would argue that far from being limited to the past decade, Microsoft's entire history is composed of reactions. DOS -> CP/M Windows -> Original Mac OS Excel -> Lotus 1-2-3, Visicalc Word -> WordPerfect, WordStar Access -> dBase Zune -> iPod Surface -> iPad etc., etc. There are cross-influences throughout the industry, but I cannot think of a product in Microsoft's lineup where they could be considered to have successfully introduced something new into the market. As far as I can tell, every product Microsoft sells is either a "me too" item, or the result of an acquisition (Skype, Visio).