Interesting Opinion Column on Microsoft's 2009 Successes

[Reid Kistler]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/10-things-Microsoft-did-right-in-2009/1261377163' target='_blank'>http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/a...2009/1261377163</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"The year 2009 was pretty good to Microsoft, even as the weak economy ravaged sales. Microsoft actually did a few things right. The <a href="http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/10-things-Microsoft-did-wrong-in-2009/1261424173" target="_blank">did-wrong list</a> will come later today.... For now, I present the list of 10 things Microsoft did right in 2009 -- in no order of importance. They're all important. Microsoft: 1. Flawlessly launched Windows 7...."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1261624062.usr19541.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p>Read the article to see whether you agree with Joe Wilcox on these 10 items or not. As a fan of Windows 7, I'm not surprised to see it at the head of the list. Bing also seems to make sense, and Silverlight and PCs with less bloatware are probably worthy of applause. However, I have mixed feelings about Security Essentials, although that is primarily a carryover of the "Microsoft is gobbling up all the small guys" mentality. And I cannot help but wonder about the Microsoft retail stores, in light of the difficulty other computer / technology stores have had: is two stores enough to really improve sales? If not, can even Microsoft afford to launch and maintain a nationwide chain?</p>

[Jason Dunn]

I think the list makes sense - Windows 7 is obviously a huge win for Microsoft; it's a great OS, and the sooner all those people clinging to XP let go and move to a modern OS, the world will be a better place. :)

As for Microsoft Security Essentials, I'm frankly so tired of the intrusive, bloated, and generally awful AV suites out there, I'm glad there's now some competition that will make Norton, McAfee, etc. be on their best behaviour. What I really want to see is HP, Dell, or someone else ship a computer with MSE on it instead of Norton or McAffee. Could you imagine it? A Windows computer that, when you're setting it up, didn't bombard you with "UPGRADE NOW!" messages?

[randalllewis]

I usually think of Joe Wilcox as a member of the curmudgeon group of tech columnists: his criticism flows too easily. Therefore I was surprised to see that he included Microsoft's advertising efforts as one the positives for 2009.

Microsoft's ad campaigns in 2009 were indeed a highlight- and a breath of fresh air from a company that hasn't paid enough attention to this part of its business. The three major campaigns- rookies, laptop hunters, and my idea- were all clever and well done. They weren't cutting edge or anything we haven't seen before. They were just cutting edge and an entirely new look for Microsoft.

Ad campaigns can have several purposes. I don't know if these campaigns moved product or changed perceptions. I would need to see sales and polling data to know that. I do know the campaigns torqued off Apple and its fan base. So in that purpose, they were indeed a success.

Here is hoping for more good marketing in 2010.

[Reid Kistler]

As for Microsoft Security Essentials, I'm frankly so tired of the intrusive, bloated, and generally awful AV suites out there, I'm glad there's now some competition that will make Norton, McAfee, etc. be on their best behaviour. What I really want to see is HP, Dell, or someone else ship a computer with MSE on it instead of Norton or McAffee. Could you imagine it? A Windows computer that, when you're setting it up, didn't bombard you with "UPGRADE NOW!" messages?

Will reserve judgment on MSE until seeing at least a few comparative reviews against other anti-malware products.

While I would agree with the idea that having a "built-in" suite is a nice concept, am also of the opinion that running multiple products - at least for On Demand Scanning - is preferable to relying upon a single app, so would hate to see all of the "independents" disappear, as has largely happened in some other areas where MS introduced "free" utilities / apps.

It also tends to be true that MS products are often the target of concentrated efforts to bypass their built-in security functions, simply due to their large user base. Of course, this same argument could be used against Norton or McAfee, but perhaps this only strengthens the argument for having multiple solutions available.

[Reid Kistler]

"Here is hoping for more good marketing in 2010."


Along with some more good products to base that marketing upon! ;)

[Jason Dunn]

...so would hate to see all of the "independents" disappear, as has largely happened in some other areas where MS introduced "free" utilities / apps.

Well, Windows Defender has been out for a couple of years now, and I still see a lot of anti-spyware programs on the market...so I doubt we'll see Norton or McAfee going under any time soon.

[doogald]

I think that it is waaaayyyy too early to say whether the retail stores were a good or a bad idea. They could very easily fizzle.