Microsoft denies failure of Windows Vista, spouts fluff on 7
It seems like the computing community is just waiting for Microsoft to step forward and admit the mistakes made with Vista, but in a recent interview with CNET, a high-ranking Microsoft chief continued Microsoft’s distasteful trend of corporate double-speak and PR fluff. What will it take for Microsoft to change its direction as a software company and of refusing to listen to consumers and the media?
In an interview with CNET, Microsoft chief of development Steve Sinofsky answered rather direct questions regarding the shortcomings of Vista and plans for Windows 7 with mealy-mouthed double-speak, very typical of anyone who is speaks for Microsoft. The way I’ve come to recognize anything from Microsoft is when reading through an interview or source is arguably more boring and frustrating than watching people engage in a game of Scrabble.
Generally I like to at least provide some sort of insight i find in an interview, but there isn’t a thing you can take away from this that is new or unique from the same droll trash we keep getting from Microsoft. If it could be summarized, the interview would read: Microsoft doesn’t want to dwell on the past, is excited about the future, but can’t say anything about it.
Frankly the way Microsoft refuses to listen to consumers or the media by owning up to shortcomings or issues is not going to do a thing in retaining a large group of customers that are flocking to Apple. If Microsoft wants to keep and gain customers, it must accept and admit mistakes in Vista as well as let consumers know what is happening with 7.
If Microsoft can’t do that, the entire period between the release of Windows Vista and Windows 7 will be like a plague, with users “dying off” to competitors because consumers just aren’t comfortable with the non-information Microsoft continues to spout and the way Microsoft disrespects customers by refusing to provide answers and apologies for all the debacles surrounding Windows Vista.
Related Posts:
May 28th, 2008
How to lose customers , basics 101.
Any business that repeatedly denies that there are problems with one of their products, has a leadership problem.
Any business that replaces a popular product with a inferior product. Then forces it on its customers as a “take it or else” proposition will soon find that their customers have left them to go to the competition.
A company that takes a product with problems and releases the same product with a different name has leadership problems and is set to fail
and could lose customers and market share.
Not listening to customers and market forces and blindly glossing over criticisms and serious discussions makes a company look weak and indecisive.
Paying shills to PR a troubled product in good light with positive outlooks makes the shills look like fools without any clue to what they are talking about.
May 29th, 2008
I personally think Microsoft has gotten too big and slumberous to make any significant changes to their windows operating system. I expect windows 7 is not going to solve a lot of problems that people are encountering in vista, rather it will be focused on adding more “features” that 99% of users don’t want or need or use but are marketed as being a “good thing”; which in the end will lead to slower machines despite speed increments and more system crashes.
Furthermore – I think the reason microsoft is so tight lipped about windows 7 is because they really don’t know what to do. As I stated before, its unlikely they are going to start from square one (Like Apple did for OSX) to produce an even better operating system using the lessons learned from the last one.
Why else tell us about Multi-touch and ohh-ahh….
We have all seen that technology 2 years ago, and its currently in the iPhone, MacBook trackpads and likely Apple will have it in computers & OSX before Microsoft. CNN is even using the technology. In fact by the time W7 comes out I expect everyone will have that technology.
May 29th, 2008
At this point, does it really matter if Microsoft admits “failure” or not? It seems more important that it comes out with a superior product that will prove its commitment to its customers and partners. I think that through its many, many releases of patches and products to ease Vista woes, it has admitted it released something that was not perfect. And, we’ve seen Microsoft respond to customer and partner needs by making some changes (for one, it has started to focus a lot more heavily on its relationships with small businesses by making them more a part of its partner programs, etc.) and handle some concerns. It seems the best “proof” is going to be a better product released, which I hope we will see soon enough.
May 30th, 2008
Are you saying Apple is good about letting the public know about products in advance? The company is famous for suing rumor websites or anyone it considers leaking their “secrets”. Apple is also famous for not acknowledging or denying problems with their products. Your double standard is showing.
Microsoft “owes” you nothing. It is a multibillion dollar corporation that has been very successful without needing to consult college students on how it needs to proceed going forward.
All the customers going to Apple are still a very small slice of the total market. Droves=10 percentage points and that’s giving them the benefit of the doubt. I’m not happy about it, but nothing Apple is doing is going to knock MS off it’s overwhelming dominance in business markets.
You guys should just change the name of the section to we hate Vista and Microsoft blorge. Just trying to find even a neutral article here is impossible.
June 9th, 2008
@Ken,
I think you are quite right to say that “nothing that Apple is going to do is going to knock MS off it’s … dominance”. That’s because MS have achieved dominance by establishing a monopoly and by engaging in illegal practices to maintain that monopoly – we know this because they have been convicted of abuse of their monopoly in a court of law. Now it’s true that they are a multi-billion dollar corporation, but their gains are ill-gotten – it is not their money, any more than stolen money belongs to the thief who took it. So it is *not* true that they are successful, because success in business is not measured by monetary gain alone, as to do so can be misleading (although you may find the concept difficult to comprehend). Anyway, as I said you are right: it will not be Apple who destroy Microsoft – Microsoft will destroy themselves. The writing is already on the wall for them, although some cannot see it (or are unwilling to see it). Microsoft dug their own grave by engaging in unconscionable business practices and amoral conduct; they are being consumed by a cancer within, the seeds of which were sown long ago. This is simply the natural result of lying, cheating and stealing – it may go well for a while, but eventually it will catch up with you.
June 19th, 2008
Ken is not happy about it but I’ll bet he’s going to continue buying Micros**t products.
That makes sense.
It’s the Kens of this world that got Micros**t where they are.
I already consider M$ a failure, as Hugh has so succinctly put it, their success and their money is ill-gotten. In 2002, after reading yet another article about a company driven to bankruptcy by M$ I decided to stop using their products.
Period.
M$ is proof that you can’t buy taste.