Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions

[JorgeA]

...Microsoft's Surface 2 tablet launch on Tuesday saw "lukewarm" first-day sales, Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry said in a research note Wednesday. "The foot traffic at the Microsoft Store at Westfield Mall in San Francisco was extremely light," he said.

--JorgeA

Why am I not surprised?

It still looks cheap and plastiky.

To quote "The Firm" (Leonard McCoy's bit) "It's worse than that, it's dead Jim"

That was a cute video, how'd you find it?

BTW, I agree on the cheap look of Surface (any version). The kindergarten block tiles enhance that chintzy look.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

I had no idea it even came out? Didn't some Apple stuff come out this week? My twitter was full of reaction to those, not a peep about a Surface.

That says something. Not sure Microsoft would like to hear it, though.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Microsoft UK Shows Off 383-inch Surface Tablet in London ( Tom's Hardware 2013-10-24 )

Giant Surface 2 tablet in London took 13 days to make ( NeoWin 2013-10-24 )

Too easy.

( Original Photo Here )

If MSFT wants to kill and bury the Surface as quickly as possible, I can think of no better way than to splash its hideous Metro Tiles interface all over town. Maybe we can take up a collection to help them put up more of these in every large city.

Love the caption, BTW.

--JorgeA

[Formfiller]

I can't see it. One thing is sure, Microsoft needs a CEO who won't see the last 30 years of continuous improvement and overwhelming market share accumulation as some kind of "legacy" the company needs to throw off and discard...! That's el Nutso, in the extreme. It's just not gonna' happen.

Yes, it's insane. Were there any comparable deeds? A company flushing down their core products and come off unscattered? I can't find any examples.

That said, I applaud Paul Thurrott's coming out. Remember that the metrotards until very recently were still sure that the desktop isn't going away and that you just have to "deal with the start screen" and that's it. Thurrott and other insiders calling for the end of the desktop brings clarity into this debate.

Even many W8 fanboys still don't like metro at all, they just have found out way to skip it. Note how many of them them praise the reduced boot times or other such smallish W8 boons, and don't even mention metro (or tell straight up that they have installed Start8).

Edited October 25, 2013 by Formfiller

[jaclaz]

Just like there will always be folks who drink real coffee from Dunkin Donuts while MetroTards and sheeple sip their Starbucks decalf soy skinny vanilla latte with a spritz of whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles.

For the record, a large part of the world does drink good coffee (of course NOT in ether Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, but in real coffee shops/bars).

Not so much unrelated to the way economical results of companies are presented or commented and to be tagged as part of Mr. La Palisse Corner:

http://www.nber.org/papers/w19429

unfortunately the article is not free , unless you are from US Government or a journalist or live in a third world country (the political correct term is "developing country or transition economy").

The list of such countries - last updated in 1999 - includes (among many others):

• Andorra, Lichtenstein, Vatican City State, Gibraltar, San Marino <- among the countries with the higher income pro-capita
• Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela
• Iceland and Greenland
• All ex-URSS countries
• China
• India
• Singapore and Hong Kong
• Czech Republic, Slovenia, Romania
• Turkey

I guess that something has changed in the world economy and the good guys over there (which by trade do high level studies on world society and it's economy, National Bureau of Economic Research) didn't have any time in the last 14 years to change the pricing policy and/or update the list of "countries in need that may be exempted".

Basically if you are not one of the "elected", you'll have to fork from 5 bucks to have the pleasure to read the whole set of totally obvious considerations interesting article choking full of new findings, or use any proxy residing in one of the listed countries.

Still for Mr. La Palisse Corner, but this time really OFF TOPIC

http://www.nber.org/papers/w19521

jaclaz

[JorgeA]

Warning: Windows 8.1 kills SkyDrive's remote 'Fetch' feature

If you choose to save your files locally, rather than to the cloud, SkyDrive for Windows 8.1 strips out a feature, making it harder to snag files from afar in a pinch.

