Comments on: Microsoft repositions to kick ass

By: Confessions of an eye-candy junkie â€” Shooting at Bubbles

Confessions of an eye-candy junkie â€” Shooting at Bubbles — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:02:00 +0000

[...] a post on gapingvoid.com that referenced a post by Eric Karjaraluoto on ideasonideas.com titled Microsoft repositions to kick ass in which Eric provides a list of ideas on how Microsoft could take over the marketplace that it is [...]

By: Geof Harries

Geof Harries — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:51:29 +0000

Nearly three months after the original post, but I think you and others may find Cairo of great interest. The project strips the Windows UI down to its core elements and functions.

By: Scott Lowe

Scott Lowe — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:05:27 +0000

Microsoft might be the vanilla as you call it but they do put a lot of toppings on as you mentioned with your half a dozen OS packages comment.

So defining "vanilla", it is basic, goes with many topings, mix-ins, cones, cups, cakes and birthdays.

So we want an operating system that is not only basic but expandable. There are more user-types for computers than microsoft had nerds and money for. Maybe a very 3rd party modified (like mozilla and its add-ons) type of operating system is what the doctor (or little kid) ordered. Something where you get a delicious, usable product, that can also be adjusted to do what YOU personally need it to do.

As for the mac vs pc (small penis? ;) ). Who made up that BS about macs being for creative people and pc's being for business people. I'm an architect student and architecture (an arguably creative field) is a pc dominated field. I think mac's most powerful branding technique is the idea creative people need macs. I have seen no creative or non creative examples of why thats true. Many of the programs that i need do not run on a mac. My sister who is going into fashion bought a mac because its what creative people do, although I can't imagine that photoshop and Word run better on mac's. Oh and I know what your thinking, but! my 4 year old dell laptop ($2000 at the time) does not have a crashing problem even while running all those fun 2d+3d programs we all know and love. I think I got what i payed for.

PS Macs are pretty, this post is long. (no thats not a hidden meaning I'm just typeative)

By: alex pearson

alex pearson — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:45:37 +0000

I appreciate what you are saying here, and honestly I feel it's true. If you could somehow convince Microsoft to make these changes, it would work.... However, Apple is already doing what you've suggested (most of it) and because of it, they can charge more and get it. They innovate, Microsoft imitates.

By: Ben Reimers

Ben Reimers — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:47:19 +0000

You're pretty much right when it comes to the way a company brands itself, but Microsoft's main downfall, I reckon, is that the development of its products has taken a generally linear fashion -- with limited flavours for home/business/student. It was probably better when they had 95 and NT as separate systems, but stumbled when they combined them in XP. Nobody needs a business-oriented system in their home, unless they're running a business there.

The failure is that they've lost sight of the end user, and treating them all the same is a recipe for lost market share. That's why Apple is gaining ground: their end user is the user that MS forgot. Most home users only use 5% of the functionality of Office, and all that extra stuff is simply money wasted (in their eyes). Vista might be a power-house, but who wants to fork out even more money (on top of the exorbitant price of the OS itself) just so it works the way it's supposed to? And if you don't upgrade, why buy an OS that looks and acts exactly the same as your old one?

These are the questions MS needs to be asking themselves. Perhaps they should be developing a separate OS for home and business -- giving home users the style and functionality they need, while allowing business the power and customisation they need.

I'm not saying they should become like Apple, because they have a giant advantage over them: the business market. But what they should probably do is make a split -- MS for corporate clients, and a new brand for home users -- and run them as separate businesses, though obviously with the ability to share new/innovative technologies.

By: Antonio Pratas

Antonio Pratas — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:43:13 +0000

All MS Hate aside, your post is very well done and the ideas are really good, MS would really be a better suited company for the user if they had that kind of branding. But MS screwed up in a lot of stuff, they make so many big mistakes but they dominate the OS market. They make so much money just on company computer licenses, schools, etc, that they don't give that much attention to their brand.

Let's not go to Mac VS PC VS Linux, been there so many times and that discussion its only a time waster, every OS has its downside and its upside, and each user chooses according to their preferences and uses.

Great post nevertheless, I like your ideas, and it would be cool to see another post by a different person about repositioning the brand with another view, instead of the Hard, Solid you chose.

By: whiskey

whiskey — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:28:24 +0000

The time has come... the tides are changing, more and more people are bound to jump this ship called MS just to be rescued by whoever is there at open sea (even that rusty old fishing boat called XP).

By: David S.

David S. — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:38:16 +0000

Microsoft makes Apple possible. That said, Apple is keeping Microsoft alive today. If Microsoft tries to kill Apple, they're losing the thorn in their heel that keeps them on their toes and provides inspiration for evolution in their own products.

In my eyes, the only way Microsoft can truly change perception about their products is to intensify their brand efforts, as Eric noted, to create differentiation.

But that branding effort also would require them to divest themselves of whole chunks of their company to create more focus. It would transcend their color palette and photography and requires a completely new approach to their business.

The only question is... would their shareholders want that? Currently Microsoft is moving towards being a lifestyle & media company. It's just that Apple has always had that approach as part of their DNA, and Microsoft hasn't. They've spent too much time focusing on business products and global markets.

By: Tselentis

Tselentis — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:28:44 +0000

Microsoft is turning around already, and Eric has identified some key strategies they should take advantage of sooner than later. Price and power are meaningful issues, and with tools like the One Laptop Per Child hitting the streets and schools, anyone can be a player. Microsoft has the market share, and they will continue to; Apple on the other hand has to really fight to stay alive, and have been doing so since the days of the Apple LC and the other tan machines.

By: velk

velk — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:40:49 +0000

A couple days late but...

Over all I agree with your summation of the Microsoft strategy. A lot of what it can be boiled down to is that Apple appears to be a leader (though they borrow a lot of ideas) while Microsoft appears to be a follower. Perception is a powerful thing.

Frankly I could do without the glitz and glam, swoop and shine in both operating systems. I prefer all my computing power going into the apps I'm running rather than showing real time reflections in the OS.

While I don't see Apple as smug, rather as self assured and confident in their product, I do see Microsoft as the bumbling fool that can't seem to find their way down a lighted hallway. This perception is fed upon by seemingly pointless features, horde of OS variations and by the inability to launch their OS with the features promised on their own timeline.

Microsoft needs to change and quickly, 3 and a half years ago I was an avowed Windows fan (owning 6 PCs) and saw the huge potential that the new OS presented. As time slipped away and features were stripped I saw that the Apple OS did everything I wanted and was getting ahead of the curve. Today my computer situation has flipped and I currently have 6 Macs in my home/design studio.