With $60B in cash, Microsoft is set to blow up its business

With $60B in cash, Microsoft is set to blow up its business

Don't be fooled. Microsoft's entrance into the tablet market shows nothing less than a willingness to overhaul its business model.

by Marty Wolf
July 1, 2012 7:00 AM PDT

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer introduces the Surface tablet in Los Angeles, Calif.
(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

Editors' note: This is a guest column. See Marty Wolf's bio below.

With the recent announcement of Microsoft's new Surface tablet, the decades-old network of partners that Microsoft and Intel built just got a formidable new asset-rich competitor: Microsoft.
Like all successful partner networks, Wintel thrived because all of the players -- the two principals, OEMs, the channel and other stakeholders -- benefited individually from the association while contributing to the growth of the network itself. The Wintel platform is still the dominant desktop and laptop computing architecture.
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Read more.. With $60B in cash, Microsoft is set to blow up its business | Microsoft - CNET News

Yes, I thought they would be throwing a huge amount of cash behind this.

There are a couple of ways they can shift win8 - it will not sell itself.

One is to practically give it away.

The other is to invest gigantically in the devices, the marketing, and lock customers in to MS online and other services.

The second strategy was most likely - as can be seen from the deliberate removal of the start menu to force the average user constantly to the start screen and it's aggressive thrusting of MS online apps. and services.

If they keep this up - MS will be killing the desktop/laptop market. It will not be the people choosing that - it will be MS killing it.

They are gambling they can push the unsuspecting onto tablets - and from there into the jaws of their online services.

Big gamble - not sure if they can do it.

If they get away with it, the result looks like the worst possible outcome for enthusiasts..

Deleted by Kat.

Wrong thread.

Sorry........

As I think if developers of the Apps will thorougly support MS that would be a massive market for them.

Hell of a time to be an oem .

One scenario might seem far fetched - but not impossible.

Some of the oem's could merge.

Sponsor a Linux group to get a Linux main o/s ( formerly called desktop o/s ) into shape for the mass market.

Use that instead of ( or possibly as well as ) windows.

They would need to move quickly - some of the linux distros are not ready for mass market - but not a million miles off.

If that happened - it would be the best outcome for the world.

The old saying:

Lead, Follow or get Out of the way.

MS has seen the future and are going for it. No matter what, it will be interesting. Hope they can pull it off.

Jim

I personally think Windows 8 will not flop but I have not felt any major uproar on the development of Metro apps. I really hope, they are looking into forums like this and listening to what people have to say than listen to themselves only and gamble on something that does not guarantee them a win, especially on many of the enthusiasts of the old Desktop/laptop platforms.

IMHO Anything, would be better than the add infested default Microsoft included Apps. I don't need the cloud and adds shoved in my face from the Music or Video app when I go to play media already on my PC. I tried them and that's what I got so back to good old media player for me.

I can see a lot of WTF moments when people get that new PC home and try to use Windows 8 for the first time. How many actually take it back or request to have Windows 7 installed is anybody's guess. I'm guessing half the people that should won't. They'll just tough it out and say why me. I suspect Microsoft will brag about tablet sales and be mum about complaints from desktop users. One thing is for sure, its going to be an interesting time when Windows 8 hits the shelves.

It dawned on me, Windows 8 on a tablet is the no compromise solution, the best of both worlds. What might be potentially impressive about the "new" Microsoft business model is that they can have the horizontal approach as they have had since forever, but can deliver a vertical approach at the same time for specific products. The Surface was probably intended more as a design template to show OEMs how to deliver a "no compromise" product with the best of both worlds. Literally no other company is in the position to do both vertical and horizontal approaches with a product. google can come close, but nowhere near the magnitude as Microsoft.

This could turn out to be an impressive achievement. But I doubt the OEMs are pooping in their pants about ONE single product. It just simply adds to the ecosystem. So far from what I've seen though from some OEMs and their prototypes, I will probably end up buying a Surface simply because of the stunningly elegant design and the practicality of it and the digital pen. I really hope my fantastic penmanship equates to fantastic penmanship on the Surface!

Microsoft Takes $6.2 Billion Hit On aQuantive Online Ad Woes

Microsoft is absorbing a $6.2 billion charge to reflect that one of the biggest deals in its 37-year history turned out to be a dud.

The non-cash charge announced Monday could saddle Microsoft Corp. with a loss for its fiscal fourth quarter ended in June. Analysts polled by FactSet had predicted Microsoft would earn about $5.3 billion for the period. The company hasn't suffered a quarterly loss during the past 20 years, according to its website.

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A Guy