7 ms·

The Day Microsoft Gave Up World Domination and Settled For Relevance

40 points by stickhandle 13y ago

pippy 13y ago
Microsoft is hell-bent on market domination, it's just they're failing to capture emerging markets. Their attempt at creating tablets, smartphones, music players, etc have all flopped. Yet each attempt all have the traits of classic EEE. Getting office on the iPad isn't an example of Microsoft fighting for relevance, it's an example of them ensuring market domination at the office.
- nivla 13y ago
  >it's just they're failing to capture emerging markets If anything MS is actually doing better in the emerging markets especially with Nokia smartphones. >Their attempt at creating tablets, smartphones, music players, etc have all flopped. What? Given the amount of Windows 8 devices being released, its nowhere close to being flopped. I wonder what your opinion would then be about Firefox and Ubuntu OS.
  - pippy 13y ago
    Sorry, I should have written 'new markets', not emerging markets. While Windows 8 is successful, its surface range haven't grabbed significant marketshare from Apple/Android. Windows 8 in comparison to 7/XP has been a monumental failure however, forcing 8.1 to backtrack to a more classic desktop.
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  They have done a pretty bang-up job of capturing the video game market. Ok, sure, they are not totally dominating but they went from zero to neck-and-neck with Sony in, what, 1.5 console cycles?
stickhandle 13y ago
Better late than never.
yuhong 13y ago
I mentioned DR-DOS for a reason when I was discussing the MS OS/2 2.0 fiasco. And yea, personally I have several things on my wishlist for Satya: http://hal2020.com/2014/03/03/satya-shuffles-his-leadership/#comment-14856 http://hal2020.com/2014/03/03/satya-shuffles-his-leadership/...
jmspring 13y ago
Yawn. Given iPad for Office was started before Satya was CEO, Ballmer made serious bets on mobile (yes, the WP ecosystem, but something different for MSFT), AND Gates was on the board, discounting Ballmer and Gates at the start of the second paragraph is ... I'll say interesting, my gut says "dumb". Both Gates and Ballmer are on the board and were likely well aware of what's up and Gates gave up chairmanship to help Satya on technology issues. I suspect parts of Redmond are still Windows uber alles, but, Microsoft has been doing non-Windows products for 30+ years.
redact207 13y ago
I wish Google would adopt the same approach and release some official apps for WP
- raldi 13y ago
  What's WP?
  - Permit 13y ago
    Windows Phone
    - ekianjo 13y ago
      For a second I thought WP was for Wordpress :)
      - MartinCron 13y ago
        That's the relevance problem the author is talking about...
  - bnolsen 13y ago
    wordperfect
  - nikcub 13y ago
    exactly.
- outside1234 13y ago
  Google is the new Microsoft. Which means they don't release apps for Windows Phone.
  - raldi 13y ago
    Could you clarify your logic?
xarien 13y ago
How can someone say that Microsoft is bleeding with a straight face? I know media likes to skew that way, but it's not like the numbers aren't available. https://www.microsoft.com/Investor/EarningsAndFinancials/TrendedHistory/AnnualStatements.aspx https://www.microsoft.com/Investor/EarningsAndFinancials/Tre...
- danieltillett 13y ago
  Yes it is still making a ship load of cash every month - I would like to have a 'bleeding' problem like this.
  - mathattack 13y ago
    They are making mounds of cash, but their shareholders haven't been rewarded for the past 10+ years of it.
    - nivla 13y ago
      Wouldn't the increase in share price and payment of quarterly dividends count as a reward? [1] [1] http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MSFT+Basic+Chart http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MSFT+Basic+Chart
      - throwawaymsft 13y ago
        Not when it underperforms the market in general: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MSFT&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=%5EGSPC http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MSFT&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=%5E...
        nivla 13y ago
        I would take a dividend paying stock that is slightly under performing than the market, than a non dividend paying one. Also everytime a dividend is issued, the price is adjusted for any possible arbitrage. If you were to solely depend on S&P500 as the index for performance, I guess investments in Lockheed Martin would be a waste.[1] [1]http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=LMT&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=%5EGSPC http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=LMT&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=%5EG...
keithwarren 13y ago
Settled for relevance would indicate they are currently not relevant which is a mindset only accepted in a few square miles on the planet. How different would the valley view Microsoft today had they been headquartered in SV instead of Redmond?
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- rimantas 13y ago
  > Settled for relevance would indicate they are > currently not relevant Or it could mean that they are currently relevant but there is a risk of that going away.
shmerl 13y ago
Not yet. When they'll allow OpenGL in Xbox, Windows RT and Windows Phone, that would be the day they'd be really desperate.
- frik 13y ago
  Internet Explorer 11 supports WebGL 1 (based on OpenGL ES 2 which itself is roughly OpenGL 2 minus v1 API). I read it will be available with Windows Phone 8.1. WebGL on Xbox would be great. (PS4 GUI for example is powered by WebGL.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebGL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebGL
  - shmerl 13y ago
    They enabled WebGL precisely because of this - they wanted to stay relevant. Their browser domination is long gone. DirectX however is still very dominant outside the browser, but it deteriorates pretty quickly. Valve is preparing a very serious blow for them with Steam Machines and recent push for Linux gaming. That, together with OpenGL everywhere on mobile outside MS systems will break DirectX domination for good.

