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Microsoft Surface
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[Phil Hoppes] ” Xbox has been a disaster financially. For the money invested and the return they have received, I’d have to run the numbers if I could even get them but they probably would have done better buying CD’s. (Cert. Deposit not the things one plays).”
So, what was the return in raw numbers… can you show me how much they’ve lost? I can’t pretend to be an expert here. But it seems like having a solid ‘lifestyle product’ with a good reputation can’t be much of a detriment to the company. Not to mention the fact that they now have strong partners in entertainment like Netflix and HBO.
[Phil Hoppes] ” I just checked and in 2004 they were trading around 28. Today they are up to 31. Wow.”
I suppose that’s one way to measure the value of a company. What the stock price isn’t telling you though, is that Microsoft has expanded in the last decade. In the early 2000’s they had around 50,000 employees and were still considered a small player in enterprise computing. Now, they’re somwhere around 100,000 employees worldwide and are considered serious players in some segments, and leaders in others.
[Phil Hoppes] “Do they have the guts to risk something that just might compete or dare I say obsolete windows. Nope”
I’m not sure I understand your reasoning here. On one hand, you seem to acknowledge that MS does innovate and that they do have a few good products… on the other hand, you seem to think that they don’t have the guts to risk destryoing Windows… how does one relate to the other?
Shawn
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[Jeremy Garchow] “You don’t. But is the EOL of FCS3 mean the end if iTunes? Not really.
“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t making that argument, Jeremy. And, cloud delivery to devices isn’t iTunes. All I’m saying is that Apple has lost a healthy chunk of my trust.
[Jeremy Garchow] “For what it’s worth, it might not look like what I thought the cloud would be, but Apple is giving the cloud a real honest go. When they get sick of it and move on to the next thing, who knows what happens, but until then, it’s working and I like it. I am also lucky in that I live and work around fast internet, so the cloud is an advantage to me. This isn’t true elsewhere in this country and the world.”
Yeah, its working for me too right now. I actually like the newer AppleTV, and enjoy playing any and all of my purchases off of their servers. Its slick.
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[Chris Harlan] “I’m pretty sure I wasn’t making that argument, Jeremy. And, cloud delivery to devices isn’t iTunes. All I’m saying is that Apple has lost a healthy chunk of my trust. “
Not directly, but not trusting Apple to deliver FCS4, and not trusting them to deliver your purchases via iCloud are two different problems, I think. Apple prides themselves on the iCloud integration, purchase on one device, download to any other. There were a few things lost in MobileMe, but the tradeoff wasn’t as bad as FCS3 to FCPX. When I say iTunes, I am taking about the greater system of which iTunes seems to be the hub for now.
[Chris Harlan] “Yeah, its working for me too right now. I actually like the newer AppleTV, and enjoy playing any and all of my purchases off of their servers. Its slick.”
It certainly is. I just wish v1 worked just like it and or the latest version had a hard drive that I could sync my non iTunes music/videos to so I don’t have to keep a computer around.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Oh, and about this, it doesn’t matter to me. There’s nothing that I need from OS 10.2 (just for example) that I can’t do today with 10.7, in fact it’s quite the opposite.
If I was a major corporation and 1000s of deployments, yes, the support would matter.
If you know that in 8 years Windows 7 is still going to matter to you, then it’s important.
“I think you know that I was simply using this as an example of the stability Microsoft offers–you know, an example of a detailed road map–not as something that specifically effects you and your needs to maintain or not maintain the current version of OS X. And, unless Apple learns how to do some of that, it will eventually bite them in the arse.
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[Chris Harlan] “I think you know that I was simply using this as an example of the stability Microsoft offers–you know, an example of a detailed road map–not as something that specifically effects you and your needs to maintain or not maintain the current version of OS X. And, unless Apple learns how to do some of that, it will eventually bite them in the arse.”
I’ve had the conversation with Tim Wilson before about roadmaps.
It’s great that there’s an EIGHT year roadmap for Windows. Really.
Even if I was an all Windows shop, it would do nothing for me. 2020? Windows 7? I hope I even have a video career in 2020, let alone something I can raise a family on.
I am glad that it might make people feel more comfortable, but I have much bigger fish to fry today.
The other part of me would be wondering what the heel they are doing sitting around on Windows 7 for this long.
I don’t know, the OS roadmaps really don’t do much for me, personally. It doesn’t make me feel any better or worse about Microsoft or Apple.
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[Andrew Kimery] “If MS could make their products ‘sexy’ like Apple it would be a whole different ballgame, IMO. Apple releases limiting products but people still buy them en masse because of the industrial design, marketing and typical easy of use. “
I still have the RedRing Xbox, and it’s loud. Really loud. I want something more quiet if it’s going to be on and playing my digital stuffs.
Also, the Microsoft Point system on Xbox is ridiculous. Seriously, it’s like buying tokens where the tokens don’t match any sort of monetary system, and the “volume” bonus system is all screwed up. I guess they do this for the kids, but why can’t the kids just have to ask mom and dad for a purchase?
I’ve had three Xbox 360s brick on me. Two of them were under warranty, then on the third when it was out of warranty, I called and asked about it and they sent me a new one for $99. Not bad considering it was $350 or whatever it was before the price drop.