Actually, the entire SkyDrive desktop program is gone in Windows 8.1, no doubt due to the service's system-wide integration. Upgrading simply wiped the SkyDrive desktop app from our PCs. But even if you reinstall the discrete desktop software, Fetch will still be unavailable. From Microsoft's "Fetch" FAQ:

You can use a PC running Windows 8.1 to fetch files that are on another PC, but you can't fetch files that are on a PC running Windows 8.1, even if you install the SkyDrive desktop app on that PC.

In a word: Laaaaaaaaaaame.

Remember, Microsoft only offers 7GB of free cloud storage, even if you choose to save all your Windows 8.1 files and photos to the cloud, so it's still impractical to save your all great gigabytes in the Sky(Drive). SkyDrive's premium storage plans are reasonably priced as far as those things go, but they can still add up quick.

Sounds like another way to channel users into putting ever more of their personal stuff in the cloud -- and so to collect ever more fees for cloud services.

If you already have one Windows 8.1 computer -- this is a good reason to hang on to your pre-Win8.1 PCs for as long as they work.

The water in the pot (boiling frogs) just got a bit hotter.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

or use any proxy residing in one of the listed countries.

Just what I was thinking as I read what came before that...

BTW, in our home we do like Starbucks French Roast. Nothing fancified with foam or spices, though.

--JorgeA

Edited October 25, 2013 by JorgeA

[JorgeA]

I can't see it. One thing is sure, Microsoft needs a CEO who won't see the last 30 years of continuous improvement and overwhelming market share accumulation as some kind of "legacy" the company needs to throw off and discard...! That's el Nutso, in the extreme. It's just not gonna' happen.

Yes, it's insane. Were there any comparable deeds? A company flushing down their core products and come off unscattered? I can't find any examples.

This is what they're doing:

(source)

--JorgeA

Edited October 25, 2013 by JorgeA

[Formfiller]

Apple shows that it's not completely up the whazoo:

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-reduces-ios-7-animations-2013-10

My biggest beef with iOS 7 in those early days was the animated effects I saw whenever I opened a folder or new app. Those animations were noticeably slower than the ones in older versions of iOS, which made it feel like I was waiting an eternity to access my stuff. I was also bothered by Apple's "parallax" effect in iOS 7, which taps into the iPhone's built-in motion sensors and lets your background move with you as you twist the device in your hands. It was super distracting.

Many tech pundits, even some of the world's most passionate Apple fans, hated those animations.

But Apple fixed it. Sort of. In a new minor update to iOS 7 that launched this week, Apple gave users the option to switch off nearly all of the vomit-inducing animations. Before, you could only turn off the parallax effect. Now you can turn off the animations when opening up apps or folders.

When enabled, tapping a folder or app just flips the screen to your desired destination. No zooming. No swoops. No lag. You just get what you want. I think it's the best way to use iOS 7.

Now, that's a fix. NuMicrosoft would have slowed down the animations everyone complains about slightly, but added even more distracting animations in other places, which would be more annoying than the original issue. This update would be hyped by MS as "the fix you have all waited for" and released one year later in a several gigabyte-sized package that bricks an entire phone line.

Edited October 25, 2013 by Formfiller

[Formfiller]

High octane from windowsitpro.com (Thurrott's place). The author is not Thurrott though, and that's why there is less shilling and more truth:

http://windowsitpro.com/industry/new-world-order-microsofts-biggest-competition-it

On the surface, for Microsoft to do well and be successful at recovering business, they must learn to compete with companies like Google, Amazon, and Apple. Recent acquisitions, product updates, and company overhauls are all intended to get the old software company back on track. Reimagining Microsoft means shedding the software characteristic of yesteryear and anchoring a new image as a Devices and Services company. Microsoft wants to make devices and it wants to sell services. All of that is dependent on the Microsoft Cloud.

But, for this to actually work, Microsoft also has to alter how things have generally been done. Microsoft has a large speed bump on the way to glory that has to be eliminated before companies will move to the Cloud en masse. That speed bump is IT.

In Microsoft's Next Major Acquisition, I talked about how Microsoft has been looking for just the right moment over the past decade where they could literally supply complete IT services for every business out there. Technology has evolved, the Cloud has become ever-present, and Microsoft believes the time is right.

