Can Microsoft Ever Recover? Windows 8, Windows Phone, Xbox One, Surface, etc.

[A895]

They are getting there. Time and patience is the goal, unfortunately people are flawed and want things now instead of waiting. I think by this holiday season there will be quite a few good choices in the mobile space with WP at the front. We already know what Android flagships are coming and we already know the iPhone is getting bigger.

 

[anony_mouse]

<Lots of text snipped>And to say one hates Windows 8 but have no issues using an iPad or ChromeBook, says a lot more about them than anything else.
The word hypocrite comes to mind pretty dang easily.

I started writing a reply to this post, but lost the enthusiasm after a few sentences. Anyway, it can be summarised as this: people who have a different opinion to you about technology products are not necessarily idiots. Your post suggests you have difficulties understanding other people's points of view and accepting that their needs, desires, experience and opinions may be different to your own.

BTW, don't underestimate the Chromebook. I didn't see the point of them myself until I borrowed one for a few days recently. They are really quite good - super fast, easy to use, cheap and much improved. If you want a cheap laptop, they are well worth considering. It wouldn't replace my Linux desktop just yet, but it was a fine addition.

 

[Michael Alan Goff]

I started writing a reply to this post, but lost the enthusiasm after a few sentences. Anyway, it can be summarised as this: people who have a different opinion to you about technology products are not necessarily idiots. Your post suggests you have difficulties understanding other people's points of view and accepting that their needs, desires, experience and opinions may be different to your own.

BTW, don't underestimate the Chromebook. I didn't see the point of them myself until I borrowed one for a few days recently. They are really quite good - super fast, easy to use, cheap and much improved. If you want a cheap laptop, they are well worth considering. It wouldn't replace my Linux desktop just yet, but it was a fine addition.

A) You missed the point of his post
B) You should start telling the average consumer about the greatness of the Chromebook. Not many are buying it.

 

[Tepid]

I started writing a reply to this post, but lost the enthusiasm after a few sentences. Anyway, it can be summarised as this: people who have a different opinion to you about technology products are not necessarily idiots. Your post suggests you have difficulties understanding other people's points of view and accepting that their needs, desires, experience and opinions may be different to your own.

BTW, don't underestimate the Chromebook. I didn't see the point of them myself until I borrowed one for a few days recently. They are really quite good - super fast, easy to use, cheap and much improved. If you want a cheap laptop, they are well worth considering. It wouldn't replace my Linux desktop just yet, but it was a fine addition.

There is no opinion about it.
Look at the Chromebook and iPad GUI's, and then look at Win8's, how different are they really?

Yes, that statement I made that you quoted did go right over your head.

as for cheap, fast, easy to use, sure, one can get a $199 special, but don't ***** when it breaks in a year.
As for functionality, If all your are doing is email, facebook and twitter, and some games,, you can get a Nook or Kindle and do that.

But if you want real computing power on the go, Chromebook's and iPads will never cut it, ever.

 

[A895]

A) You missed the point of his post
B) You should start telling the average consumer about the greatness of the Chromebook. Not many are buying it.

I read his post and it all hinges on the fact that:

1.) Businesses actually updated to Windows 8, when in reality a lot of businesses still use Windows 7 and below (my college still uses Windows 7 on their computers)

2.) Businesses will pay for Windows 8 tablets

3.) Businesses will allow the Windows 8 synergy (just have a monitor and allow workers to use a 2 in 1 tablet)

4.) Consumers will actually see logic. People are still stuck on the fact they want to spend $400+ on iOS tablets.

5.) People won't continue to be content consumers. We all know casual consumers make up the biggest buyers of tablets and smartphones and current Windows offerings pale in comparison to competitors.

I think some here need to stop looking at things like everyone is a cubicle worker/ regular office worker when in fact they are regular people working blue collars jobs (9-5) and the business positives don't apply to these heavy content consumers. That's why we need to stop selling Chromebooks short, there are a lot of people out there where all they do on a computer is in a web browser and Chromebooks are perfect for that.

 

[A895]

There is no opinion about it.
Look at the Chromebook and iPad GUI's, and then look at Win8's, how different are they really?

Yes, that statement I made that you quoted did go right over your head.

as for cheap, fast, easy to use, sure, one can get a $199 special, but don't ***** when it breaks in a year.
As for functionality, If all your are doing is email, facebook and twitter, and some games,, you can get a Nook or Kindle and do that.

