Does MS need "fans" anymore?

[rodneyej]

Does MS need "fans" anymore? Do technology fans need to be fans of MS? Has MS become just another tool that is necessary for technology to work in the background? I mean, screwdrivers are necessary for maintaining computer hardware, but I don't see anyone claiming to be a Stanley Tools fan. At what point can we remove MS out of the consumer facing electronics side, and place them with the likes of Cisco, IBM, and Siemens?

 

[MrockNroll]

Well said.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I'm still a bit confused/troubled/worried about someone being a fan. Supporting a company or a brand, not necessarily for what it is, but maybe for what those persons believe it should be?
Are fans the preachers when things look good to them? Do fans swear in public to move away from fully X to fully Y when X does not play with them the way it should, and try to take as many as possible with them? Can fans mock bosses and call them with (racist) names, in public, when product line Z comes to the end of it's technological or evonomical life?

Life is nicer, when phones, cars and other personal stuff are selected based on need, not based on image in your head what you want it to be or present. You don't get part of big boss' soul (and even if you did, it would be very, very, very small part without veto right).

Those are my thoughts as well.

 

[anon(50597)]

I'm still a bit confused/troubled/worried about someone being a fan. Supporting a company or a brand, not necessarily for what it is, but maybe for what those persons believe it should be?
Are fans the preachers when things look good to them? Do fans swear in public to move away from fully X to fully Y when X does not play with them the way it should, and try to take as many as possible with them? Can fans mock bosses and call them with (racist) names, in public, when product line Z comes to the end of it's technological or evonomical life?

Life is nicer, when phones, cars and other personal stuff are selected based on need, not based on image in your head what you want it to be or present. You don't get part of big boss' soul (and even if you did, it would be very, very, very small part without veto right).

I believe people are fans when a product makes a personal connection with the person who is using it. People support a brand for how it makes them feel. If I go to an Apple store, which is close to my home (convenience) and leave after having a good experience (customer service), I'm a fan. It's still just a smartphone (need) but now I feel connected to the company (fan). Everything else is just noise.

 

[rodneyej]

Not all the time...

Originally posted by LuxuryTouringZone

Originally Posted by theefman
You're confusing "fans" with "customers", pretty sure very few in enterprise use Microsoft software because they are "fans" of Microsoft but their tools mostly run on that platform so they have no choice but to be customers of Microsoft. Huge difference.

Sent from mTalk

True, but some customers are indeed fans.

 

[rodneyej]

Yes, I agree. Although these devices we use are just that, devices, people do connect with them, and the companies that provide them. It's just smart business.

Originally posted by TgeekB

Originally Posted by Kimmo Toivanen
I'm still a bit confused/troubled/worried about someone being a fan. Supporting a company or a brand, not necessarily for what it is, but maybe for what those persons believe it should be?
Are fans the preachers when things look good to them? Do fans swear in public to move away from fully X to fully Y when X does not play with them the way it should, and try to take as many as possible with them? Can fans mock bosses and call them with (racist) names, in public, when product line Z comes to the end of it's technological or evonomical life?

Life is nicer, when phones, cars and other personal stuff are selected based on need, not based on image in your head what you want it to be or present. You don't get part of big boss' soul (and even if you did, it would be very, very, very small part without veto right).

I believe people are fans when a product makes a personal connection with the person who is using it. People support a brand for how it makes them feel. If I go to an Apple store, which is close to my home (convenience) and leave after having a good experience (customer service), I'm a fan. It's still just a smartphone (need) but now I feel connected to the company (fan). Everything else is just noise.

 

[fatclue_98]

Just sayin'

https://www.phonearena.com/news/Mic...nd-most-valuable-U.S.-public-company_id110466

 

[anon(50597)]

Just sayin'

https://www.phonearena.com/news/Mic...nd-most-valuable-U.S.-public-company_id110466

Interesting. I saw this over the weekend.
Companies are able to profit even without making personal connections if they have a monopoly on the services they render. In this example they don't need fans. For instance, I use MS products at work because I'm forced to, not because I choose to. Maybe it's just two ways of looking at it. Maybe one is not better than the other. Competition changes things though. For now, MS is safe.

 

[fatclue_98]

Interesting. I saw this over the weekend.
Companies are able to profit even without making personal connections if they have a monopoly on the services they render. In this example they don't need fans. For instance, I use MS products at work because I'm forced to, not because I choose to. Maybe it's just two ways of looking at it. Maybe one is not better than the other. Competition changes things though. For now, MS is safe.

Did it ever occur to anyone, not just you, that Microsoft has a very healthy relationship with business and enterprise? That they cultivate that relationship more than any other because it drives their business and subsequently their profits. Your employer and mine use Microsoft products because they do the job and they do it more cost-effective. That makes business owners happy. If not, we'd all be using Macs or the latest Linux distro.

You're right, competition improves the breed as evidenced by Microsoft's latest failure in their own attempt at mobile. I won't say complete failure because through their patent licensing, Microsoft makes money on every single Android handset sold in the world. Let's not forget that Microsoft did not get to its dominant position with phones and tablets. This is a side piece for them.

 

[anon(50597)]

Does MS need "fans" anymore?

Did it ever occur to anyone, not just you, that Microsoft has a very healthy relationship with business and enterprise? That they cultivate that relationship more than any other because it drives their business and subsequently their profits. Your employer and mine use Microsoft products because they do the job and they do it more cost-effective. That makes business owners happy. If not, we'd all be using Macs or the latest Linux distro.

I have no proof that they do or do not because there is little competition and I'm not in IT. Blackberry owned the corporate smartphone sector until competition appeared, now it is a dinosaur in the smartphone market and has changed its strategy to survive. Maybe MS is doing a better job in their business relationships, I'm not sure. My point is just because you are making a profit (a very large one at that) doesn't mean you are secure in the future. Fans, whether consumer or corporate, are necessary for sustainability.