How Microsoft can salvage Windows 8 before it's too late

This is a tough challenge, given that Windows 8 is only a few months away from release. There's not a lot that Microsoft can do in this time. However, given that the Redmond giant has already gone on the record to say that the UI that we see in the Windows 8 Release Preview is not what will be in the final release, it's safe to say that things are in a certain state of flux.

As I've said on numerous occasions, the biggest problem with Windows 8 is the way that the dumbed-down Metro UI has been unceremoniously bolted onto the mature and well-refined "Classic" user interface. While there's no doubt that the existing UI is flawed, bolting on a UI designed for touch devices is not the answer.

OK, you asked me to keep this concise, so here it is. Here's how I think Microsoft should tweak Windows 8 before it's released:

Read more at:
How Microsoft can salvage Windows 8 before it's too late | ZDNet

 

[legacy7955]

it is true also that Steve Balmer has said that Microsoft is going to "Out Apple Apple". Which is frankly just frightening. We're all Windows fans because Microsoft is NOT Apple. But if Microsft /becomes/ apple? Hell might as well just buy Apple. The surface is going to be more expensive than the iPad, so I guess they are out Appling Apple already!

Steve has really lost his mind, hasn't he?

The guy has become completely arrogant.

My biggest question is where is Bill Gates, and why hasn't he reined in the fool with the help of the BoD?

 

[rich4421972]

I think I am a "windows fan" because that is the easiest way to get my work done. I do browse through the Apple store all the time though. In essence, I am not a fan, at all. I live and work in society and take a modicum of responsibility for my actions and words.

I think that Steve Ballmer has always been kind of a loose cannon, but he eventually makes sense and will do the right thing here. Perhaps He wouldn't be at the top if he weren't a good businessman. I guess he just meant that The MS App store would provide an enhanced version of the Apple App store. That is just business. Shakespeare did this with literature and Ford did it with automobile parts. Bill Clinton reinvented the political party to which he was a member.

Ballmer's only a "fool" here because we (posters) can hide behind the safety and anonymity of this discussion thread. We all have handles like HawkWind, FnordMoDorker57 and BolderSquint787 (and etc) that , we think, keep us safe from the tiresome accountability of life.

LOL

 

[Coke Robot]

I hate to break the news, but Bill Gates first started the tablet PC wave a decade ago. He originally believed in touch computing, as you can find Windows 3 built for pen input. Heck, he even lead the most massive redesign of Windows back with 95! He's totally fine and accepts the Surface tablet. I'm a little bit surprised that he didn't even have an input with Windows 8 as it's something that he would had helped to orchestrate.

 

[Colonel Travis]

He wouldn't be at the top if he weren't a good businessman.

If that were the reason that everyone at the top were at the top, no one at the top would ever be fired. Who was better for Apple - John Sculley or Steve Jobs? Companies promote idiots 24/7.

Five CEOs Who Should Have Already Been Fired

Microsoft employees rate Steve Ballmer as worst CEO

 

[rich4421972]

If that were the reason that everyone at the top were at the top, no one at the top would ever be fired. Who was better for Apple - John Sculley or Steve Jobs? Companies promote idiots 24/7.

I have to admit I am not familiar with Sculley's being forced out of Apple. I know that Steve Jobs has had a religious following during his whole corporate career (even to his untimely death). I could find just as many quotations that stated that Sculley's methods were very astute while Jobs was the person who hurt Apple's business.

What it gets down to is a religious argument. That's why Ballmer is a "fool" and an "idiot" now without anyone ever having to cite any facts whatsoever.

Bill Gates is a philanthropist. He is no longer a technological savior and I don't think he is aiming for godhood either. Since I will cite no facts or data about the career of John Sculley, I will not form an opinion to share. And I will not attack him personally.

 

[bobkn]

He wouldn't be at the top if he weren't a good businessman.

If that were the reason that everyone at the top were at the top, no one at the top would ever be fired. Who was better for Apple - John Sculley or Steve Jobs? Companies promote idiots 24/7.

Five CEOs Who Should Have Already Been Fired

Microsoft employees rate Steve Ballmer as worst CEO

Ah, John Sculley.

In the text-to-speech software of the day on Macs, if you gave the application "John Sculley", it'd speak "Pepsi Salesman". I had the feeling that he wasn't universally admired at Apple.

 

[rich4421972]

As far as I know (and it's not much), Culley wanted to conduct business with an IBM-style marketing method. He increased Apple's net worth from 18 million to 8 billion (50%). He was once CEO of PepsiCo. He was forced out in 1993 because of his controversial business ideas that conflicted with Jobs' ideas.

 

[pparks1]

I am the one to be corrected!

I apologize and stand corrected. I do hope you liked my view on the Apple/Java situation, though.

Absolutely no problem, man.

 

[Colonel Travis]

He was forced out in 1993 because of his controversial business ideas that conflicted with Jobs' ideas.

