Software plus Service

Imagine you sell horses and you do quite well with that. Suddenly, these…cars…come up. What you gonna do? Right: You sell it like “buy 10 horses, get some cars for free”. This is what Microsoft tries to do with Software plus Services. Good luck for the future, guys.

Microsoft – Sustainability

Microsoft als Visionär? Kann man kaum glauben. Aber dieses Video zeigt im Marketing einen visionären Geist. Und – es sieht gut aus. Oh Gott, was ist da los? Video: Microsoft Sustainabilty.

Opfer des Fortschritts

Man stelle sich mal vor, Tankstellen würden einem kein Benzin mehr geben, weil man eine durchaus intakte aber als altertümlich angesehene Karre vorfährt. Die soll man gefälligst verschrotten. Sei doch dank Prämie nicht schwierig in diesen Tagen. Unglaublich! Aber grosse (doch-doch) norwegische Websites schliessen sich zusammen und wünschen sich von ihren konservativen Usern einen Update. Internet Explorer 6.x auf 7.x

Zum Fortschritt gezwungen. Wer es trotz neuer Prozessoren, dem Ende von Support und solcher Aufforderungen schafft, immer die gleiche Maschine 5 Jahre lang stabil zu halten, muss schon als Trotzkopf gelten. Alle anderen sind sozusagend Innovation-Victims.

Microsoft web activities bleed

Rumours of Microsoft kicking out employees are official news now. Around 5% of staff, which is more or less the nutrition rate of HR. Would not take this too serious. What is more interesting according to win & loss figures:

Client (Windows OEM) looses and this is not only due to financial crisis, because other fields like server are doing pretty good. And Microsoft lost almost 500 millions with web activities in one quarter only.

While this is only 10 percent of the revenue it still shows the problems that Microsoft has since 5+ years: Operating systems are becoming a commodity, and it is all about the web. But there is no revenue in it.

Why buy? Fire and hire!

Microsoft shows no interest in buying Yahoo! anymore. Instead, Steve Ballmer has a new direct: ten-year Yahoo exec Dr. Qi Lu.

Dr. Qi Lu has been executive vice president of engineering for Search and Advertising Technology Group at Yahoo where he lead development efforts around Yahoo’s Web search and monetization platforms.

Again: The Web is about people, not servers. Well done. This might help LIVE.COM to improve in the market. The other option: Sell…errrr…to Yahoo!

I’ve Subscribed to the Microsoft Executive Newsletter

Note for Mr. Ballmer. I have subscribed to your Executive Newsletter some time ago. I knew it would appear only once or twice a year. But unfortunately I missed the last edition.

Why?

It ended up in my Microsoft Outlook Junk folder.

I have not specifically blocked sballmer@microsoft.com. – My Email address haraldf@msn.com is 100% in line with company policy. – Your email is free of spam, links, or other signs of spamware.

So why is it I do not get the latest news concerning cloud computing?

MSN Groups are Dead, Long Live …?

I have been expecting the following announcement for quite some time now: “Dear MSN Groups Customer, As a valued MSN Groups or MSN Communities Web Folders customer, we want to notify you that the MSN Groups service will close on February 21, 2009 …”

And I was sure, the same email would then read on “… to be replaced by our consolidated WIndows Live communications and sharing services.”

As stated earlier, Microsoft Marketing is a mess, especially product and service differentiation and branding. Dear Microsoft, This would have been your chance for adjusting at least one service ambiguity!

Instead the mail reads on: “and you will have the opportunity to move your group to our new partner service, Multiply.”

What is Multiply?

Windows Live comes as a third option. Third out of 3. And not even available now.

“Option 1: Automatically move your group and its data. We have established a partnership with Multiply, an online group and media sharing service so our users can choose to migrate their group to Multiply’s service. Choosing this option is free and easy to use: Multiply will move the Group’s content on your behalf and invite members to re-join your group in its new location.
Option 2: Start again on another service. You can start from scratch and create your group on a different service but we recommend having your Group moved automatically by Multiply. This will enable your Group to transition easily and continue to enjoy the community you have created.
Option 3: Start again on Windows Live Groups. To further expand our mix of communications and sharing services, Windows Live will launch a new service this autumn, Windows Live Groups. We plan to launch Windows Live Groups to the public in the coming weeks as a service that helps small groups or clubs collaborate online.”

I don’t get it.

Windows 7 happens

A joke shows the problem with Windows 7: diversification where Leopard and Linux need only one version.

Somehow cloudy: Windows

Steve Ballmer yesterday introduced a new Windows version he calls Windows Cloud. It is meant to provide the use of applications through the internet. So MIcrosoft is stepping into the buzz of “the cloud” as well, where the PC is one of the possible entry points of a worldwide computer- service- application grid, formaly known as “The Internet”. I am not sure whether we need another buzz word like “Web 2.0″. It is the logical next step of the Internet providing more than Google searches. Let us get back to ground here.

The new Eva Longoria Ad

Can’t keep from writing this, the line’s too good not to do it: desperate housewife microsoft ad featuring beautiful Eva Longoria. Well. aahhhm, she definitively is prettier than Bill and Seinfeld all together. Watch her at second 32

I think the ad itself is not bad, but changing campaigns and ad agency so fast cries out loud “we have no strategy”.

Oh and hey, I wear glasses too, but this post was written on a Mac. Sorry, BillG