I spent the evening with the folks who are writing LiveSide, a blog about Windows Live. These guys aren't Microsoft employees. They just thought it'd be interesting to do a blog about Windows Live. They invited me to a dinner and also invited a bunch of people from the various Windows Live teams (there's a ton of them now).
When I got home I checked my feeds about Microsoft and I see that Dave Winer said something about us. He says that Microsoft is falling behind Google and Apple and that we better get our s**t together soon.
True.
But we're fortunate because people like Chris, Harrison, Kip, who like what we're doing enough to build great community sites.
I agree with Dave, though. It's put up or shut up time.
One thing in response to Dave: I am working very hard to make friends among bloggers. My phone number is on my blog. You know how to find me if you need something.
Scobleizer 
Hey Robert,
Sorry I wasn’t able to make it for the dinner at Twist last night, but my flight was at noon that day. Unfortunately I didn’t know about this event until I already had my flight booked for the MSN/WL Butterfly Tour this year [which was held right before MSN SAS]. Hopefully next year I’ll get to say hi.
@Matthew
LikeLike
Hey Robert,
Sorry I wasn’t able to make it for the dinner at Twist last night, but my flight was at noon that day. Unfortunately I didn’t know about this event until I already had my flight booked for the MSN/WL Butterfly Tour this year [which was held right before MSN SAS]. Hopefully next year I’ll get to say hi.
@Matthew
LikeLike
Robert,
I can see (feel) a sea change occuring at Microsoft. People are not paying attention. I think the real action begins next year and then explodes in 2008. In 2007 Vista ships – in 2008 Windows Mobile hits its major release. The context of the web is “client – server” Microsoft does that better than anyone. As for Google’s threat – just contain them at 50% market share – that will blunt earnings. Google currently only has one string to their bow – ad revenue, all the other stuff is just a distration. Their CapX is growing astronomically, it will consume them.
Everybody talks about the web as the platform – I agree, one detail – that platform is client server – and the next level arrives with Mobile, which finally breaks down the walled gardens controlled by the carriers.
I’m betting the MS is going to be the big winner here.
All the best,
Peter
LikeLike
Robert,
I can see (feel) a sea change occuring at Microsoft. People are not paying attention. I think the real action begins next year and then explodes in 2008. In 2007 Vista ships – in 2008 Windows Mobile hits its major release. The context of the web is “client – server” Microsoft does that better than anyone. As for Google’s threat – just contain them at 50% market share – that will blunt earnings. Google currently only has one string to their bow – ad revenue, all the other stuff is just a distration. Their CapX is growing astronomically, it will consume them.
Everybody talks about the web as the platform – I agree, one detail – that platform is client server – and the next level arrives with Mobile, which finally breaks down the walled gardens controlled by the carriers.
I’m betting the MS is going to be the big winner here.
All the best,
Peter
LikeLike
Peter, I hope you are right about that sea change. I think Microsoft’s biggest problem is their product. Most people still do not understand software as a product. When people think PC they think Dell, or HP, or Compaq, or Gateway. They don’t think Microsoft. Its almost like MS is a non product. But when you talk about the 360, its a different thing. Microsoft’s best bet is to figure what software aps are better done with them as the hardware manufacturer and what should be left to OEM’s. Considering the track record of media players, and other great products that haven’t been marketed by manufacturing partners, maybe MS should weigh in on those areas. I notice its near impossible to find a Media Center Extender now. Linksys(Cisco) and Hp originally manufactured them. Where are they now? What happened to the LG Media Center DVR/DVD? MS keeps coming up with great ideas and letting hardware manufacturer’s drop the ball. If the OEM’s can’t keep up and push the product, well maybe MS should. The only “failure” of a ms hardware product was the wireless routers and network cards. As an owner of both, and having to deal with Linksys products, I miss the MS brand items. Man, they were great and you could not give me enough money in the world to sell my wireless router. The keyboards are awesome too. MS is #1 when it comes to input devices with logitech coming in second. So why is it that MS is not capitalizing on their success. And why is it a two-trick, maybe three trick, pony (i.e. Apple)beating it in the horse race? How is that Google has lost its mind and now wants to be a web platform? As far as web 2.0. That’s just another cycle in technology. There is only x amount of bandwidth available to individuals, which is a subdivision of total bandwidth. Until we have fiber optics in every home web 2.0 is a nice dream. I believe that the main concern with MS should be consumer education as a marketing pitch. How many people don’t realize about windows movie maker and then spend 40 to 60 dollars for software to do the same thing? Also, think about the last two marketing campaigns by MS and Apple. Which one was cool, and which one was “huh?” Scoble, you need to take some of those marketing guys and throw ’em with a few MS geeks and let us show them why MS is an awesome product/brand.
