Microsoft is a fascinating company with a storied history. No matter the market, it seems to stumble out of the gate before finally building something compelling enough to leave competitors in the dust.
The first few versions of Windows were nothing to get excited about, but as Microsoft released subsequent versions, it became something that today is on 90 percent of all desktop computers.
When the first version of Excel was released, there’s no denying that VisiCalc was the superior product. But through iterations, Excel and the rest of the Microsoft Office suite took the lead as the primary solution for business and home document production.
Now, in 2008, Microsoft is at a crossroads in various aspects of its business. There are three segments it is trying to either gain or maintain holding in, but I’m not sure how successful that will be.
It’s no secret Microsoft has a desire to overtake Google in the search and online advertising industry. But no matter how Microsoft tried, Windows Live Search has never gained ground.
It’s not that Live is a bad search engine; it’s actually pretty good. The problem is that Live doesn’t offer anything compelling over Google that would entice consumers to switch.
In the digital music field, Zune has gone from being the joke of the industry to being a formidable competitor to the iPod. The first-generation Zune was clunky, poorly designed and brown. The second version improved the hardware — slim and attractive.
The recently released Zune 3 improved the software experience to something I would seriously consider if I wasn’t a Mac user.
And then there’s Windows.
While Vista’s shipping numbers may be good, there’s no denying there’s a dark cloud hanging over Microsoft’s current flagship operating system.
Compared with Mac OS X Leopard, Apple’s latest operating system, Vista feels as if it’s stuck in the previous…