Who Here Actually Likes Microsoft?

[averyblund]

I like their HW, the 360 is a nice console and their keyboard and mice are top notch. What I don't like about them is that they seem to have never had an original idea pass through their minds. Nearly every product they make is essentially a rebranded version of a competitors product. Some turn out better than their opponent (Netscape vs IE cir. 2001). Some turn out significantly worse (Songsmith vs. Garage Band). I think MS has many talented people who are held back by a general lack of vision. The fact that MS has not only not been able to kill Google, but is losing more and more ground speaks to a need for updated corporate culture. They have the best and brightest yet it seems that often they provide an inferior product. That is a sign of mismanagement. I think Steve Balmer is the worst thing to ever happen to the company.

That being said as a commodity supplier MS does really well. If you want a console that does what the other guys does at half the price MS is the way to go. They have managed to produce a system that rivals their main opponent (Sony) a year before and with a design that can scale in cost quickly. We are seeing the effect of that foresight right now.