“Let me preface by saying that Microsoft is not about to stop making gobs of money. It’s just that there is virtually nothing interesting or exciting happening (with the lone exception of the X-Box360) with anything the company is doing,” John C. Dvorak writes for MarketWatch. “To make matters worse none of the upcoming upgrades to the operating system or Microsoft Office appear to have any ‘must-have” qualities needed to boost sales in a meaningful way. Compare what is going on at Microsoft to Apple. And now Apple is piling on with new TV commercials ridiculing all the viruses and security issues you buy when you buy a Windows-based PC. Microsoft advertising ironically highlights dinosaurs.”
Dvorak lists Eight Signs that Microsoft is Dead in the Water:
1. Vista OS
2. Office 2007
3. MSN
4. MSN search engine
5. Xbox360
6. Pad-based computing
7. Dot Net initiative
8. Preoccupation with Google
Dvorak writes, “This only scratches the surface of the Microsoft malaise. Now if the investment community sees light at the end of this tunnel good for them. I sure don’t see it.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: While agreeing with Dvorak is painful, in this case, we do share the same opinion.
[UPDATE: 3:54pm EDT: Added take.]
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where’s the MDN take?
…because they believe that if you can’t say something mean, don’t say anything at all…
I just had to write this article.
Microsoft dead? Have they ever been alive?
9. Origami
I wish Dvorak would decide to either make sense or not. It seems he writes about Apple when he’s off his meds and writes about MS when gets back on them.
Does Dvorak think the entire computer industry is ust going to die? Apple is dying, Microsoft is dying. So there will be nothing new to computers ever again? He doesn’t even propose a replacement, he just says they are both useless. I guess he thinks google and yahoo are going to change everything? Google changes a lot but something will be done about desktop OSes and someone has to do it. Taken together dvorak’s predictions make no sense, so I have to conclude that none of them is true at all.
MDN’s take would just be a mirror of what Dvorak said, no need for repetition
Just was reading more comments on the minimicrosoft blog– wow. Though Dvorak comes across as a schmuck most of the time, he doesn’t seem to be far off here.
Interesting time to see Apple so strong. Microsoft is a HUGE company, but it’s existing only on past glories (business, not technical). Apple is going to continue to make headway. Good times. Good times.
Now that the tech market has matured some,M$’s craptastic approach isn’t having the same sway it once did.
Oh, and just because it’s become a popular new word on this site:
asshat.
10. Gates and Ballmer
Even though he is stating the obvious to the Macintosh community, for Dvorak to say this about Microsoft is HUGE.
Look out. This FUD from M’soft themselves designed to misdirect and create false sense of victory for Apple. Anyone who believes there will be anything more than a tiny reallocation (as in less than 1% or so) of market share is on something. Oh, I almost forgot, this is the Mac community where you can’t get in if you are not on something.
IMO, computers and OS’s are a long way from dead. In one form or another, the computer will be around longer than I.
This is ridicurous
You don’t know the history . . . .
11. Apple kicking their collective asses
asshat
It’s great to see Microsoft still forging on with those dino commercials. The irony is so amusing. Carry on T-Monkey Boy. Your mesozoic age is coming to a close.
This is it. A Micro$oft shutdown. Go Stevie go. Release Leopard tomorrow, announce Lion set for January. Lay on larger stores of aluminum. Raise prices. Go for the kill. Bury Windows. Mac OS forever. Long live King Apple.
Bullshit.
Does this mean the stupid switch to Intel will be halted? Can we just relax now?
WOW! Just a little over 10 minutes ago, my med’s had worn off. I took ’em as soon as I realized that I’d missed a dose and now they’re kicking in again. Whew! I don’t know WHAT the hell I was thinking above . . . there’s NO WAY IN HELL that Apple isn’t going to grab at least 5% more market share over the next couple of years.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm . . . my med’s is goooooooodddddddddd . . .
Hey, why didn’t I get any thanx for sending this one over to MDN?
‘Cuz, Peter, you’re an . . .
ASSHAT! ASSHAT! ASSHAT! ASSHAT! ASSHAT! ASSHAT! ASSHAT! ASSHAT! ASSHAT! ASSHAT! ASSHAT! ASSHAT!
Die Microsoft, Die!!!
http://getkickedoffaplanewearingthis.blogspot.com
Like me!
I understand that the next version of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 will swap out aircraft for various colors and sizes of pterodactyl. Innovation can also mean going back in time.