But if you want real computing power on the go, Chromebook's and iPads will never cut it, ever.

That's the point, not everyone needs all that extra power. Some people all they use is tablets and smartphones for all their internet use. A chromebook does all the internet stuff in a laptop form factor at a low price, that are easy to use and replace if anything goes wrong.

 

[Michael Alan Goff]

I read his post and it all hinges on the fact that:

1.) Businesses actually updated to Windows 8, when in reality a lot of businesses still use Windows 7 and below (my college still uses Windows 7 on their computers)

2.) Businesses will pay for Windows 8 tablets

3.) Businesses will allow the Windows 8 synergy (just have a monitor and allow workers to use a 2 in 1 tablet)

4.) Consumers will actually see logic. People are still stuck on the fact they want to spend $400+ on iOS tablets.

5.) People won't continue to be content consumers. We all know casual consumers make up the biggest buyers of tablets and smartphones and current Windows offerings pale in comparison to competitors.

I think some here need to stop looking at things like everyone is a cubicle worker/ regular office worker when in fact they are regular people working blue collars jobs (9-5) and the business positives don't apply to these heavy content consumers. That's why we need to stop selling Chromebooks short, there are a lot of people out there where all they do on a computer is in a web browser and Chromebooks are perfect for that.

We aren't the only ones selling Chromebooks short. The entire market is, as they're barely a blip on the radar in the consumer market or even the business market.

Also, you do know that a lot of companies don't roll out every new OS... and it has little to do with the quality of the OS.

 

[A895]

We aren't the only ones selling Chromebooks short. The entire market is, as they're barely a blip on the radar in the consumer market or even the business market.

Also, you do know that a lot of companies don't roll out every new OS... and it has little to do with the quality of the OS.

I didn't say anything about quality, rolling out a new OS in a business or hell in government buildings take years. Chromebooks are barely a blip, as they have no marketing or mind-share and it's still relatively new compared to other computer OS's. They just started to really get any attention from OEM's last year. Now this year, a bunch of OEM's that make Windows computers are looking at making ChromeOS devices and Intel has committed to making i3 processors and up for Chromebooks this year. The potential to take Windows market-share is great, that is why Microsoft is so concerned with Chromebooks right now.

 

[Michael Alan Goff]

I didn't say anything about quality, rolling out a new OS in a business or hell in government buildings take years. Chromebooks are barely a blip, as they have no marketing or mind-share and it's still relatively new compared to other computer OS's. They just started to really get any attention from OEM's last year. Now this year, a bunch of OEM's that make Windows computers are looking at making ChromeOS devices and Intel has committed to making i3 processors and up for Chromebooks this year. The potential to take Windows market-share is great, that is why Microsoft is so concerned with Chromebooks right now.

The hardware isn't the biggest issue with Chromebooks, the fact that is runs a browser with a few web apps is. And yes, I know it can (kind of) be used offline.

It doesn't matter if OEMs start making more of them. Plenty have made them so far, really, and the market hasn't exactly been eating them up. Why should people buy a 300$ Chromebook when they could just as easily buy a crappy 300$ Windows laptop that runs similarly to what they know. Even Windows 8 is more likely to look normal to the average consumer.

 

[A895]

The hardware isn't the biggest issue with Chromebooks, the fact that is runs a browser with a few web apps is. And yes, I know it can (kind of) be used offline.

It doesn't matter if OEMs start making more of them. Plenty have made them so far, really, and the market hasn't exactly been eating them up. Why should people buy a 300$ Chromebook when they could just as easily buy a crappy 300$ Windows laptop that runs similarly to what they know. Even Windows 8 is more likely to look normal to the average consumer.

Windows 8 start screen is not going over well with consumers and you know it. Windows 8 is turning to Windows 7.5 now. I would be beyond hesitant to let someone get a slow POS Windows laptop instead of paying $199 for a laptop that will be fast and have linger battery life.

Sent from my XT907 using Mobile Nations mobile app

 

[dkediger]

All my corp purchases the last year have been with Win 8 licenses but downgraded with a Win 7 install. I can flip those back to Win 8 in very short order. It really isn't the interface that's been the problem.... It's been 3rd party support for IE11. That is starting to break free, two of our major OEMs have now endorsed Win8/IE11.

