Windows Vista unreadiness revealed
July, 26, 2007
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2.....a_drivers/

‘Turner joined other senior executives at Microsoft’s annual financial analyst summit to paint a future of Windows running on multiple devices and even inside table tops, with the recently unveiled surface computing - which runs on Windows Vista…

Getting a first-hand taste of what’s coming down the road from Microsoft, chairman Bill Gates was forced to ad lib during his conference demo, as the surface computing setup failed to work on the first attempt. “It’s turned on… maybe we’ll come back to that. It’s more exciting when it does something - which right now it’s not,” Gates said to a ripple of analyst laugher.’

Microsoft Meeting: Will Another Demo End Up On YouTube?
July, 26, 2007
http://www.cnbc.com/id/19980908

‘You’d think after a year, and so many YouTube views, that any new product demo this time around would be bullet-proof, particularly one involving Bill Gates himself. But this morning we got a kind of digital deja vu dispatch from senior executive at an investment firm who says this year’s tech demo was equally disastrous. Says our source who was on hand for this: “Gates’ first demo on that ‘table’ Surface display (the one Microsoft made a big deal about) didn’t work.” (Remember this product, unveiled earlier this year? The coffee-table sized computer that, um, acts as a coffee table?) “Supposed to be a ‘touch screen’ control but Gates touched it and tried to move things on the screen; nothing moved, it was frozen.” Gates’ quote, according to our tipster: “It’s a lot more fun when they work.” He added: “Gates looked kinda embarrassed, but he’s still talking and things going fine now.”

“He later got it fixed,” our tipster writes, “but it took two tech guys 7 to 8 minutes to fix it.”

It gets worse. The same analyst says the crowd can’t connect into Microsoft’s own network to view slides on their laptops during the executive presentations: “IT guys running around like crazy here trying to get things fixed…”
‘

The truth about Microsoft.

Mostly for my own use, I maintain a little web page that lists all the HD video offerings on Xbox Live Marketplace:

http://kplusb.org/xbox-360-hd-title.htm

‘Six years of “neo-conservative” policies…’

True, but on another note its funny how I could apply this as a metaphor for US strategy, or lack of, in Iraq (now read it again). The bottom-line is that in both situations its the same kind of self-serving thinking that results in these failures, since the agenda of the company or the current presidential administration, creates a solution in search of a problem.

Before anyone rolls their eyes let me elaborate…

Many industries and companies, like the RIAA, MPAA, cell phone providers, and Microsoft, create products based primarily on their needs, rather than the needs of consumers. They create a products and use their marketing and monopolistic positions to induce a purchase by limiting free-market competition, instead of looking to fill the needs and wants of consumers.

Perfect examples can be seen in efforts to sell DRM infected music and movies, subscription services, feature crippled phones, and in Microsoft’s case anything that will strengthen their Windows monopoly, while creating a continuous revenue stream from some kind of subscription service or assurance plan.

In the case of MediaRoom (or the multiple variations of the same thing that came before it) its a product in search of a market. What is MediaRoom? Its a the re-re-re-re-branding of WebTV and like the Xbox or so many of Microsoft’s new “platforms”, its just a re-branded PC running some flavor of Windows. Goal, strengthen the Windows monopoly and create some kind of subscription stream from its bowels. But no matter how many times it fails, they’ll re-brand and sell it as the next big thing, because it serves their interests; a Windows everywhere strategy. In fact, just about every “platform” Microsoft creates is just PC running Windows, which they now go to great lengths to disguise, as is the case with Microsoft’s “Surface” computing platform.

“More than just a simple re-branding, Mediaroom has the potential to be the television platform Microsoft has always wanted… Microsoft intends to change this with Mediaroom, hoping the brand will come to be recognized and in fact requested by consumers.” (article)

Its right there in the article, re-brand and hope someone will want it; a solution in search of a problem or need. “Mediaroom has the potential to be the television platform Microsoft has always wanted.” Much like Iraq, an invasion plan in search of a reason to invade, re-branded at every turn, because its what they’ve always wanted. No weapons of mass destruction, not responsible for 9/11, oh, ok, re-brand, now its about freeing the Iraq people.

Six years of non-conservative policies have allowed industry and government to run amok. Free market principles, unregulated, have allowed companies to become to self-serving at the expense of consumers, while a lack of accountability has allowed our leaders to do the same.