snowmutt
New member
WARNING: SNOWMUTT IS ABOUT TO RAMBLE. I APOLIGIZE AHEAD OF TIME.
This is a very important thread, (Thanks, depatter!!!) because it goes way deeper than Windows Phones and looks at the landscape that is upcoming. In the world that Microsoft thrived in, corporate and large buisness focusesed on the internet as a way to cut cost and streamline production, and computers as a way to increase productivity. The average household saw the internet as a new way to get information, manage money, send emails, and that was about it. Game councils played games, MP3's and iPods played music, and everything was organized into neat little electronic segments.
But in this world, that isn't good enough. The advent of the cloud, the driving force of Apple's success, and yes even the XBOX have changed all that (remember, the XBOX cut into Sony's huge lead by pushing playing online. The Playstation was a little late to the table on that, which gave the XBOX a leg up). ALL segments want cross-platform devices. They want mobile, portable units. The Laptop is all but replacing the PC in the home- it takes less space, does as much, and is portable. The Tablet market is challenging the Laptop for the portable unit (although is much slower in "taking off" than predicted 2 years ago), and mobile phones are now mobile first (replacing the MP3 player, the portable game players, and email/communication devices in one easy package), and are actually seen as phones way down on the list, if at all.
What does all this mean? Does Microsoft still want to be the giant it is now in 5 - 10 years or does it want to be a one note wonder, fighting for scraps in the buisness world? MS NEEDS a mobile platform, and it needs it to be successful. My thought is MS wants the Tablet market that is developing more than they really want mobile phones, as that is an untapped spring of profits that fits right in to their buisness software empire. They want to build an ecosystem that assures them of being the software leader 10 years from now. They can not do that without a strong Mobile OS.
Yes, I agree they can't keep dumping money into an unprofitable product forever. But, what is too much money when the future of your company is at stake? They will support WP8 and Windows on Tablets for at least the next couple years. They will fight tooth and nail to get it off they ground. They will support Nokia, fight to keep Samsung and it's huge marketshare, and work to keep HTC, Fujitsu, and ZTE in the fold as well as getting LG back.
Truthfully, as the way the world economy is going, I do not see how they have a choice. I don't even know what plan "B" would be if this doesn't work for them.
This is a very important thread, (Thanks, depatter!!!) because it goes way deeper than Windows Phones and looks at the landscape that is upcoming. In the world that Microsoft thrived in, corporate and large buisness focusesed on the internet as a way to cut cost and streamline production, and computers as a way to increase productivity. The average household saw the internet as a new way to get information, manage money, send emails, and that was about it. Game councils played games, MP3's and iPods played music, and everything was organized into neat little electronic segments.
But in this world, that isn't good enough. The advent of the cloud, the driving force of Apple's success, and yes even the XBOX have changed all that (remember, the XBOX cut into Sony's huge lead by pushing playing online. The Playstation was a little late to the table on that, which gave the XBOX a leg up). ALL segments want cross-platform devices. They want mobile, portable units. The Laptop is all but replacing the PC in the home- it takes less space, does as much, and is portable. The Tablet market is challenging the Laptop for the portable unit (although is much slower in "taking off" than predicted 2 years ago), and mobile phones are now mobile first (replacing the MP3 player, the portable game players, and email/communication devices in one easy package), and are actually seen as phones way down on the list, if at all.
What does all this mean? Does Microsoft still want to be the giant it is now in 5 - 10 years or does it want to be a one note wonder, fighting for scraps in the buisness world? MS NEEDS a mobile platform, and it needs it to be successful. My thought is MS wants the Tablet market that is developing more than they really want mobile phones, as that is an untapped spring of profits that fits right in to their buisness software empire. They want to build an ecosystem that assures them of being the software leader 10 years from now. They can not do that without a strong Mobile OS.
Yes, I agree they can't keep dumping money into an unprofitable product forever. But, what is too much money when the future of your company is at stake? They will support WP8 and Windows on Tablets for at least the next couple years. They will fight tooth and nail to get it off they ground. They will support Nokia, fight to keep Samsung and it's huge marketshare, and work to keep HTC, Fujitsu, and ZTE in the fold as well as getting LG back.
Truthfully, as the way the world economy is going, I do not see how they have a choice. I don't even know what plan "B" would be if this doesn't work for them.