A tweet earlier today, and a read of the interesting linked article got me thinking of my takes on the selection there.
Let’s go
Surface Pro 7: WIN <- Agreed ✔️
Surface Neo, Windows 10X & dual screens: FAIL <- Agree ✔️
Surface Neo would have been great.....if Windows 10X turned out to be a "touch-first” complete reinterpretation of the Windows UI. Anything else is almost destined to fail.
Miserably, too.
The Windows 10X team could, and should take lessons from how Apple is melding the MacOS UI for touch. Folks, it IS coming: a touchscreen Mac. You can count on it. At that time, it – the touchscreen Mac – would be the best thing since sliced bread-and-marmalade!
Dual screens. Along with foldable screens, they seem to be a money pit of sorts.
Windows on Arm: WTF <-Agreed ✔️
Lesser-powered, lower performance pieces of merde failed woefully in the marketplace.
Why is there any surprise?
Contrast that with Apple, and the strategic differences couldn’t be more distinct: Apple opted for purpose-built device optimized to eek the very best from their OS and associated hardware.
Microsoft, OTOH, went with has served them well so far: off-the-shelf CPUs.
Using the benefit of hindsight, we know how that went.
Making matters worse, the Windows ARM devices were priced to stay on the shelves. That, they did. Very well. Look, even I couldn’t pull the trigger on obtaining any of them for an internal test. They just had no value relative to cost, and comparable devices.
Surface Laptop Go: WIN <- I couldn’t disagree more.
The surface Laptop Go is woefully overpriced, performance be damned.
Price ‘normalization’ is required ASAP.
Microsoft Surface Duo: FAIL <- Agreed ✔️
I am still trying to postmortem the reason why. Was it the hardware? Or the Android operating system, no matter how Microsoft perfumed that pile?
Were the built in Microsoft services not enough to sway or get non-technical press types interested?
Is the world ready for a Microsoft-branded Android device?
Microsoft’s TikTok fiasco: WTF <- Yes, WTF is right ✔️
While Redmondian executives may have data that showed synergistic benefits from such a buy, I can’t help but think of the Microsoft offer to buy Yahoo!
Thankfully, this potential debacle, like the Yahoo! one, failed.
Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge: WIN <- Agreed ✔️
The news that Microsoft was abandoning the old Microsoft Edge (Chakra) for Edge Chrome dropped with the force of a high-yield atomic bomb!
I, for one, was stunned, almost beyond belief.
However, this has been an incredible success.
The development process was as open as could be, and enabled me to issue a directive earlier this year once it that gold, recommending that it replace Edge Chakra on client systems as soon as my staff were confident that it wouldn’t break their systems, or that there weren’t incompatible vestigial components in their proprietary software.
It just, worked.
Microsoft closes all physical stores: FAIL <- I couldn’t disagree more!
There simply wasn’t any quantifiable ROI in keeping the stores open. Apple sells a breadth of products that their ‘Geniuses’ try to explain to consumers.
Apart from the very niche Surface products, the Microsoft store didn’t have enough to justify their existence. Not enough traffic either.
From a marketing standpoint, they were sad also-rans, which their physical nature made very evident. The Internet is rife with enough images and ‘studies’ of Microsoft Store foot traffic versus Apple Store’s.
Heck, even on packed shopping event days, the Microsoft Store was empty. The pandemic was a good time as any to pull the plug, and I am pleased that Microsoft did just that.
In other words, it makes sense that they’re kaput.
Microsoft Teams usage soars: WIN <- Agreed ✔️
This opportunity was Microsoft’s to lose, and they didn’t do so. They initially fell asleep at the wheel, what with owning Teams, Skype, AND Yammer. They then almost compounded it, by requiring a Microsoft Account to use Teams, and a paying account to make video calls.
Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and Microsoft has, and is making the moves necessary to ensure Teams is successful. Slack, Zoom, and ahem, Webex, their competition is nimble too.
Cortana keeps being de-emphasized: FAIL <- Agreed ✔️
The raison d'être for Cortana has never been clearly particularized. Resultantly, it does deserve to fail.
Xbox Series X: WIN <- Agreed ✔️
On several levels. A great device+services combo got better.
Apart from purchase hiccups, the rollout has been quite good, initial and follow-up reviews have loved it, and the forthcoming games roadmap is strong.
Mix in the ability to play previous generation games, and an ever-expanding streaming app lineup, and you’ve got a winner.
Anecdotally, my #2 Son and I are quite chuffed with the device!
Microsoft kills Mixer: FAIL <- Agreed ✔️
I never used it – not even once! – neither did I understand the allure of it.
However, I cannot help but think that this may end up being a replay of the Windows Live Spaces shutdown.
Xbox Game Pass for PC/Xbox: WIN <- Agreed. Completely, too ✔️
This is such a genius product.
Granted, you won’t get all the latest tentpole products. However, you get such a large selection of games that your gaming increases exponentially.
We have multiple accounts, and it’s worth it.
Love it.
Microsoft’s online conferences: WIN <- Agreed ✔️
In the age of this deadly plague that is the coronavirus COVID-19, in-person conferences are rightfully verboten, and while logical, it was quite prescient of Microsoft to convert all their in-person confabs to virtual.
While I do not have their P&L numbers from the events, I daresay that the savings from physical location rentals, travel, and other expenses must offset the loss of revenue from paying attendees. For the free-to-attend conferences, it is pure gravy.
Moreover, attendance and viewership are up.
Finally, attendance, viewership, and attention are granularly trackable. That’s invaluable for feedback!
Truly, a win.
Microsoft’s “slice of life” Twitter account: WIN <- Agreed ✔️
In my little interactions with Microsoft on Twitter, I am pleased with how speedily my concerns, rants, and raves are responded to.
For a company the size and heft of Microsoft, that’s quite impressive indeed.
Original article: https://www.pcworld.com/article/3601532/microsofts-wins-fails-and-wtf-moments-of-2020.html
© 2002 – 2021, John Obeto II for Blackground Media Unlimited
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