Why is Microsoft's Image still tainted?

[Mike Gibson]

Because Microsoft is a company perpetually following trends rather than setting them. They seem to operate in a constant panic mode and it shows in the products.

I'm not sure but I believe MSFT had:

1. A mobile phone OS with apps over a decade ago
2. A table OS with apps a decade ago
3. An "internet TV" box in the 1990s
4. A "smart watch" almost a decade ago
5. An automotive OS for years

Each one of those areas is a hot topic for several companies right now. Who is doing the leading and who is doing the following, again? This doesn't mention the relentless push on OEMs for GPU performance and standardization that MSFT has led for two decades, the very GPU technology used in all the current gadgets to make them fast and fluid. Oh, and let's not forget 64-bit computing, where MSFT led the standardization of the x64 architecture over Intel's objections (I bet you used a an x64 OS to type your message). What MSFT has failed at miserably is to suck up to the AAPL-loving SF Tech Press.

MSFT isn't perfect (e.g. I think they have screwed up massively in WinRT/WinPRT) but they have played a critical and underappreciated role in the current state of computing.

 

[cckgz4]

Feels like Blackberry has a more tainted image nowadays

 

[Ridemyscooter86]

I think part of the problem with windows 8 is that its a little ahead of its time. Sure, they didn't do the best job with their launch and windows 8.1 is essentially what windows 8 should have been, but I think the main issue is that its one of the first major convergence OSes. I mean, I sell computers and I haven't heard a single person complain about windows 8 on a tablet or a touchscreen. People don't realize that windows 8 will take a little while to catch on because people are just switching to touchscreen devices, I mean, they're still rather new if you think about it in the broader scope of things. Windows 8 will catch on, its got a good amount of devs behind it, it will just take some time..

 

[haldor422]

MS can absorb any negative Earnings Per Share that Nokia would bring. And the Growth is locked in along with Nokia's revenue share.
First smart move I have noticed by MS regarding it's entrance into the hardware game. Now comes the question, will managment ruin that rosy picture??? Only time will tell.