Since Microsoft announced it was "all in" with the Cloud, it has worked and toiled to get IT on its side about the Cloud, through conferences, webcasts, whitepapers, and other events and content. But, IT keeps fighting the Cloud. IT is stuck in the old ways of doing things.

Hmm…why do I keep thinking I'm somehow relating all of this to the Clone Wars, when the Empire hunted down and eliminated the Jedi?

For Microsoft to truly achieve its vision, and to be able to compete directly with Google, Amazon, Apple, and others, its largest competitor must be eliminated. In truth, Microsoft's largest competitor is IT. IT is keeping Microsoft from its vision of complete and total Cloud dominance, and of course, keeping it from revenue. IT still likes to work within the confines of the local network and casts a careful eye on data that passes outside of the corporate structure. On-premise solutions just don’t fit Microsoft's new model. Try as it might, Microsoft has not been able to make its Cloud message stick with IT. The messaging didn't work, so the message is no longer for IT. In the grand scheme, IT was supposed to be Microsoft's own Cloud migration army, doing the work for them until the army was no longer needed. However, migrating apps and services to the Cloud means job elimination for many and those smart enough to realize it are deliberately dragging their feet on the Cloud.

When a company looks to enter a market or sustain business there, one of the first things they look at is the competition. What will it take to compete? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the competition? What's the best way to take advantage of the weaknesses to gain dominance? Each competitor is different so a different plan would be required for each.

So, for IT, how would Microsoft go about eliminating this type of competitor? Hypothetically, if I were trying to do it covertly, I might do something like eliminate a valuable IT subscription service, which removes access to old and new products for learning and labs. I might also, suddenly and without much warning, kill a certification or two and promise to revamp the service in the future. Eventually, I would abolish a few of the more popular, larger conferences where IT Pros attend to gain knowledge and network with colleagues. The intent is not necessarily like Paul suggests in Does Microsoft Hate IT Pros? Instead, Microsoft may be attempting to dry up IT by eliminating learning opportunities, resources, and community – or, at least through making learning extremely hard to obtain. The harder it is to do a job, the easier it is to get frustrated and give up. Microsoft certainly doesn't hate IT, they just feel they are competing with IT for control over companies' Cloud dollars. The only thing standing in the way of Microsoft and success is IT. It's not emotional, it's just business.

This is not the end of this commentary. Truly it's just the beginning. In a few weeks I'll be able to add more. Check back.

Well, not exactly news, it's obvious for anyone that followed the drama so far. Microsoft is not only waging wars against users, they are waging wars against pretty much all IT-pros and Windows/Microsoft shops as well!

Any company that is offering Windows hosting, any company that offers IT services for MS products, any in-house IT technicians are on Microsoft's kill-list.

Edited October 25, 2013 by Formfiller

[JorgeA]

One more "feature" of SkyDrive on Windows 8.1, pointed out by a commenter on the PCWorld page I linked to before:

Warning: Skydrive on Windows 8.1 no longer works unless you long on (to your computer) using a Microsoft account. If you use a local account or domain... Skydrive won't work at all. No modern app, no desktop, ... nothing.

This is probably intended as a nudge toward getting a Microsoft account, but OTOH it also serves as another reason to steer clear of SkyDrive.

--JorgeA

[TELVM]

... There will always be trucks ( 18-wheelers ) doing the hard work with plenty of people to ready drive them, while sheeple and MetroTards poke along in their boxie little fuel-efficient clown cars. Just like there will always be folks who drink real coffee from Dunkin Donuts while MetroTards and sheeple sip their Starbucks decalf soy skinny vanilla latte with a spritz of whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles. The only way the PC will die is if it is murdered. Stop trying to murder it Paul and stop trying to convince readers to call for its murder ...

All this hogwash is mighty surreal and just too funny . Who'd have thought just five years ago that in 2013 AD we'd have to hear brayings as assinine as "the personal computer is dead"?

MS is a gazillion miles from remotely having the capacity to "murder" the PC. They can just kill themselves .

[bpalone]

Since Microsoft announced it was "all in" with the Cloud, it has worked and toiled to get IT on its side about the Cloud, through conferences, webcasts, whitepapers, and other events and content. But, IT keeps fighting the Cloud. IT is stuck in the old ways of doing things.

