OMFG TECH
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Microsoft's 64GB Surface Pro will only have 23GB usable storage Unbelievable.
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Microsoft Corp’s quarterly profit edged lower as Office software sales slowed ahead of a new launch, offsetting a solid but unspectacular start for its Windows 8 operating system and sending the company’s shares down 1.4 percent.
The results mark a stark change from the 1990s, when Microsoft was the unchallenged king of computing and the release of a new Windows operating system would supercharge sales, generate excitement and generally boost its stock.
None of that appears to be true now, as Microsoft has been overtaken by Apple Inc and Google Inc in the rush toward mobile computing, while sales of traditional desktop computers are in decline.
As predicted.
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Holiday PC sales dip for first time in five years Anyone with a brain could see this coming.
It’s happening. Sit back and watch MSFT in panic by the year’s end.
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Microsoft urged to ditch Windows brand by Dell A top Dell executive warned Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer not to call its new tablet operating system “Windows RT” because the operating system wasn’t compatible with other versions of Windows and the name would only lead to widespread confusion.
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Google rules out Gmail and Drive apps for Windows 8 Telling.
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The Verge: It’s time to drop the Windows name.
“I think Microsoft has abused the Windows brand so much that it has lost its cachet,” says long time Microsoft watcher Paul Thurrott of Supersite for Windows.
I could not agree more with this viewpoint. When Microsoft first unveiled Windows 8 I felt they should have called it something different. Even more so for Windows Phone. I think that both of these should have debuted under the name Metro OS.
…But, of course, they didn’t. Microsoft doesn’t know how to be cool, nor how to sell, anymore.
My favourite quote:
…end users struggling with their Windows laptops would regularly ask “why doesn’t this just work?”
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Christmas gift for someone you hate: Windows 8 A reasonable user might respond to this dog’s breakfast of a user interface by trying to stick with either the familiar desktop or the new tablet. However, this is not possible. Some functions, such as “start an application” or “restart the computer” are available only from the tablet interface. Conversely, when one is comfortably ensconced in a touch/tablet application, an additional click will fire up a Web browser, thereby causing the tablet to disappear in favor of the desktop. Many of the “apps” that show up on the “all apps” menu at the bottom of the screen (accessible only if you swipe down from the top of the screen) dump you right into the desktop on the first click.
Dog’s breakfast, indeed.Windows 8 is so, so bad. I don’t know what to say anymore, it’s just so wrong in so many ways. Such a huge, huge mistake that it’s actually amazing that it’s really happened. -
Steve Ballmer’s Nightmare is Coming True.
(I had to include the image - yet another great picture of Ballmer.)
Windows 8 doesn’t seem to be reasserting the dominance of the PC. Windows Phone is not a viable third platform. Bing is still burning money. The Microsoft nightmare scenario is actually becoming a reality.
Some if the “analysis” is a little simplistic and aggressively generalises. It would be nice to have more numbers and less opinion, but the general message is absolutely right.
Gruber summarises the point perfectly:
In a nut, Microsoft is losing relevance. That’s deadly.
Yep.
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Microsoft Is Blowing It And RIM Could Too. Geller:
Microsoft’s latest strategy of trying to make a no compromise tablet has resulted in, you guessed it, compromise. It’s not as polished as an iPad, it’s more limited in almost every possible way, it’s slow, clunky, unresponsive at times, offers a worse display, weighs more, and is thicker. Plus it costs over $100 more when you factor in a Touch Cover or Type Cover keyboard. Plus, you can’t even run Windows applications even though you get the actual Windows desktop.
…and it gets better from there. Geller gets it dead-on. Definitely worth a quick read (though I’m less sure about his opinion on RIM).
Side note: I hadn’t looked at BGR in ages after its reporting became diabolical. Now it has a nice new look and some good opinion pieces. Good job.
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Same Crap, Different OS: Windows 8 Crapware has long been a thorn in the sides of Windows users. Consumers and enterprise users buy PCs under the faulty impression that they’ll be getting a completely clean computer when they break open the box. Instead, they find a PC that’s been loaded up with junk that they typically don’t need. What’s worse, all of that software slows down boot times and performance, since the programs are usually set to load automatically and typically run in the background.
I cannot believe this is still happening in the Windows landscape in 2012. It’s nearly, 2013, even, and MSFT are still allowing the shipment of an OS pumped full of shit and underperforming from the first boot. And it gets worse:
Why else might crapware still be hanging around? Blame it on the Almighty Dollar. By bundling trial versions of software, PC makers are enticing customers to buy full versions, thus lining company pockets. Simply put, it all comes back to squeezing every last dime out of an investment.
So, who is actually looking out for us? It’s tough to say. Microsoft is nice enough to offer a “Signature” experience to Windows shoppers that improves boot times and increases shut down speeds. Best of all, the company removes all trialware before shipping PCs to customers.
But like anything else in the land of crapware, there’s a catch: Microsoft charges $99 for Signature.
So MSFT know that Windows 8 is shipping pumped full of crap and their solution? Charge you and I $99 to make Windows 8 perform as it should perform out of the box. That is some smart thinking! Thanks, Microsoft!
c.f. Booting OS X. Night and day.
Why can’t Microsoft mandate no crapware. It’s fucking 2013. They’ve done it for Windows Phone. Why not for Windows itself?
This makes no sense. I’m so glad I don’t use Windows.