[Andrew Kimery] “If anyone didn’t aim long term it was Nintendo which is why they are releasing a new console this year.”
Except at the time of the Wii, it had eclipsed the XBox 360 in sales (I have no idea about revenue). Quality wise, it was dead when it hit the market, at least for the HD US market.
It didn’t stop it from being super popular and also available on the shelf when other consoles were not.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Apple prides themselves on the iCloud integration, purchase on one device, download to any other.”
Certainly they do. At the moment, its their highest priority. But there have been other moments, and other priorities. And the switches between them have become increasingly mercurial.
[Jeremy Garchow] “I just wish v1 worked just like it and or the latest version had a hard drive that I could sync my non iTunes music/videos to so I don’t have to keep a computer around.
“Me too. I’ve got two of those puppies.
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[Lance Bachelder] “Well I was willing to get a 3rd party keyboard for the iPad for writing but it’s the apps that are bad, not the iPad. This is the disadvantage of iOS vs. OSX – Final Draft for instance has no version for iOS – but they have Windows and OSX versions which means the Surface Pro will be the first real usable tablet for writers! Oh and Editors 🙂
“I with you on that. I’ve got the Bluetooth keyboard. And, I like my iPad. What I don’t have is the Microsoft phobia that seems to inhabit this part of the world. I just think that tablet looks cool, and if its priced right, if it runs the right programs, if it will access a RAID over USB 3–then, I probably want one.
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I’ve got a ‘jasper’ 360 which draws less power, runs cooler (and thus quieter) than older 360s and it’s pretty quite. Certainly not noticeable while watching something or playing a game and barely noticeable when the room is quiet. I think jasper was the last hardware revision before the new 360 ‘slim’ models came out and those run even quieter.
Yes the Wii raced out to a big lead but has since crashed (which is why I said that of the three Nintendo seemed the least focused on 5-10yrs down the road). Nintendo recently posted its first annual loss in 30yrs in part because of rapidly declining interest in the Wii. The apparent lesson learned is that although casual gamers out number hardcore gamers, hardcore gamers but more games (a lot more games). The Wii U is basically the Nintendo console that the core audience has been wanting for the past 5 years. I wonder if it’s too little too late though as Wii U seems poised to merely catch up to the 360 and PS3 while the next gen of those consoles will be coming out in a couple of years.
Nintendo also needs to get on the online gaming and home media center bandwagons. The Gamecube and Wii both lagged way behind MS and Sony in this regard and it’s another reason the Wii aged much faster than the PS3 and 360. Not to mention Nintendo needs to reevaluate its portable line as smart phones / tablets are posing a threat unlike Nintendo has seen before in this area. Core gamers will still pick a 3DS but casual gamers, who now have more of a choice than ever for portable gaming, will be abounding their handheld consoles in droves.
Getting back to MS.. yes the token system is annoying but I don’t think they do it for the kids. I think they do it the same reason that the games at places like Dave and Buster’s work on a token/credit system as well. They hope that by taking the dollar amount directly out of the equation that you’ll be more likely to spend more money.
MS has been trying to leverage the 360 as a home theater and IPTV device for years and it seems like now the rest of the pieces (particularly online streaming) are falling into place for that to happen. Toss the Kincet in there to give you a controller free way to interact with the device and the oldest of the three consoles seems to sitting in the best position.
If any of the three really dropped the ball it has to be Sony. They went from hero to zero and very publicly commented on how they had a 10yr plan for the PS3. They bet heavily on Blu-ray (hoping to mirror the success that DVD playback had for the PS2) and had to take too big of a loss on hardware sales to reach a competitive price point. Even after they took out features to reduce manufacturing costs it was nearly enough to stop the cash hemorrhage.
I have, or have had, iOS, WebOS and Android devices and I’m looking forward to seeing what SmartGlass and Windows 8 has to offer. I hope SmartGlass works as advertised because I’d much rather own a 360 and use whatever mobile OS I want with it as opposed to getting locked in to all iOS, all Windows or all Android devices.
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[Jeremy Garchow] ”
I’ve had the conversation with Tim Wilson before about roadmaps….Even if I was an all Windows shop, it would do nothing for me.”Sorry to keep the off-topic groove, but I don’t think I’ve been accurately represented.
The thing is, I don’t care about roadmaps. Not even a little. My feeling is that the manufacturer’s obligation to you ends when the warranty runs out. Don’t let iTunes hit you on the ass on your way out the door.
Not just Apple. Anyone. I pay ’em. They give me a product. Transaction complete, forever and ever, Amen.
My one and only point has been in response to people who say “nobody” offers roadmaps. The biggest software and hardware vendors in the world, who make products used by people at the COW every day DO release roadmaps.
The fact that it’s typical, even expected, from other major companies (and it is, and it is) means nothing. Apple’s not typical. They don’t do what’s expected. It’s not fair to expect them to change the behavior that has gotten them here.
I’m pretty sure that this’ll be the last time I talk abou it…unless I talk about it again. Not fair to expect me to change the behavior that’s gotten me here.
Tim Wilson
Associate Publisher, Editor-in-Chief
Creative COW Magazine
Twitter: timdoubleyou
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