Rightfully so. A very large part of enterprise data, is very confidential. Who in their right mind would trust such information to anyone but themselves?

So, for IT, how would Microsoft go about eliminating this type of competitor? Hypothetically, if I were trying to do it covertly, I might do something like eliminate a valuable IT subscription service, which removes access to old and new products for learning and labs. I might also, suddenly and without much warning, kill a certification or two and promise to revamp the service in the future.

Does this sound something like, TechNet going away?

Good find formfiller.

bpalone

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Just like there will always be folks who drink real coffee from Dunkin Donuts while MetroTards and sheeple sip their Starbucks decalf soy skinny vanilla latte with a spritz of whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles.

For the record, a large part of the world does drink good coffee (of course NOT in ether Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, but in real coffee shops/bars).

BTW, in our home we do like Starbucks French Roast. Nothing fancified with foam or spices, though.

Yeah that line was pure ridicule aimed at the Starbucks hipsters only. I assumed it was common the world over. Mostly we brew our own also but it's those times on-the-go when you grab a quick cup "to go" and you have a Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks to choose from that is the stark contrast I meant. No matter what city I am in I get consistency at DD, but mystery cups from the other one. I have never really managed to get a great cup of coffee from Starbucks ( it could be that I just don't know how to order it, next time I'll just say a coffee like DD please! ).

Around here where the cities and towns are all technology industry rooted ( IBM mostly ) there is that classic white-collar blue-collar mix. The former are the employees at the IBM and vendor sites, doctor offices, etc, and the latter are the grunts that work to support the former. Dunkin Donuts is where the two meet every morning requiring the same kind of coffee, Starbucks is the watering hole for the remainder, people who would rather watch Friends instead of Cheers or Seinfeld. I should mention that we have a couple of school towns ( i.e., "uni" ) and the dynamic there is inverted 180 degrees though.

Anyway, I understand there are massive differences everywhere else. That's just a glimpse into this one place. For most folks coffee is morning fuel here and if you mess it up you're gonna hear about it. But I've seen the differences elsewhere. For example people from the east coast sometimes get a surprise out west when they order a regular coffee and get a black cup. Regular to us means cream and sugar aka a typical normal coffee but elsewhere it's a crap shoot, like Las Vegas. I've seen this a lot out there with New Yorkers asking for regular, desperately needing that wake-me-up to cure a hangover saying "WTF is this! Now I gotta add milk and sugar to drink this!".

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Samsung turns in another record-setting quarter with $9.56 billion in profit ( TechSpot 2013-10-25 )

I thought that Microsoft report yesterday didn't sound as good as it was hyped up to be. Let's compare two of the top ten companies gross/net for Q3 ...

Apple ........ $ 98.3 billion

Google ....... $ 93.2 billion

Coke ......... $ 79.2 billion

IBM .......... $ 78.8 billion

Microsoft .... $ 59.5 billion ... Q3: $18.53 / $5.24 billion

GE ........... $ 46.9 billion

McDonald's ... $ 41.9 billion

Samsung ...... $ 39.6 billion ... Q3: $55.59 / $9.56 billion

Intel ........ $ 37.2 billion

Toyota ....... $ 35.3 billion

Microsoft's $5 billion definitely looks out of place to me for company #5 in the top ten.

I think we can see why Microsoft has wildly overpriced everything from Windows to Xbox to Surface ( not to mention the corporate licensing and service raping ). They seem to take 28% of gross in profit, Samsung about 17%. Drop prices at all and they are simply screwed with respect to the prestigious top ten most valuable companies list. NOTE: If anyone has seen Google or Apple or IBM earnings please let me know and I'll chart them.

Windows 8.1 activation has been bypassed ( NeoWin 2013-10-26 )

~yawn~ Who really cares! I sure couldn't care less. The commenters though are in quandary, some condemning it others indifferent. But this thing was released for $39 or even $19 I think at first. It's only real future is as a loss leader but I doubt Microsoft has the stones to do this.

Ironically if it wasn't for pirating and monopolistic OEM preinstallation Windows would never have become entrenched in the first place. And today I suspect Microsoft only cares about piracy to the extent that they dream of monetizing it somehow.