>Yeah, this is a bit like Microsoft announcing they're going to make a "killer lifestyle gadget"
What, you don't think the Zune was killer? /s
>They have the resources to succeed, it's just that it's baked into the company DNA not to focus on the things they need to excel in that market.
No, not really. I don't think it's even possible for a "lifestyle gadget" to succeed as long as it has the "Microsoft" name on it, even if Apple secretly designed it for them and MS seriously committed to it.
With the Zune, MS really was focused on making it succeed, and it still failed miserably. As a company, they just don't "get it" (they don't understand what it'd take to succeed in that market), plus their brand is a big negative in that market. IIRC, the Zune didn't even have MS's name or logo on it anywhere, so they even understood that much, but it still wasn't enough.
I think MS trying to make trendy consumer devices is a lot like Jeep trying to make sporty electric cars. It just won't work; the company doesn't understand the market and the consumers won't take the company seriously.
To be fair, the Zune was Steve Ballmers baby, I'm convinced Satya Nadella (I thought it was a woman for the first year or so) would make a better product in that regard.
What, you don't think the Zune was killer? /s
>They have the resources to succeed, it's just that it's baked into the company DNA not to focus on the things they need to excel in that market.
No, not really. I don't think it's even possible for a "lifestyle gadget" to succeed as long as it has the "Microsoft" name on it, even if Apple secretly designed it for them and MS seriously committed to it.
With the Zune, MS really was focused on making it succeed, and it still failed miserably. As a company, they just don't "get it" (they don't understand what it'd take to succeed in that market), plus their brand is a big negative in that market. IIRC, the Zune didn't even have MS's name or logo on it anywhere, so they even understood that much, but it still wasn't enough.
I think MS trying to make trendy consumer devices is a lot like Jeep trying to make sporty electric cars. It just won't work; the company doesn't understand the market and the consumers won't take the company seriously.