40 points by stickhandle 13y ago

pippy 13y ago

Microsoft is hell-bent on market domination, it's just they're failing to capture emerging markets. Their attempt at creating tablets, smartphones, music players, etc have all flopped. Yet each attempt all have the traits of classic EEE. Getting office on the iPad isn't an example of Microsoft fighting for relevance, it's an example of them ensuring market domination at the office.

nivla 13y ago
>it's just they're failing to capture emerging markets If anything MS is actually doing better in the emerging markets especially with Nokia smartphones. >Their attempt at creating tablets, smartphones, music players, etc have all flopped. What? Given the amount of Windows 8 devices being released, its nowhere close to being flopped. I wonder what your opinion would then be about Firefox and Ubuntu OS.
- pippy 13y ago
  Sorry, I should have written 'new markets', not emerging markets. While Windows 8 is successful, its surface range haven't grabbed significant marketshare from Apple/Android. Windows 8 in comparison to 7/XP has been a monumental failure however, forcing 8.1 to backtrack to a more classic desktop.
sliverstorm 13y ago
They have done a pretty bang-up job of capturing the video game market. Ok, sure, they are not totally dominating but they went from zero to neck-and-neck with Sony in, what, 1.5 console cycles?

stickhandle 13y ago

Better late than never.

yuhong 13y ago

I mentioned DR-DOS for a reason when I was discussing the MS OS/2 2.0 fiasco. And yea, personally I have several things on my wishlist for Satya: http://hal2020.com/2014/03/03/satya-shuffles-his-leadership/#comment-14856 http://hal2020.com/2014/03/03/satya-shuffles-his-leadership/...

jmspring 13y ago

Yawn. Given iPad for Office was started before Satya was CEO, Ballmer made serious bets on mobile (yes, the WP ecosystem, but something different for MSFT), AND Gates was on the board, discounting Ballmer and Gates at the start of the second paragraph is ... I'll say interesting, my gut says "dumb". Both Gates and Ballmer are on the board and were likely well aware of what's up and Gates gave up chairmanship to help Satya on technology issues. I suspect parts of Redmond are still Windows uber alles, but, Microsoft has been doing non-Windows products for 30+ years.

redact207 13y ago

I wish Google would adopt the same approach and release some official apps for WP

raldi 13y ago
What's WP?
- Permit 13y ago
  Windows Phone
  - ekianjo 13y ago
    For a second I thought WP was for Wordpress :)
    - MartinCron 13y ago
      That's the relevance problem the author is talking about...
- bnolsen 13y ago
  wordperfect
- nikcub 13y ago
  exactly.
outside1234 13y ago
Google is the new Microsoft. Which means they don't release apps for Windows Phone.
- raldi 13y ago
  Could you clarify your logic?

xarien 13y ago

How can someone say that Microsoft is bleeding with a straight face? I know media likes to skew that way, but it's not like the numbers aren't available. https://www.microsoft.com/Investor/EarningsAndFinancials/TrendedHistory/AnnualStatements.aspx https://www.microsoft.com/Investor/EarningsAndFinancials/Tre...

danieltillett 13y ago
Yes it is still making a ship load of cash every month - I would like to have a 'bleeding' problem like this.
- mathattack 13y ago
  They are making mounds of cash, but their shareholders haven't been rewarded for the past 10+ years of it.
  - nivla 13y ago
    Wouldn't the increase in share price and payment of quarterly dividends count as a reward? [1] [1] http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MSFT+Basic+Chart http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MSFT+Basic+Chart
    - throwawaymsft 13y ago
      Not when it underperforms the market in general: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MSFT&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=%5EGSPC http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MSFT&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=%5E...
      - nivla 13y ago
        I would take a dividend paying stock that is slightly under performing than the market, than a non dividend paying one. Also everytime a dividend is issued, the price is adjusted for any possible arbitrage. If you were to solely depend on S&P500 as the index for performance, I guess investments in Lockheed Martin would be a waste.[1] [1]http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=LMT&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=%5EGSPC http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=LMT&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=%5EG...

keithwarren 13y ago

Settled for relevance would indicate they are currently not relevant which is a mindset only accepted in a few square miles on the planet. How different would the valley view Microsoft today had they been headquartered in SV instead of Redmond?

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
rimantas 13y ago
> Settled for relevance would indicate they are > currently not relevant Or it could mean that they are currently relevant but there is a risk of that going away.

shmerl 13y ago

Not yet. When they'll allow OpenGL in Xbox, Windows RT and Windows Phone, that would be the day they'd be really desperate.

frik 13y ago
Internet Explorer 11 supports WebGL 1 (based on OpenGL ES 2 which itself is roughly OpenGL 2 minus v1 API). I read it will be available with Windows Phone 8.1. WebGL on Xbox would be great. (PS4 GUI for example is powered by WebGL.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebGL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebGL
- shmerl 13y ago
  They enabled WebGL precisely because of this - they wanted to stay relevant. Their browser domination is long gone. DirectX however is still very dominant outside the browser, but it deteriorates pretty quickly. Valve is preparing a very serious blow for them with Steam Machines and recent push for Linux gaming. That, together with OpenGL everywhere on mobile outside MS systems will break DirectX domination for good.