Is Microsoft going down in consumer space?

[Vishvjeet Arya]

Recently the news broke out that Groove music service is being shut down. There is nothing to talk about that here because this is what they did with Windows mobile ecosystem, Microsoft band and many more products. They just pulled the plug without any real marketing of their products or by just releasing half baked products to a handful of markets. And the most silliest reason they gave when they were pulling the plug off a garage app was that the app was just an experiment. So every product from Microsoft is an experiment? Are we consumers just a bunch of insiders to give feedbacks? Do Microsoft even want to be in consumer space? I need to know what you all think about it.

 

[etphoto]

I think Nadella wants to be in the consumer market but isn't willing to lose that much in order to make it. Therefore, you can't say to him, (as my dad always use to say), crap or get off the pot. Nadella gets off immediately if he doesn't have to go (apparently).

Twitter: @PhotographyET

 

[jmshub]

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[Lobo Technician]

I think that the consumer space just doesn't generate enough (if any) profit for them in order to heavily invest in it, other than the Surface line and XBox. You can argue that this is their own fault since usually they are the first to innovate but never follow through. I hope this trend reverses though, since I am looking forward to their future in the mobile space.

 

[LightenSkies]

I think that the consumer space just doesn't generate enough (if any) profit for them in order to heavily invest in it, other than the Surface line and XBox. You can argue that this is their own fault since usually they are the first to innovate but never follow through. I hope this trend reverses though, since I am looking forward to their future in the mobile space.

I wish i could agree that they would reverse on giving up. But dang for the last 12 years they give up way to soon. I have a feeling it will be like this another 10 years or more. If Microsoft survives by then and learn to push to make great things and not chicken out.

 

[etphoto]

I wish i could agree that they would reverse on giving up. But dang for the last 12 years they give up way to soon. I have a feeling it will be like this another 10 years or more. If Microsoft survives by then and learn to push to make great things and not chicken out.

I always compare it to fishing (might not be a good comparison). If you don't get any bites you don't quit right away. You change bait, maybe move to another location. Hell, you already drove out to the fishing hole, stick around a while before cutting your lines and going home.

Twitter: @PhotographyET

 

[covfefe]

Fun fact... 100% of enterprises consist of consumers. Lose in the consumer space, enterprise will follow.

 

[Vishvjeet Arya]

I was really sad because they pulled the plug off Groove music even though I really like to buy music from there, not that much into streaming. Now I have a feeling that Movies and TV might go down the same path. Above that I have a Microsoft band which was one of the greatest fitness band and they discontinued it. Now they have come up with this mixed reality thing but I am scared if they will just pull off the support from this as well in a few years. Above that all of their products are mainly focused on five markets (US, Canada, Japan, UK, Australia) and rest of the world either get them too late or not at all. (Except for Windows and Office)

 

[theefman]

Compare the success Google has had with the Pixel which dwarfs any consumer success Microsoft has ever had to date and its obvious Microsoft is not the sort of company that can compete in the consumer market. They only realistically have 2 consumer facing products left, Xbox and Surface, once those are gone its IBM time.

 

[LightenSkies]

Compare the success Google has had with the Pixel which dwarfs any consumer success Microsoft has ever had to date and its obvious Microsoft is not the sort of company that can compete in the consumer market. They only realistically have 2 consumer facing products left, Xbox and Surface, once those are gone its IBM time.

More like Xbox, PC, Surface...

 

[viaens]

No one can tell exactly because they have scaled so much now. Microsoft is one of the biggest Tech Giant, a Trillion Dollar Enterprise and if they're on the verge of going down. I believe they will come up with the pace soon. It was a recent rumor that Microsoft has made few tools for start-ups to help them in their journey. The best part is they're free for start-ups. If anyone can suggest some start-ups like viaENS then maybe I will get some help out of it.

 

[Adventurer64]

Fun fact... 100% of enterprises consist of consumers. Lose in the consumer space, enterprise will follow.

YES!!!! I see this at work.. Great example is employees placing Apple stickers over Dell logos in protest. My company is now 100% iPhone and iPad Pro. Started testing Surface Pro's, but iPad Pro won. Laptops are still Dell, but my company issues budget Latitudes, so that's making matters worse since these are horrible machines to run Windows 10... Non-touch, low res screens, giant bezels, etc.

 

[RumoredNow]

I think Nadella wants to be in the consumer market...

I really don't think he does.

He'd rather get $10 million from one pocket than wait for $5 each to come out of 10 million pockets. His long range vision definitely has blinders on.

 

[stodge]

I have no idea what Nadella is trying to do. Does he know?

 

[Ryujingt3]

Microsoft now wants to be in the consumer space of consumers who don't use Microsoft devices. They realise that this is where the money is so they shift to make sure all their products work on devices that they used to see as their competitor but now see as their survival. This is how they stay relevant in the consumer space.

A simple case of adapt or die. Nadella made MS adapt and left real MS fans who bought MS devices to die. Simple really.

For an even simpler way of looking at it from an MS fan and WP consumer perspective:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNJL6nfu__Q

 

[fatclue_98]

The title of the thread has made me think - when was it ever up? Historically, Microsoft has been a software and services company, hence the name. Microsoft got into the gadgets game only because Palm was becoming ubiquitous with its early PDAs and saw a chance to make some coin on the side. Fact is, back in the day all PDAs were called "Palm Pilots" just as all soft drinks are generically called Coke. The PDA marriage to a phone started this whole craziness and Microsoft , through ODMs like HP and HTC, took the bait and the rest is history. But make no mistake, Microsoft never had any intention of becoming a consumer oriented company. It's not in their DNA like Apple. Macs were a consumer product that found a niche in the educational sector but that's it. Google never meant to be a serious player in the consumer area as witnessed by the fact that their first prototypes were geared to be a BlackBerry killer. Of course the iPhone changed things a bit wouldn't you agree?

 

[ManofGod1000]

YES!!!! I see this at work.. Great example is employees placing Apple stickers over Dell logos in protest. My company is now 100% iPhone and iPad Pro. Started testing Surface Pro's, but iPad Pro won. Laptops are still Dell, but my company issues budget Latitudes, so that's making matters worse since these are horrible machines to run Windows 10... Non-touch, low res screens, giant bezels, etc.

So essentially, get no real work done or do everything remotely on a 12 inch IPad Pro screen, eh? The protest was stupid but then again, by the time the limitations are realized, it will be to late. LOL!

 

[theefman]

A workplace where employees "protest" by covering up logos sounds more like lunatics running the asylum with no actual work to do.

Sent from mTalk

 

[fatclue_98]

A workplace where employees "protest" by covering up logos sounds more like lunatics running the asylum with no actual work to do.

Sent from mTalk

Lunatics get electroshock therapy and these people would get unemployment therapy.

 

[RumoredNow]

Got three words to explain "stickergate."

Mil len nial.