Comments on: welcome to the creative age, microsoft

By: Robert Scoble

Robert Scoble — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 04:43:34 +0000

Gates has one of the most expensive movie theaters in his home, so I bet he’s watched a few movies.
In a recent interview Bill said that his kids liked watching “Finding Nemo” on their Portable Media Centers. So, I think he’s at least aware of the Pixar offerings.

By: jbelkin

jbelkin — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 04:35:33 +0000

Part of the problem is when Bill Gates is talking about the Media Center PC — you get the sense he’s NEVER actually watched a TV show himself let alone thought, I should tape this.
Has anyone ever asked him, what is your favorite Tv show? And I’ll be stunned if he doesn’t name a newsmagazine or just something airing on MSNBC … name a movie, Bill — any movie?
Or a song — what was the last CD you listened to Bill?
To him and Steve Ballmer, they’re all just DRM containers — kind of like looking at a Ferrai and saying, oh, tires.
At least with Steve Jobs, we know he listens to music and has watched at least watch 5 movies (Pixar movies) so he is starting from a different place.
So unless MS actually decides to partake in pop entertainment, they are looking at the tires when we’re oogling the Ferrari.

By: alan herrell - the head lemur

alan herrell - the head lemur — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 04:27:37 +0000

Christ on a Crutch! The last thing the universe needs is Microsoft getting playful!!
Remember Clippy? Remember BOB? Remember Windows ME?
Everytime Microsoft steps into the gentler kinder warm fuzzy world, they produce shit.
When they build a browser which should just render HTML, they tried a case of the cutes with Active X, the bastard control from hell(yes let me bend over the keyboard and let you pound broken glass up my asshole)
Oh No Wait! how about SMART TAGS!!! Word Macros weren’t enough, lets give everybody the ability to scrawl graffitti all over everyones websites!
The good news is even though Microsoft is losing market share in the browser, network and OS markets, the employment opportunities are vast for all us folks who can use FDISK and FORMAT..
Cute is the last thing the world needs from Microsoft.
Remember Service Pack=Electronic Suppository

By: /pd

/pd — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 21:49:47 +0000

hugh, I hope to find a couple of your cartoons in the redbook. I commented “I second Hugh’s call-in !! Its will be fun to see Blog cards thrown onto some books pages… !!”

By: Frank Ruscica

Frank Ruscica — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 21:41:54 +0000

Well, MSFT may soon develop a sitcom, call it Windows of Opportunity, that will be an incumbent’s variation on my would-be disruptive ‘startup comedy’, Land of OpportuniTV…
Details coming online at OpportuniTV.com…
For us, the best case outcome of producing ‘Land’ will be having marketing function as a profit center, a la The Apprentice — which will make our startup REALLY disruptive…
As such, ‘Land’ is designed to grow into a hierarchy of integrated, participatory shows for which the navigational metaphor is the org chart (org graph, really, a la W.L. Gore)…
We’ll see…
The summary point being: in response to unfolding market dynamics, MSFT may get much more playful soon…

By: Bill Seitz

Bill Seitz — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 21:23:37 +0000

Hmm, I wonder whether Microsoft needs to split into separate companies to server home vs biz uses? (Not different customers, it’s the same person buying different things for different purposes.)
I’m not sure you want your backup software to communicate playfully.… (which doesn’t mean it has to be boring and dead, but it does need maybe a different personality).
Hmm, a different kind of Branding?

By: hugh macleod

hugh macleod — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 19:35:47 +0000

Microsoft is already playful internally… it’s the external that’s the issue.
The question is, how to better express the internal.

By: Foobar

Foobar — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 19:15:07 +0000

I have a feeling anything “playful” Microsoft will do will feel like it’s been forced and out of place. Apple seems to be more naturally playful, but if Microsoft suddenly changes to be playful it will feel kind of strange. Steve Jobs is playful … Bill Gates is not.
Anyway; Apples primary market seems to be the average wealthy consumer, while Microsoft seems more business like.