Article: "Time to Cut Microsoft Some Slack; Surface 2 Shows They Understand Mobile"

[EBynum]

After the barrage of criticism fired at the Surface 2 from various tech blogs, it's refreshing to read an article by someone who seems to "get it". Here's the article:

Time To Cut Microsoft Some Slack, Surface 2 Shows They Understand Mobile - HotHardware

Just wanted to share it.

 

[JKing106]

Uh, no. Microsoft is under the delusion that it's still 2003. They actually think the "Windows" brand is gold, when the name "Windows" makes most people think of blue screens, viruses, and computers that slow to a crawl over time. No one but PC gamers, fanboys/alpha nerds, and old IT/SysAdmin guys "like" Windows. The rapid acceptance and sales of iOS and Android devices is proof of that. So, if Microsoft really wants to make inroads to the post-PC mobile market, they are going to have to undersell Apple, like the Android tablet manufacturers do. Throwing in Office is not going to cut it. Throwing in the keyboard cover for free would help a little. Microsoft is going to have to accept the fact that despite selling tons of OEM Windows and Office copies, they are barely a blip on the radar when it comes to mobile. They don't call the shots, anymore. They're going to have to work for loyalty, now. But hey, at least they're doing better than RIM, right?

 

[MobileVortex]

Lol ^^

 

[Coreldan]

...under the delusion that it's still 2003... most people think of blue screens, viruses, and computers that slow to a crawl over time...

Yeah, I don't think it's Microsoft being the one to live in delusion, but the "most people".

 

[WanderingTraveler]

Well, at least someone understands their approach.

 

[martinmc78]

Uh, no. Microsoft is under the delusion that it's still 2003. They actually think the "Windows" brand is gold, when the name "Windows" makes most people think of blue screens, viruses, and computers that slow to a crawl over time. No one but PC gamers, fanboys/alpha nerds, and old IT/SysAdmin guys "like" Windows. The rapid acceptance and sales of iOS and Android devices is proof of that. So, if Microsoft really wants to make inroads to the post-PC mobile market, they are going to have to undersell Apple, like the Android tablet manufacturers do. Throwing in Office is not going to cut it. Throwing in the keyboard cover for free would help a little. Microsoft is going to have to accept the fact that despite selling tons of OEM Windows and Office copies, they are barely a blip on the radar when it comes to mobile. They don't call the shots, anymore. They're going to have to work for loyalty, now. But hey, at least they're doing better than RIM, right?

Do you write for a tech website? Sounds exactly like the filth they come out with.

 

[HeyCori]

You know, if RT had a more robust app selection than no one would question the validity of the OS.

 

[martinmc78]

You know, if RT had a more robust app selection than no one would question the validity of the OS.

We have Halo...

Seriously though, its a chicken and egg situation all over again with the apps - devs wont produce unless the marketshare is there and marketshare wont increase without the apps. TBH since getting rid of my ipad at the surface launch there isn't a single app that I miss - the alternatives are passable for what I need and IE11 deals with the rest.

 

[HeyCori]

Yeah, I'm already getting tired of them constantly advertising Halo, lol. It's not a bad game but doesn't hold a candle to the actual console games.

 

[gsquared]

Though I certainly do not agree with the JKing I do not believe they should be given any slack. That will only make them complacent. They need to stay hungry. When they finally do pierce the skin of their competitors they will just rip it to shreds.

Oh, and JKing. You really need to find your self another way to make a living. Being someones lacky to write nasty things doesn't suit you.

 

[martinmc78]

Though I certainly do not agree with the JKing I do not believe they should be given any slack. That will only make them complacent. They need to stay hungry. When they finally do pierce the skin of their competitors they will just rip it to shreds.

Oh, and JKing. You really need to find your self another way to make a living. Being someones lacky to write nasty things doesn't suit you.

Slack - no they cant afford that - a fair review from people that have used the device for more than a couple of hours and have worked out how to actually use one to maximum efficiency - that's whats needed to rip its competitors to shreds.

 

[vertigoOne]

That was a refreshing article to read. I especially enjoyed how it calls out the baseless bashing of Microsoft for clickbait.

It makes a lot of sense. People want to feel vindicated in their decisions and the fact of the matter is that most people use iPads, so what news article are most people likely to click on? One that tells them that maybe they don't have the best product, or the one the reaffirms their past decisions?

 

[Christian Kallevig]

While I don't believe that Microsoft is stuck in 2003, I don't think that is a great article. Microsoft still has room to improve in the mobile space, and they definitely still are a bit of a slow dinosaur of a company in some ways. But Windows 8 was a necessary move, and Windows 8.1 is an important update that they are wise to whip out as fast as possible. But the fact that some of the things in Windows 8.1 weren't part of Windows 8 to begin with is telling. Microsoft is learning and they are catching up quickly, but they aren't 100% there yet.

Still, Surface is a very interesting product, and I don't think it shows a lack of understanding of the mobile space as many are claiming. Instead it shows that Microsoft sees that the market is very competitive and has reached a high level of saturation in a hurry. So their strategy is to offer something that attacks the same market from a different angle. Their value proposition is different, their form factor is unique, etc.

We simply don't know yet if the idea of a productivity tablet will ever see mainstream success, but I do believe it's a smart strategy with a lot of potential.