No, Jobs left Apple in 1985. He didn't return as CEO until 1997. It's not a coincidence that the worst years of that company were when he was gone. Meanwhile, when he was gone, he revamped the entire movie industry with Pixar and created the backbone of OS X with Next. Forget contemporaries, there aren't many people like him in business, period. I'm no Apple fanboy, I prefer PCs when it comes to spending my money. I'm just saying the guy had a vision that few others have. Just like Gates had a vision for MS that no one else (so far) at MS has matched.

What it gets down to is a religious argument. That's why Ballmer is a "fool" and an "idiot" now without anyone ever having to cite any facts whatsoever.

The man has been in charge of MS for more than a decade. He has a track record, which is why Forbes called him the worst CEO in the country a few months ago.

I have no clue how 8 will do in the marketplace, but I cannot imagine it will match the success of 7. There was broad-based excitement before the release of 7. That's not happening with 8. Yes, there are lots of people looking forward to 8. I do not deny that. But you didn't see these kinds of stories on the eve of 7's release:

Acer halves PC sales estimates and cautions over Windows 8
Game Developers Bash Microsoft’s “Wrongheaded” Windows 8 Strategy
Microsoft's Got A Big Problem With Windows 8
Defining moment for software giant falls flat


Heck, just look at a bunch of threads in this very forum - SevenForums didn't have this sort of reaction. It was the total opposite. I hate knocking MS because I like Windows very much, but it is what it is.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Heck, just look at a bunch of threads in this very forum - SevenForums didn't have this sort of reaction. It was the total opposite. I hate knocking MS because I like Windows very much, but it is what it is.

The "unfinished" W7 Betas were excellent (apart from WMP12).
I started using W7 as my main OS, months before the RTM.

 

[rich4421972]

What can the average Windows 8 user do to influence the future of the Apple or Windows operating systems? Sure, Linux users can submit applications and contribute intellectually, but Windows users have a "Release Preview" edition that is pretty much set in stone as to the final product.

I've got to say, I feel a little trapped sometimes with all the "Good CEO/ bad business, bad CEO/great business" stuff.

Steve Ballmer is richer than I am and probably has a nice car and a really nice home. Sometimes when I'm soaking electronic parts in a factory, and he is waving his arms and kicking footballs across a stage on TV, I really start to wonder about my choices. I guess that is why I seem to be a fan-boy all the time. But I'm not.

 

[pparks1]

I have no clue how 8 will do in the marketplace, but I cannot imagine it will match the success of 7. There was broad-based excitement before the release of 7. That's not happening with 8. Yes, there are lots of people looking forward to 8. I do not deny that. But you didn't see these kinds of stories on the eve of 7's release:

]

Well, consider that Windows 7 was the successor to Windows Vista...which wasn't well received by many. Windows 8 is the successor to Windows 7 which worked extremely well for many people.

 

[Colonel Travis]

True, pparks1 - and I had written another paragraph about that and then cut it out because I thought I was blabbing on too much. Also, I don't want to sound like I'm jumping down rich's throat, I hope he doesn't take it that way.

If 8 ends up being another Vista, that will be 2 of 3 OS duds under Ballmer's full control. Although with 7, MS already had a huge chunk of it laid out in Vista. Everyone kept saying back then - this is what Vista should have been. When it comes to creating an OS out of whole cloth, Ballmer does not have the magic.

If 9 ends up being what 8 should have been, great, I'll buy it. But that sort of pattern will eventually end up hurting the company over the long run.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Obviously Balmer is on top because he knows something about business. I think Billy must trust him, otherwise, I think, he wouldn't be in the position. He may even not know what an OS is. I'm serious. He's nothing but the top manager making sure the right people for a job are in the correct place. That's all a manager is.

There is a corporate board that Ballmer has to answer to also. There are many "heads" deciding all this, so one cannot pin it on an individual, although Ballmer is ultimately responsible.

When it comes to his statement about iApple, I think he's just quoting Gates. I remember reading that Linda Gates kicked Billy under a dinner table once after he made a statement that he had more power than the president of the U.S. Is that ego or what?!! I think he doesn't like taking 2nd place to iPad, which I believe is what they're targeting with 8 and the Surface. I think they know that Enterprise is being taken care of with 7, which is probably the best damn OS to date.

I think it's best to believe that although Billy may be semi-retired, I'm pretty sure he keeps his eye on things. I believe that ultimately a M$ product doesn't get released unless Gates approves it. I can see him carrying several lappys with him as him and his wife do their many travels.

Also, they're getting into the app retail and hardware businesses during this transition, which are big steps.

 

[Mustang]

Simply put it's all about marketing, and the market aimed at is smarfones/tablets with an overlay of apps to sell. It's no way aimed primarily at the traditional desktop user.

As I've said before, why aren't all the improvements in the actual OS of Win8 being offered as SP2 for Win7?

The only way to get them is to buy Win8 upgrade, and that's paying for the development/marketing costs of Metro innovation ... or whatever it's called now.