LikeLike
Peter, I hope you are right about that sea change. I think Microsoft’s biggest problem is their product. Most people still do not understand software as a product. When people think PC they think Dell, or HP, or Compaq, or Gateway. They don’t think Microsoft. Its almost like MS is a non product. But when you talk about the 360, its a different thing. Microsoft’s best bet is to figure what software aps are better done with them as the hardware manufacturer and what should be left to OEM’s. Considering the track record of media players, and other great products that haven’t been marketed by manufacturing partners, maybe MS should weigh in on those areas. I notice its near impossible to find a Media Center Extender now. Linksys(Cisco) and Hp originally manufactured them. Where are they now? What happened to the LG Media Center DVR/DVD? MS keeps coming up with great ideas and letting hardware manufacturer’s drop the ball. If the OEM’s can’t keep up and push the product, well maybe MS should. The only “failure” of a ms hardware product was the wireless routers and network cards. As an owner of both, and having to deal with Linksys products, I miss the MS brand items. Man, they were great and you could not give me enough money in the world to sell my wireless router. The keyboards are awesome too. MS is #1 when it comes to input devices with logitech coming in second. So why is it that MS is not capitalizing on their success. And why is it a two-trick, maybe three trick, pony (i.e. Apple)beating it in the horse race? How is that Google has lost its mind and now wants to be a web platform? As far as web 2.0. That’s just another cycle in technology. There is only x amount of bandwidth available to individuals, which is a subdivision of total bandwidth. Until we have fiber optics in every home web 2.0 is a nice dream. I believe that the main concern with MS should be consumer education as a marketing pitch. How many people don’t realize about windows movie maker and then spend 40 to 60 dollars for software to do the same thing? Also, think about the last two marketing campaigns by MS and Apple. Which one was cool, and which one was “huh?” Scoble, you need to take some of those marketing guys and throw ’em with a few MS geeks and let us show them why MS is an awesome product/brand.
LikeLike
I’m curious Robert, does that phone number ring a lot? Do you ever (or often) get any strange, rude, obnoxious calls? Considering how fanatical some of the comments I see here are and how popular your blog is I’d think it would ring off the hook.
LikeLike
I’m curious Robert, does that phone number ring a lot? Do you ever (or often) get any strange, rude, obnoxious calls? Considering how fanatical some of the comments I see here are and how popular your blog is I’d think it would ring off the hook.
LikeLike
I think Dave is right, MS does need to get their s**t together.
The problem runs deep. MS used to be an exciting company, really genuinely exciting. Now it just proliferates an image of excitement. The exciting things are happening elsewhere.
That’s the turnaround MS needs to think about.
Remember the days when the desktop wasn’t standardized? Remember when there was no such thing as smart consumer branding in the software industry? Remember when nobody had the mass-market vision? MS changed all of that single-handedly. Talk about “geeks meeting the marketing challenge”. MS invented it, and changed the world. Now it’s just keeping the engine running.
Turning that around is a hard nut to crack.
LikeLike
I think Dave is right, MS does need to get their s**t together.
The problem runs deep. MS used to be an exciting company, really genuinely exciting. Now it just proliferates an image of excitement. The exciting things are happening elsewhere.
That’s the turnaround MS needs to think about.
Remember the days when the desktop wasn’t standardized? Remember when there was no such thing as smart consumer branding in the software industry? Remember when nobody had the mass-market vision? MS changed all of that single-handedly. Talk about “geeks meeting the marketing challenge”. MS invented it, and changed the world. Now it’s just keeping the engine running.
Turning that around is a hard nut to crack.
LikeLike
RL: good points. The Xbox 360 has Media Center extender capabilities built in.
Street: I don’t get many calls. Thankfully. If I can’t answer, I just let it go into voice mail. Email is a better way to get me for most things. But getting a good phone call is nice, too.
Gary: there still is some excitement happening here. Xbox 360 isn’t exactly boring. Either is HD-DVD.
But, you’re right.
LikeLike
RL: good points. The Xbox 360 has Media Center extender capabilities built in.
Street: I don’t get many calls. Thankfully. If I can’t answer, I just let it go into voice mail. Email is a better way to get me for most things. But getting a good phone call is nice, too.
Gary: there still is some excitement happening here. Xbox 360 isn’t exactly boring. Either is HD-DVD.
But, you’re right.
LikeLike
So, wait. Microsoft has fallen behind Apple and Google, but that’s ok because we’re friends with lots of bloggers? *cough* *cough*
LikeLike
So, wait. Microsoft has fallen behind Apple and Google, but that’s ok because we’re friends with lots of bloggers? *cough* *cough*
LikeLike
James: never said that. We’re fighting to come back and one way to do that is to stay friendly with bloggers, yes.
LikeLike
James: never said that. We’re fighting to come back and one way to do that is to stay friendly with bloggers, yes.
LikeLike
Didn’t someone say that only the paranoid survive?
LikeLike
Didn’t someone say that only the paranoid survive?
LikeLike