Posts Tagged ‘ microsoft ’

Everyone’s favorite kicking-boy lately is Microsoft, and it’s easy to see why. Mobile is a disaster, Bing is having issues catching Google, the slate/tablet revolution started by Bill Gates has bypassed Windows … in so many ways Microsoft just feels so yesterday. Last week Microsoft execs clarified how they view their business, and how...
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If I am Microsoft or Apple today, I’m fairly happy. It’s obvious that Google is a huge threat to both Microsoft and Apple. Using its massive cash surpluses from owning the high-volume, high value search ads industry, Google is funding investments that are commoditizing both mobile and “desktop” operating systems … and significant chunks...
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From Michael Wolff’s excellent post on Newser: For the machine-loving consumer, Jobs’ triumph over Microsoft and Bill Gates is a marvel. Life seldom turns out this way. It’s a first in the history of architecture, where, in the mass market, the sensuous and beautiful triumphs over the functional and economic. The cost of such...
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This is significant and insightful: “Android is a bet on the past. Chrome is a bet on the future.” Android is still about installing applications on a specific device. Chrome OS is designed for a future where everything is online, in the cloud. You can also argue that it’s great execution by Google …...
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I was wondering this morning: how many enemies can Google afford? Apple There’s of course Apple, which Google poked with a stick when they brought out Android, their OS for mobile communication devices (or: smartphones). Apple is less concerned about Chromium and Google Apps (see below) … but any other operating systems and productivity...
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Just saw this today – an Open Office for kids. Essentially, it looks like a slimmed-down set of features that would be simpler for kids to useL Would be nice to see them go the extra mile and completely redesign the interface from the bottom up for kid friendliness. My company is currently releasing...
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The mobile picture is now officially a three-way dance: Apple, Google, and Microsoft. The same people who dominate desktop computing. Everybody else is screwed. Former Palm CEO Ed Colligan famously said a few years ago: “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.” That’s precisely...
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I’ve been wondering lately what Microsoft will do for the iPad. As everyone knows, Microsoft is one of the major software developers for Mac … Office being the most obvious example. They’ve also dabbled in iPhone applications. But now we have the iPad. And now mobile apps have an opportunity to be more and...
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While Microsoft and Apple are still bitter rivals, several recent events have inadvertently brought them closer together in order to fight their common enemy: Google. The phrase “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” comes to mind. Let’s explore how we got to this tipping point. via Google Is Now Apple’s Greatest Enemy:...
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Hmmm … some bugs to work out yet? That’s why they call it beta, I guess.
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There were just so many choices for this column. Eventually I went for the one you see above, semi-reminiscent of Neal Postman’s famous anti-TV Amusing Ourselves to Death. But “John Dvorak Writes Good Column; World’s Jaw Drops” was a real possibility. Dvorak, of course, has been tilting at Macs for some time. Now, apparently,...
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I signed up for a Windows Live Messenger account this morning and was struck by the infrequently asked questions: The title says frequently asked questions, but they’re obviously not. They’re actually questions Microsoft wishes people would ask … What ordinary person – Joe in the warehouse, Betty in accounting – has ever asked: How...
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As anyone who follows tech news knows, Microsoft is planning its own retail stores. Presumably, having seen the success of Apple’s stores, Ballmer thinks there’s a model to follow here. Key to almost every new business venture is a question: how is this differentiated from the competition. But based on what I’m seeing in...
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This is a great quote on usability from Whitney Hess‘s recent article on Mashable. She’s actually defining usability in reverse … by saying what it is is not: David Malouf, professor of interaction design at Savannah College of Art & Design, explains that “while usability is important, its focus on efficiency and effectiveness seems...
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I’m using a lot of Windows lately, via VMware Fusion … recently installing both Vista and XP. It’s for work, and it’s for certain apps that need to be tested on a PC. The most annoying thing I’ve found so far – besides the way Windows is always mothering me to death me with...
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