I've stated before, and will stand by it here, that Chromebook falls into the classic 80/20 problem: It can do 80% of the work pretty effectively, but that last 20% is pretty inefficient, of not impossible. Google as well has a history of being disinclined to really commit to that last 20%. I say that as a long time Google Apps Business user. It's the same reason broad iPad use in the corporate world has stalled.

 

[fatclue_98]

I'm dropping my $.02 on this topic because I see too much Chicken Little all over these boards. First, Microsoft's products are not for everybody and that's a good thing. Ten years ago the tech world was stagnant and it was XP or Mac's Tiger. Love 'em or hate 'em, Google shook the cobwebs out of Apple and Microsoft's board rooms. Not because they came out with a better product - they didn't. But because they gave consumers an alternative. Palm and BlackBerry didn't think they were going to be knocked off their perches and paid the price. I think you can see where I'm going with this.

2014 will be a good year for Microsoft in spite of what their competition does. WP8 is maturing right before our eyes and it's still in its infancy. Windows 8 is slowly gaining traction because let's face it, they're the only game in town. 95% of worldwide adoption affords MS the space to tweak their system without losing share. I'm a long time Mac user and I rarely go near my desktop anymore. I recently caved in and got a Surface RT even though the reviews and the complaints told me not to. All I can say is I'm sorry I waited so long. I was part of the problem. I should have tried it out for myself instead of reading into people's b***h list. I've read the horror stories about 8.1 Preview and I went ahead on my 520 anyway. I must be leading a charmed life 'cause I don't see what all the fuss is about. I'm loving 8.1 and have no intentions of trying anything else....for now. At the end of the day I'm an OS addict and something will pique my interest, but it better be good.

 

[Ultimate Insider]

Microsoft should do one thing that windows/rt/phone version 8.x should be last for 10 years. I mean from 8.0-8.9. That way, cost of back porting and supplying security patches for the old versions must diminish. If they skip to windows/rt/phone 9 next year, it would be a big mistake. And every new year there would be a new 8.x version, completely free of charge for updating and upgrading from the earlier version of 8.x.

 

[tgp]

All my corp purchases the last year have been with Win 8 licenses but downgraded with a Win 7 install. I can flip those back to Win 8 in very short order. It really isn't the interface that's been the problem.... It's been 3rd party support for IE11.

IE11 (or any new IE version) has been the biggest problem for us at work too. We're not a large company, but some of our clients are. Usually the biggest issue with an OS upgrade is not as much the OS itself as the new version of IE that comes along with it. If a new version of IE is released between OS releases, we usually cannot upgrade for awhile.

 

[BobLobIaw]

Please cheer me up and tell me that Windows Phone will rise to glory, as it deserves; that people will realize Windows 8 is, in fact, much better than Windows 7; that Xbox One is the most ambitious and innovative console to hit the market ever; that IE, Office, OneDrive, and Bing will get the proper respect they deserve, and that public perception of Microsoft as somehow being less cool than Google and Apple will change.

This should cheer you up: despite all of the accurate potential doom and gloom that you have identified, you are still using the Microsoft ecosystem. So are many others. Maybe the masses will someday realize that you are on to something. That should give you hope. Cheers!

 

[BobLobIaw]

I'm dropping my $.02 on this topic because I see too much Chicken Little all over these boards.

Good post. Internet boards typically are short on sober and long on Chicken Little.

 

[Revi Bennett]

Well it use to be blackberry and now its iphone and samzung. Consumer market are VERY frickle. But half students with macbook, where do you go to school, scilion valley. And outlok and gmail has equal amount of active users.

Posted via the WPC App for Android!

 

[smoledman]

Now another double blow. Rare cancelling any further Kinect games and Twitch going to Google. That's the gaming gods sending MS a message.

 

[Michael Alan Goff]

Windows 8 start screen is not going over well with consumers and you know it. Windows 8 is turning to Windows 7.5 now. I would be beyond hesitant to let someone get a slow POS Windows laptop instead of paying $199 for a laptop that will be fast and have linger battery life.

Sent from my XT907 using Mobile Nations mobile app

Actually, I don't. I know the internet hates it, but a majority don't care either way.

 

[A895]

Actually, I don't. I know the internet hates it, but a majority don't care either way.

Yes they do. I get told all the time by any normal consumer how they dislike Windows 8. And if it is going so well, why is Microsoft backpedaling?

Sent from my XT907 using Mobile Nations mobile app