Microsoft Getting Beaten Up by Unmentionable Smaller Company

by Chris Howard Aug 06, 2008

Boo! Now most of us wouldn't have even blinked at that opening. But if you were a big-wig from Microsoft, you probably would have leapt through the roof. Because at Microsoft, folks are getting a touch bit jumpy about a little company that makes a few computers, media players and cell phones.

Unless you're dead - and assuming there is no internet after you're dead - you have probably heard about Microsoft's Mojave Experiment advertising. But, just in case you are dead, I will explain it again.

Microsoft is of the opinion, held only by itself, that Vista was actually pretty decent. Yes, sure it clunked along when it came out, but that wasn't Microsoft's fault - manufacturers were just slow to catch up with drivers...

So now Microsoft wants everyone to think nice thoughts about Vista, instead of thinking it's Windows ME all over again. However, having blown it's advertising budget on Vista's release - when it said some crap about seeing the difference (ironic, coz if you could see the difference you'd be buying some other company's OS) - Microsoft couldn't afford to pay actors so had to come up with one of those cheap-assed commercials where real folks tell you how much they love a product.

Problem was, MS couldn't find any real folks who loved Vista.

So instead it got a whole lot of Windows-using real folks and lied to them.

"Hello, this isn't really Vista," the MS monkeys told folks, "this is the next super duper version. Whaddya think?"

"Oooh, ahh," said the gullible folk (like what a surprise - how hard was it to find gullible Windows users then?)

After more ooohing and aahing that left Stevie B panting, the marketing guys said "Ha ha, sucked in, that is really Vista. And you love it!"

Obviously most people punched them in the face and stormed off, but a few numnuts didn't mind being made a fool of (obviously dedicated Windows users no matter how much trouble it gives them).

So those guys got turned into a commercial to show how gullible some folks are. Oh, and something about Vista's really cool if you'd just give it a chance. Kinda like sticking your head in a toilet is cool on a hot day.

And then we hear that MS is getting worried that its 25 year long marketing strategy of secretly lobotomizing anyone who looks at a Windows screen for too long, is starting to fail. It seems some folks' brains are growing back and are discovering another company (that MS won't mention so I better not either) that MS thought it had squashed into oblivion a decade or so ago is making some decent alternatives to MS's flaw-ridden software and systems.

It's a shame I can't mention who that other company is, but I'd hate to upset MS coz it really wants to keep it a secet. But I can tell you it's not Voldemort. He's a baddie anyway. I'm sure if you think about it you could guess anyway.

Even MS-droids like John Dvorak are losing faith in Microsoft. In a recent piece on the Mojave Experiment advertising, Dvorak likens this smaller company to the hare - which is rather amusing, because this smaller company is more like the tortoise. Slow and steady over 30 years has seen it become the mind share leader in technology and in some markets, the market leader.

But I suppose when you're going backwards, like Microsoft is, anything going forwards would look pretty zippy.

Microsoft's problems are best summed up by itself in its 10K submission:

"A competing vertically-integrated model, in which a single firm controls both the software and hardware elements of a product, has been successful with certain consumer products such as personal computers, mobile phones and digital music players."

Whoever that mystery company is has certainly got Microsoft jumping at shadows. Which makes for great entertainment on the web and especially for us here on Unmentionable-Smaller-Company Matters.

So anyway, Microsoft, boo! You should be scared, because that little company is kicking your butt all over the place.

 

Comments

  • I love my Macbook Pro. And I just got an iPhone 3G. I would marry them both it if were legally possible!

    I get it that they mention it in the 10k, but that’s just CYA legalese. And I get that Apple is doing great. I love their products.

    But until Apple’s marketshare is something more than a rounding error of Microsoft’s I think direct comparisons and talk of Apple kicking Microsoft’s butt is very premature.

    gabriel had this to say on Aug 06, 2008 Posts: 3
  • “So anyway, Microsoft, boo! You should be scared, because that little company is kicking your butt all over the place.”

    Um yeah, in the same way the Zune is kicking the iPod’s butt all over the place.

    On a side note, I’d love to see zato3 spin this Apple-felating article into some kind of pro-MS screed.

    Beeblebrox had this to say on Aug 06, 2008 Posts: 2220
  • “But until Apple’s marketshare is something more than a rounding error of Microsoft’s I think direct comparisons and talk of Apple kicking Microsoft’s butt is very premature.” - gabriel

    I seem to recall figures recently which showed that Apple make 25% the amount of profit Microsoft do, with less than 10% of their marketshare. Don’t quote me on the exact figures, but it’s about right. This means Apple does not need to gain another 65% marketshare to beat Microsoft senseless.


    “So anyway, Microsoft, boo! You should be scared, because that little company is kicking your butt all over the place.”

    I’m with Beeb on this one, but, you’re missing the point. MS is being beaten senseless by MULTIPLE little and no-so-little companies. With desktop OS, it’s Apple. With servers, it’s the various *NIXen out there. On the web for search and marketing, Google.

    But I’m not ready to write them off yet. They followed ME with their best OS, Win2k, which at the time, wiped the floor with OS 9. The late 90’s was the perfect time for Linux to emerge to the desktop, back when people were still used to using a command line, yet it failed to do so, and Ubuntu et al have spent years trying to make it friendly enough for people lobotomized by years of Windows usage.

    Just two examples of how MS can (a) pull something good out of the hat after they screw up, and (b) the ease with which their competitors can make just enough errors to allow MS to gain the advantage.

    evilcat had this to say on Aug 08, 2008 Posts: 66
  • Someone correct my math but here’s what I found

    MSFT had $60 billion sales in the year to June ‘08 and $17B in net income.

    In the same period Apple had almost $30 b in sales and $5 b in net income.

    If that’s correct MSFT is a much more profitable company.

    But I’m not a corporate analyst so I may have misread something.

    gabriel had this to say on Aug 08, 2008 Posts: 3
  • “MS is being beaten senseless by MULTIPLE little and no-so-little companies. With desktop OS, it’s Apple. With servers, it’s the various *NIXen out there. On the web for search and marketing, Google.”

    I think you’d have to define getting beaten senseless.  With the desktop OS, the only place Apple beats MS is in positive media coverage.  Apple isn’t even beating HP senseless in the PC hardware market.  They do quite well, and I’m glad for the competition, but MS is still a de facto monopoly.

    On the server and search side, I’d agree, although they’ve never really been competitive in search that I’m aware of, even before Google.

    Frankly, I’d love a little more competition all around.  I don’t want either MS or Apple to dominate the OS market.  And I’d sure love a nice mp3 player that competes with the iPod.

    Beeblebrox had this to say on Aug 08, 2008 Posts: 2220
  • Competition is good. Everyone wins. smile

    Neil Anderson had this to say on Aug 09, 2008 Posts: 23
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