Ask Sears, Cisco, GE and Walmart re Ballmer's abilities as a CEO. Seems he has a propensity to wreck companies while personally growing richer!

This is a related post from VF Daily here.

Analyzing one of American corporate history’s greatest mysteries—the lost decade of Microsoft—two-time George Polk Award winner (and V.F.’s newest contributing editor) Kurt Eichenwald traces the “astonishingly foolish management decisions” at the company that “could serve as a business-school case study on the pitfalls of success.”

The irony is traditional desktop users want Win8 to succeed, but in a format option specifically for desktop users. Give us that and Ballmer's suddenly a hero!

 

[Mike Lonewolf]

Why do I get the feeling that everyone in this thread doesn't trust Steve Ballmer, as if he's acting in the best interest of Apple Computers, and NOT Windows computers?

 

[FSeal]

Why do I get the feeling that everyone in this thread doesn't trust Steve Ballmer, as if he's acting in the best interest of Apple Computers, and NOT Windows computers?

He just has an insane case of Apple envy. Hopefully that'll pass with time

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Simply put it's all about marketing, and the market aimed at is smarfones/tablets with an overlay of apps to sell. It's no way aimed primarily at the traditional desktop user.

As I've said before, why aren't all the improvements in the actual OS of Win8 being offered as SP2 for Win7?

The only way to get them is to buy Win8 upgrade, and that's paying for the development/marketing costs of Metro innovation ... or whatever it's called now.

Ask Sears, Cisco, GE and Walmart re Ballmer's abilities as a CEO. Seems he has a propensity to wreck companies while personally growing richer!

This is a related post from VF Daily here.

Analyzing one of American corporate history’s greatest mysteries—the lost decade of Microsoft—two-time George Polk Award winner (and V.F.’s newest contributing editor) Kurt Eichenwald traces the “astonishingly foolish management decisions” at the company that “could serve as a business-school case study on the pitfalls of success.”

The irony is traditional desktop users want Win8 to succeed, but in a format option specifically for desktop users. Give us that and Ballmer's suddenly a hero!

I think this VF article, which has no author name tagged to it, and quoting this Kurt Eichenwald guy is absolutely ludicrous!

#1. Ballmer is not responsible for any corporation's downfall, since he was M$'s 30th employee, hired as a business manager, who worked up through the ranks. He made his money via stock options that Gates and Allen offered to all employees for incentive. A ploy which a lot of companies didn't offer. Gates and Allen made more millionaires than anyone on the planet. Drive around Redmond for a few hours and see the sights. Some sections make Beverly Hills look like a ghetto.

#2. To quote Wikipedia:

As CEO, Ballmer handled company finances, however Gates still retained control of the "technological vision". He served as President of Microsoft from July 1998 to February 2001, having previously served as Executive Vice President, Sales and Support since February 1992. Ballmer led Microsoft's development of the .NET Framework.

Steve Ballmer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Obviously Bill Gates is the one who calls the shots on software as I stated in my previous post.

#3. "Silent decade" my rear! Now since we know who calls the shots, It's Gates that presented all the software. I'll agree he made mistakes along the way as the article points out, but in that decade there was XP through 7.

#4. Although one can install 8 on a PC, it is not intended for a PC. 8 and the Surface are aimed to compete with the iPad, where M$ is lagging. I predict that the pad will be the most used device on the planet. It may even replace the smart phone via Bluetooth. M$ knows that Enterprise will ride out 7 or previous for the time being.

 

[Mustang]

Steve Ballmer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Obviously Bill Gates is the one who calls the shots on software as I stated in my previous post.

This is a direct quote from the Wikipedia link you provided:

In a May 2012 column in Forbes magazine, Adam Hartung described Ballmer as "the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company", saying he had "steered Microsoft out of some of the fastest growing and most lucrative tech markets (mobile music, handsets and tablets)".

This line of criticism is continued in depth by Kurt Eichenwald in July 2012.

I think this VF article, which has no author name tagged to it, and quoting this Kurt Eichenwald guy is absolutely ludicrous!

If you read my post again, the article is by VF Daily and Kurt Eichenwald is the new sub-editor of VF Daily.

Also it doesn't stop there. There are many other similar blogs and quotes re Ballmer. And I'm in agreeance with the attitudes expressed in those blogs.

 

[TerryE]

Let's not get carried away thinking all is perfect in Apple-land. How many new iPhones have come out just since Windows 7, and what percentage of Applue users feel the need to run out and be one of the first to get the newest model i-whatever?

An iPad owner told me last week that he likes his iPad but it's terrible for composing documents. A TV consumer reporter said that people buy iPads and then start spending more money downloading music and other online content because of the built-in links to iTunes and Amazon.

In the long run the success or failure of Windows 8 will be determined by consumers. Perhaps M$ hopes to make up in tablet sales what they'll likely miss in acceptance of Win8 by traditional PC users. Only time will tell.