![]() With the addition of the surprisingly good Kinect motion detector, the XBox is even a viable alternative for Generation Wii - especially those of us too old and unhip for Halo 3 and Red Dead Redemption. Meanwhile, XBox Live now boasts some 35 million members, making it Microsoft’s most successful exercise in social media. Despite the Red Ring of Death fiasco, which cost Microsoft more than $1 billion to repair, the XBox 360 continues to be the platform game developers most want to be on. It’s also the only Microsoft brand to ever to find a home in people’s living rooms. XBox Marks the Spotīesides the Microsoft Mouse, the XBox is the only hardware product to come out of Redmond and not suffer a swift demise. The Windows 95 debut was not only Microsoft’s greatest moment, it was also the first time a tech-oriented story dominated mainstream news. With the help of a $300 million marketing campaign - as well as Jay Leno and the Rolling Stones - Microsoft turned the launch of a new computer operating system into a cultural event, years before the late Steve Jobs turned geekiness into an art form. Remember when Microsoft owned the world? For a few brief shining moments in the middle of the Clinton era, it sure felt that way. If Ballmer follows them out the door ( as some have been urging), there’s almost no one left to take the reins - and no vision for the future.ħ High-Profile Executives Who Left Microsoft Gonna Party Like it’s Windows 95 Over the past year, top lieutenants Robbie Bach, Steven Elop, J Allard and many others departed for greener pastures, a safe distance from their furniture-hurling CEO. Gates is long gone, and his handpicked successor, Ray Ozzie, high-tailed it a year ago (presumably due to conflicts with Ballmer, though he’s not talking). Unlike Apple, which boasts a phalanx of top-level executives trained to Think Different (as long as it’s not different than Steve), Microsoft has no bench strength to call on when Steve Ballmer finally hangs up his sweaty blue button down. ![]() A succession of failures, a failure of succession In short, Microsoft was every bit the monopolistic bully Judge Jackson proclaimed it to be. Star witness Bill Gates proved stubbornly uncooperative, failing to remember almost anything that happened during his tenure as CEO. ![]() Its actions at trial were deemed “ inaccurate, misleading, evasive, and transparently false” by Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson. But Microsoft’s reputation was permanently damaged. As an effort to release Microsof’s stranglehold on the PC market, the suits failed miserably. Whether accused of predatory marketing or using its desktop monopoly to “crush” competitors, Microsoft found itself in the cross-hairs of both the US Department of Justice and the European Union. We like to think that Clippy, the true OG virtual assistant, was just a bit ahead of its time.For 21 years Microsoft battled the government over anti-trust allegations. ![]() You may think Clippy was too persistent, too eager, perhaps even too polite. “Whether you love or loathe Clippy, it’s hard to not smile - just admit it - when you see it pop up in a meme somewhere. “Because a little trip down memory lane can be good for the soul, and because after well over a year of remote and hybrid work we could all use some excitement on video call, we asked our designers a few memorable Microsoft moments their debut as Teams (opens in new tab) backgrounds,” wrote Microsoft. Last week, the company published a new set of backgrounds (opens in new tab) for Microsoft Teams that pay homage to a number of fan-favorite products and features, Clippy included. This isn’t the first time Microsoft has attempted to play on the nostalgia of its users. With more than a decade having passed since the demise of Clippy, it appears long-time Office users are now able to look back on the virtual assistant fondly, through rose-tinted goggles. In promo materials, Microsoft claimed its new versions of Office were so simple to use they put Clippy out of a job. In light of criticism from users, Clippy was turned off by default in 2001 and eventually removed completely in Office 2007 for Windows and Office 2008 for Mac.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |