Nicholas Wojtalewicz
Microsoft and the future
First, let me establish my opinion of Microsoft. They are the greatest company in the entire world from my perspective. Bill Gates is my strongest role model and I believe almost everything Microsoft has done has been for the best. Everyone and every company makes the occasional mistake and of course Microsoft has had it?s fair share of mistakes but they recovered from them well. Like I said they have done amazing things and are extremely innovative whether Apple fans would like to agree or not but it?s not what they have done that worries me, it?s the future of the company.
From what I have heard and seen, I trust Satya Nadella and his mobile and cloud perspective seems promising for the future of the company. Although for the past decade, until windows phone and the surface line, Microsoft has not been very innovative at all. We built a strong foundation from the start and still have that with Office, Windows, Xbox, and software. This isn?t enough anymore though and it goes against Bill Gates original mindset of a pc in every home. It seemed insane at the time but he was a visionary and guess what, it happened. We need that mindset again for new products.
Microsoft is finally gaining some good ground with Windows Phone. The new 8.1 update makes us an extremely real competitor in the mobile world now with the modern features and Cortana. Windows 8.1 for desktops, laptops, and tablets fixed some major things. We?re starting the slow uphill trend for that as well. The acquisition of Nokia?s mobile department was a good move and should increase windows phone market share. Microsoft is getting lucky with these things and I?m proud. They deserve it.
I hate thinking like this but let?s look at the facts of the company. We?re losing money on some of our products. Windows phone only has about a 4% market share in the whole world. The Surface 3 is arguably the first Surface that actually should get us somewhere good and not let us lose more money. Now granted, Windows is the dominant animal when it comes to PC market share and it probably will be that way for generations as Apple barely has any. Apple and Google are way bigger companies now though, net worth wise.
But you know what, I?m going to go a different route. I?m not going to compare Microsoft plans and decisions with that of Apple and Google like most people. Unlike most people think, Microsoft should not under any circumstances follow the path given by those two mobile giants. Microsoft is innovative and so is Nokia (now Microsoft Mobile). We have never gone the route of just releasing a newer generation of the same thing over and over again. Sound familiar? Probably because that?s exactly Apple?s business model. People pay for the brand when they buy Apple products. Every generation of the iPhone is way too expensive and about two ?innovative? things are added. Have we gone the route of marketing unpractical features and devices, most of which are absolute crap? No but that?s Google for you. These tech giants get away with these cheap business models but never innovate anymore. Microsoft always has and always will.
So what?s the fix? Well that?s a hard question and one that I will answer honestly and basically. We have to innovate and that sounds cliche but it?s not. Satya is right in his view of cloud and mobile as the future. We need to find the passion that Bill Gates had for the PC and we need to apply that to the Surface and Windows Phone. Windows Phone is an amazing operating system and although the 8.1 update gets us going even further, we already need to start on a new update the doesn?t keep us on par with the competition but puts us ahead and far ahead. We also need to focus on keeping the care we put into our products. Microsoft is famous for quality and we have to keep it that way because when these business models of Apple and Google fail, ours will prevail and Microsoft will be there with innovation. We have to reimagine the company in a way that will show the world we are not old and boring but fun and new.
These are not all my thoughts but I leave with this: Microsoft was the past, is the present, and will be the future.
Microsoft and the future
First, let me establish my opinion of Microsoft. They are the greatest company in the entire world from my perspective. Bill Gates is my strongest role model and I believe almost everything Microsoft has done has been for the best. Everyone and every company makes the occasional mistake and of course Microsoft has had it?s fair share of mistakes but they recovered from them well. Like I said they have done amazing things and are extremely innovative whether Apple fans would like to agree or not but it?s not what they have done that worries me, it?s the future of the company.
From what I have heard and seen, I trust Satya Nadella and his mobile and cloud perspective seems promising for the future of the company. Although for the past decade, until windows phone and the surface line, Microsoft has not been very innovative at all. We built a strong foundation from the start and still have that with Office, Windows, Xbox, and software. This isn?t enough anymore though and it goes against Bill Gates original mindset of a pc in every home. It seemed insane at the time but he was a visionary and guess what, it happened. We need that mindset again for new products.
Microsoft is finally gaining some good ground with Windows Phone. The new 8.1 update makes us an extremely real competitor in the mobile world now with the modern features and Cortana. Windows 8.1 for desktops, laptops, and tablets fixed some major things. We?re starting the slow uphill trend for that as well. The acquisition of Nokia?s mobile department was a good move and should increase windows phone market share. Microsoft is getting lucky with these things and I?m proud. They deserve it.
I hate thinking like this but let?s look at the facts of the company. We?re losing money on some of our products. Windows phone only has about a 4% market share in the whole world. The Surface 3 is arguably the first Surface that actually should get us somewhere good and not let us lose more money. Now granted, Windows is the dominant animal when it comes to PC market share and it probably will be that way for generations as Apple barely has any. Apple and Google are way bigger companies now though, net worth wise.
But you know what, I?m going to go a different route. I?m not going to compare Microsoft plans and decisions with that of Apple and Google like most people. Unlike most people think, Microsoft should not under any circumstances follow the path given by those two mobile giants. Microsoft is innovative and so is Nokia (now Microsoft Mobile). We have never gone the route of just releasing a newer generation of the same thing over and over again. Sound familiar? Probably because that?s exactly Apple?s business model. People pay for the brand when they buy Apple products. Every generation of the iPhone is way too expensive and about two ?innovative? things are added. Have we gone the route of marketing unpractical features and devices, most of which are absolute crap? No but that?s Google for you. These tech giants get away with these cheap business models but never innovate anymore. Microsoft always has and always will.
So what?s the fix? Well that?s a hard question and one that I will answer honestly and basically. We have to innovate and that sounds cliche but it?s not. Satya is right in his view of cloud and mobile as the future. We need to find the passion that Bill Gates had for the PC and we need to apply that to the Surface and Windows Phone. Windows Phone is an amazing operating system and although the 8.1 update gets us going even further, we already need to start on a new update the doesn?t keep us on par with the competition but puts us ahead and far ahead. We also need to focus on keeping the care we put into our products. Microsoft is famous for quality and we have to keep it that way because when these business models of Apple and Google fail, ours will prevail and Microsoft will be there with innovation. We have to reimagine the company in a way that will show the world we are not old and boring but fun and new.
These are not all my thoughts but I leave with this: Microsoft was the past, is the present, and will be the future.
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