Microsoft has forgotten it makes software for a living

I don’t despise Microsoft. I still use XP (alongside OS X on my Mac). Xbox 360 can be a fun time. And Word is still a must for professional document design (GoogleDocs is too limited in some cases). But in recent years, I’ve started to like Microsoft less and less. The reason? They follow the leader now instead of carving their own path. Says long-time tech columnist John C. Dvorak: “Microsoft is a software company. It has been distracted too easily by the success of others in essentially unrelated fields.”

Too support this claim, Dvorak convincingly mentions Microsoft’s ambitions to launch a Google-killer, iPod-killer, and Apple Store-killer… all at the same time! Previously the company tried to be an AOL-killer, Netscape-killer (that didn’t make any money), book-maker, toy-maker, and Photoshop-killer… all while Microsoft Office/Enterprise—the company’s bread and butter—brought in the real money. Frankly, I’m not sure Microsoft has pioneered an original idea in the last 15 years.

—July 27, 2009

5 Comments

Jack

Jul 27, 2009 at 10:07 am

You forgot their new retail store venture. To be opened, literally, next to Apple stores across the US. They’ll have–I shoot you not–either an “Answer Bar, Guru Bar or Windows Bar”

Actually, Microsoft’s become more of a marketing company in the past 15 years, not software, so I see your point.

Russ

Jul 27, 2009 at 11:16 am

I don’t think they built excel, I think they bought it, and the operating system that originally made them money was built by IBM I think… WordPerfect used to own Word in market share until MSFT bundled excel with Word, and the rest is history.

The big M is very good at marketing, distribution and market penetration.

Derek B.

Jul 27, 2009 at 12:31 pm

Nothing Microsoft does appeals to me. Nothing at all.

I switched to Mac in college, and I’ll never go back. I’d take Apple’s Pages over Microsoft’s Word any day, too, and the same goes for Keynote over Powerpoint. Much better programs, IMO, from a company that makes both great hardware and software.

Chris

Jul 27, 2009 at 8:42 pm

@Russ – actually MS bought DOS from another company and then sold it to IBM. That’s one of the greatest business stories of all time.

@Blake – MS had a search engine before Google. It was called MSN. Bing looks be be a viable competitor to Google. Search engines are software and, as you pointed out, Microsoft should do what they do best and build software, right? Frankly, I am excited to see Bing come to market. Who wouldn’t want a better search engine? Does it really matter where it comes from?

I also believe that their strategy of giving away a free browser was brilliant and has yielded them billions in revenue due to their ability to monetize the Web in ways other than browser sales. The Internet only took off after MS decided to give the Browser away for free. When the market saw MS get behind the Internet in this way, it took off. We have them to thank for the Internet being as far along (in terms of adoption) as it is today because of this move.

When companies reach a certain size it becomes more financially viable to buy innovation rather than create new products. I have no problem with this whatsoever and would never fault MS for this. The fact that they do it shows how savvy they really are and will continue to be.

I applaud Microsoft’s success in the market and have a difficult time reading stuff like this without shaking my head. Are you going to bag on Google for building an office product when they should only be improving their search engine? Are you going to bag on Apple for iTunes because they are not a record label? No, you won’t and I wonder why not.

Frankly, I have a very difficult time understanding why people are so fast to jump on MS for all the same “sins” committed by the likes of Google and Apple. The intellectual dishonesty and MS bashing by Apple loving tech journalist with little to no real business experience really must end.

Blake, I think you could be a tremendously successful tech journalist if you took the road less traveled, opened your eyes, and put out original thought rather than regurgitate the same old “microsoft sucks” crap that is so prevelent in tech journalism.

Think about it.

Blake Snow

Jul 28, 2009 at 9:03 pm

Chris,

I’m a big proponent of competition, but I’m not an early adopter of technology. So I’ll wait to support Bing’s efforts if/when it proves to be a better alternative to Google.

Regarding your second question, I think iTunes DRM is a joke, so I buy from Amazon.com. But I digress, Apples launch into music was the first of any software company, so that shows boldness. I take issue with MS for following in the wake of other tech companies, as Dvorak outlined in the above link. I’m not trying to perpetuate the “microsoft sucks” motif, I’d just like them to carve their own path, zig where apple and google zag.

Blake Snow

writer-for-hire, content guy, bestselling author

Microsoft has forgotten it makes software for a living

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