I'm so sick of reading articles like this. Microsoft, always annoyed at any company that does something better than they can (read: something that they're not the leader in in dollar terms), has decided to put a huge effort into unseating Google as the top Internet search engine.
The crux of the above article centers around whether Microsoft should buy the technology or build their own.
Here's some of the marketing-blather:
"The decision to build or buy came down to our ability to innovate," said Kirk Koenigsbauer, strategy manager at Microsoft's MSN Internet portal.
"Our ability to innovate is predicated on our ability to own the platform," he added, a clear sign that Microsoft thinks it can only beat Google if it owns the technology.
Note the I-Will-Do-As-Simon-Says usage of the term 'innovate'. It's in nearly every communication that comes out of these people. I'm still waiting for their first 'innovation'.
Can't they just spend a little time coming up with a fricken' robust and secure operating system?
(First posted on Mark Is Cranky)
Article comments
1 - TDavid
Microsoft has had few innovations, but they are masters of the OEM license market. They know how to get their stuff in everything that ships for home, small business and large business users and that is where their fortunes are held.
M$ often waits too long to get into a market (XBox) and/or overly bloat their competing products with features that most folks won't use (Word) or are rushed to market and contain numerous security holes (Outlook).
2 - Craig Lyndall
I am not sure how they will do it, but I am assuming that MS will be able to leverage their browser marketshare into a victory over google. There is no reason to bet against them. You can say they will use less than honorable tacticts (to be nice), but they rarely lose.
It will be interesting to see what they come up with. Until then, I will watch the referrers list on my blog to see if MSN gains ground on Google.
3 - Craig Lyndall
Also, isn't the word innovation actually perfect? Doesn't that indicate they are never creating anything from scratch merely copying and improving? I always thought the word innovation assumed some derivative creation of something before you could innovate.
4 - Christian Hauschild
I recently watched a program about the recent virii in which the director of Microsoft Denmark made a very poor excuse for the many security flaws in most M$ apps. "An operating system is a very complex structure with incredible depths of programming. We provide simple-to-use applications at reasonable prices and incorporate security at the highest level possible." I laughed..then I cried when the other guests and the interviewer ate it raw and nodded. I think the main problem with security and M$ is the general public's understanding or lack of, for these things. They just accept it as it is, because they don't know better. I makes me sad.
5 - TDavid
Craig - in the case of M$ they have purchased many of their perceived "innovations" (like DOS for example). I don't think that buying something successful qualifies for the purchaser at any level as being innovative.
Microsoft has been innovative in some aspects of their market and M$ bashers can never take that away. Personally, I like what they are doing in the tablet PC market right now.
6 - Mark Saleski
true. most people think of the modern definition:
To begin or introduce (something new) for or as if for the first time.
but if you go back to the roots you do get into descriptions of "changing" or "altering".
7 - Christian Hauschild
And then back to the google issue. (I got carried away and forgot)If things go the Microsoft way, they will buy google, make it look like MSN, tweak the code to show their own pages first and finally start charging for it.
8 - Craig Lyndall
Another thing I want to bring up quickly, because I actually read it and I noticed you referenced it, is "Your Marketing Sucks."
Has anyone else read this book? I will do a review at some point, but it is an overly repetitive common sensical guide to marketing properly. It has some good anecdotes, but most of them end up with the writer (the owner of a NYC marketing firm) looking cool, or like a hero. It is like a 223 page infomercial. The only thing I was missing was the "Call now and I will send you a free gift!"
Anyway, I see it show up as an amazon link a lot and was just curious.
9 - Mark Saleski
i happened to see the book on the new releases table at a bookstore...i told Eric about it and it just kinda spread.
i've never read...just like the title, as it applies to oh so many situations.
10 - WAR%3B
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