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First the Uncool Ipod and Now This

The Uncool MySpace. Great, another project that takes Microsoft away from its moneymaker.

Mike, who writes from Finland and adds the caveat that he’s not a Mac zealot, is tired of Microsoft coming up with ideas for entry into new markets and not following through on them:

"Microsoft would probably not like to hear it but they have a lot to learn from Apple. There's an interesting piece in last week's BusinessWeek (possibly this week -- I get it fast via Zinio) with several pages on Apple's chief designer and how they work together on production with Asian companies who are happy to accept lower margins to work at the technical edge. Compare this with Microsoft's ultra-portable. A good idea but where they raised expectations by pricing it between $500 and $1,000 and where they handed it over to third parties and where the first company to make it brought out a model at $1,200. In other words, whereas Apple has good ideas and follows through, Microsoft has good ideas, throws them to someone else and then moves on to another good idea. Now they're on an iPod beater. What they should be doing is trying to get their ultraportable right. Instead there'll be another failed attempt at an MP3/WMA/etc. player."

Have anything to add about Microsoft stretching itself far and wide? Let me know here or at [email protected].

Posted by Lee Pender on September 26, 2006


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