Don't you think Microsoft should do 'cool' things?

aerosidinc

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It may not be directly related to WP or Windows or any MS core products but this influences them to a great extent. Previously Apple was the only cool brand but things like self driving cars are making Google more cool. Soon Google's self driving cars will hit roads with a big Google logo on it. People will think it cool.
I know there are various awesome works done by Microsoft Research. Microsoft may be a best productivity company but for it to maintain its momentum in consumer space it must have a cool factor.

I get Skype Translator is an amazing thing from Microsoft but will it have similar impact upon consumers like Google's Self Driving Car. In reality except few tech junkies most of the people even don't know that Microsoft is the owner of Skype.

Yes Apple is not doing self driving cars. Here are two things to justify it: one it has huge brand power. Secondly, Google is going to support Apple platform anyway either by developing apps or connecting iphone/pads with their cars.

This may not pay off immediately but its gonna have impact upon that cool brand tag. So guys, is Microsoft Research doing anything similar? IMO Microsoft should hurry up. Just imagine a scene from a sci-fi movie with self driving cars but with Google on it. Who wont be intrigued to own a smartphone or any other piece of technology from such cool company?
News on The Verge:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/22/7434715/google-first-complete-prototype-autonomous-car-photo
 

Visa Declined

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I think you're giving Google's self-driving cars a bit too much credit. Sure they're neat, but they aren't everything you're making them out to be.
 

jmshub

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Microsoft has developed some cool projects, and many of them are more practical than Google's self driving cars. Kinect, Band, and the Surface table are all examples of research projects that Microsoft released as commercial products. Skype Translator, if it would be as good as it COULD be, stands to be much more important to humanity than cars that drive themselves around.
 

fatclue_98

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The next time you think a car that drives itself is a good idea, come to Miami. I'm sure you'll have a change of heart.
 

Jas00555

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I think that breaking down the language barrier is much more "cool" than one company making self driving car. Plus, unless Google gets into the automotive business, no one is going to actually own on of these lol

I mean, tbh, I think you're wrong about how "cool" Google is. They're not "cool", they're geeky. Now, I get being that a tech enthusiast that you might think those are the same, but most people don't. Really, most people don't care at all who makes what they're using, they're just means to an end.
 

fatclue_98

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I think that breaking down the language barrier is much more "cool" than one company making self driving car.

Amen. I can't use auto-correct due to my incessant use of Spanglish. Like a dumbass, I once tried to use Siri to find out when the "Calle Ocho" festival was and she responded with "what type of business would you like me to use for your search". Huh? It came back with a bunch of listings for pawn shops on 8th Street. Gotta get up pretty early in the morning to get one past that Rhodes Scholar Siri.
 

QuentinJ

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I think you're giving Google's self-driving cars a bit too much credit. Sure they're neat, but they aren't everything you're making them out to be.
Last I read, they are not very well designed/optimised as they do not actually "see/analyse" the road they are on but require to be programmed with all the details of the road they can drive on - this means someone needs to update the car maps anytime the path of a road or sidewalk or anything changes for the car to be able to drive and it could only drive itself on road that have been mapped before restricting the use. I would find it much better for a self driving car to be able to drive anywhere rather than being restricted to certain roads.
Anyways I like driving a car too much myself to consider a self driving car something I'd want
 

EBUK

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Self driving cars; now they really should be called 'Google Drive'!

Really, do I want a car that is going to tell Google where I've come from and where I'm going, how long I've been there, and how many people are in the car? All that data will be used by the car to second-guess where want to go. And do I trust a car to stop in an emergency? How will the self-driving car know to pull over when there is an emergency vehicle approaching at speed from behind?

I don't think a self-driving car will be much use. Cool, but useless.

We have to face it - MSFT just isn't a cool company. It's geeky in spotty-youth-with-no-friends sort of way, not in a hipster kind of way like Apple is. They really need to get a better marketing company to produce their ads.
 

aerosidinc

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I think that breaking down the language barrier is much more "cool" than one company making self driving car. Plus, unless Google gets into the automotive business, no one is going to actually own on of these lol

I mean, tbh, I think you're wrong about how "cool" Google is. They're not "cool", they're geeky. Now, I get being that a tech enthusiast that you might think those are the same, but most people don't. Really, most people don't care at all who makes what they're using, they're just means to an end.
actually its just opposite. For people like us(techie) we know Skype is much more awesome as well as important to humanity but will the general consumer understand this? Will they give Skype translator more credit than Google cars? I don't think so. Even if Skype is more beneficial and relevant for us, Google's self driving cars will have more wow factor. General consumer will consider skype translator as just another translator. I am not saying Microsoft should shift focus from important things like skype to geeky cars but at least they should keep making buzz in consumer space with such projects.
 

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