 

[surfacedude]

microsoft has to deal w/ a reputation it has earned. micrsosoft is a bit sloppy, imo. they release products in a state that apple, for example, would never release them. for example, why do my surface tablets sometimes not open the on s creen keyboard so i log-in after waking them from sleeping? i have restart the machine in order to log in. that's super sloppy. how on earth can you release a product without fixing that first? i think we can all agree that the surface rt is not as fast as it should have been. microsoft had to have known that. why release the product if it wasn't ready? the surface 2 should have been the first surface. instead, microsoft forced out the product in what must be one of the dumbest marketing strategies ever (release only through microsoft, then only microsoft stores or online through microsoft, then online through some tech retailors, and then in phyiscal tech stores?!) that gauranteed failure. now they fighting against that grand and embarrassing failure. they're farther behind now than two years ago.

are many of the tech reviews unduly harsh? i think so, but i also think microsoft deserves it to a large extent. they've created an incredible product but are killing it by making dumb decisions--rushing it to market, making it difficult to buy, overcharging, et cetera.

as i've said before, i'm rather pissed about the whole thing. not because i don't like microsoft..i actually really like microsoft. i use two windows phones, an rt and a pro, and a windows 8 desktop. i'm committed. i'm pissed because microsoft is taking a great product in windows 8 and surface and they killing w/ dumb decisions. and that just seems to be characteristic of what microsoft is--a good bit of slop seems to go with whatever they do. if you doubt that look at their incredible history. it's an impressive history, but there a lot of consistent slop built in. look at explorer. why on earth did microsoft just let explorer sit and rot? why sit back and just allow a market you once dominated slip away? that's a sloppy approach and what "improvements" microsoft made to explorer were themselves sloppy. hardly anyone prefers explorer as a browser. i could go on, but you see my point.

microsoft can't complain about unfair treatment given the way they're treated themselves. i say that hoping the surface and windows 8 become hugely successful, because i think they're great products.

 

[Pete]

Well, that's a long post, but the only real complaint you had about the surface was that the keyboard sometimes doesn't appear upon waking. Hardly a ground-breaking issue, and I've not seem hoards of people complain about that. Compared with Apple's debacle regarding their maps app, and their ineffectual lock screen security, it's small beans.

Hardly anyone prefers Internet Explorer? A quick look shows that it holds over a 20% market share (second behind Chrome). IE is the standard internet browser for most businesses.

 

[jmerrey]

No offense, but some people need to stop drinking the kool-aid. I love MS products. I use a Windows Phone, I have a Surface Pro, and I can see myself getting a new Surface 2, or possibly the 7" tablet next year. However, MS is getting absolutely crushed in the mobile space. They do not understand the market. They think the Microsoft and Windows branding are commodities. They don't realize that the general public sees those two brands and think of work, viruses, and general complications. Seeing Ballmer talking about leveraging the Windows branding made me queasy.

Microsoft needs to simplify things. I had a conversation with my sister the other day. She wanted to access her outlook.com email address in her Outlook program in Office. Tell me how much fun that conversation was. I felt like I was Abbott to her Costello: "Who's on first. What's on second. Email. What email? Outlook. What Outlook? No not that Outlook, the other Outlook. Yeah in Windows. What Windows? Windows RT. What RT? Twitter!" Anyone who thinks the general consumer isn't confused is kidding themselves.

I would love for MS to succeed with the Surface project, and with Windows Phone 8, but until they understand what their true public image is, it will be very difficult. Take the Nokia acquisition. They left the most important piece behind: the Nokia branding. Re-branding the Nokia Lumia to the Microsoft Lumia? Actually sorry, it will probably be the Microsoft Windows RT Lumia 2000 by the time the geniuses in product management are done with it. Unfortunately, they just don't understand the consumer market. 600k phones in the US? $900 million write off for tablets? Yikes. If it was anyone but stubborn MS with deep pockets, we'd be talking bankruptcy. They have the enterprise market, but the consumer market? No.

 

[Coreldan]

Yeah, I'm already getting tired of them constantly advertising Halo, lol. It's not a bad game but doesn't hold a candle to the actual console games.

Well, this here is the problem of Surface too. Since it's not your typical dumbed down consumption tablet, it gets compared to ultrabooks. Now you are comparing a tablet game to the actual console games!

 

[JKing106]

Do you write for a tech website? Sounds exactly like the filth they come out with.

Criticism is "filth?" You speak like it's blasphemy. Blindly partisan much? And no, I don't write for any "tech sites," which are just glorified blogs.

 

[martinmc78]

Criticism is "filth?" You speak like it's blasphemy. Blindly partisan much? And no, I don't write for any "tech sites," which are just glorified blogs.

Criticism is fine as long as its based on fact - I used the word filth for irony - which I guess was lost. Blindly partisan - not quite. Ive been using MS products for a long time and im under no reality distortion field influence to make me think they are without there problems.

 

[JKing106]

Everything I wrote is fact. Microsoft is completely clueless when it comes to the consumer market, as evidenced by the colossal failure of the RT, which will be repeated by the S2, unless they completely revamp their marketing strategy.

Some of you seem to think I'm a Microsoft hater. You're wrong. I want the Surface and Windows Phone to succeed. I want the competition. I'm criticizing Microsoft's astounding stupidity and arrogance when it comes to marketing and intuiting what the consumers will accept
It's as if they're trying to fail.