How about innovation?
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| TxtEdMacs Sep 27, 2008 9:34 PM EDT |
... or start a new market where you don't have to buy your way in or use mafia like tactics to gain market supremacy? The cynical part of me thinks the new Five Year Plan is just a way of explaining away lessening cash intake. Now that they must respond more aggressively lowering their pricing on core products to retain market share.. Much of this driven by the necessity to satisfy a growing group of customers that threaten to drop MS for FL/OSS. I suspect it's a ploy by most of the players, however, MS can never be certain. The better plan would be taking the radical step and build a better search engine. Improved search quality would attract users. However, I once heard that was the plan, but it seems not to be the one being pursued. Odd. |
| Scott_Ruecker Sep 27, 2008 10:17 PM EDT |
Something I found interesting was Ballmer's announcement that Microsoft was going to lose Quoting:"5 to 10 percent of total operating income for several years"And no one said anything? Are you kidding me? So as an investor I am supposed to just choke down the fact that your not so great return in the first place is now going to be even less and no one got up and said anything of note about it? It makes sense though. The only defense Microsoft has against FOSS is to lower their price or do more for that price, hense less profit. Profit they are most likely never going to see again. I'm not surprised it took Ballmer so long to say something, I am surprised that no one made a stink. |
| TxtEdMacs Sep 28, 2008 9:52 AM EDT |
I think this is part and parcel of the MS borrowing and buybacks (of stock) that diverts attention by making the stock price more likely to rise on the basis of increasing the return per share. There is a marked difference between investors and brokerage, the latter are intermediaries that move merchandise. Moreover, the latter make their cash on selling and professional advice (with caveats, that protects them). Hence, the latter mostly never loses if they keep their own investments low. Therefore, the movers just unload whatever holdings they have on each incremental stock price rise. So tell me, how many real investors were listening? Cries of anguish would just make it harder to dump their exposure. Despite this group's probably having limited risk, it is used to walking away with the cash before the sinking sets in hard. On the recent fiasco, they just out smarted themselves. Scott, hasn't anyone told you: "Silence is Golden"? |
| gus3 Sep 28, 2008 11:34 AM EDT |
Precisely, and this is where Ballmer will fail. He tends to tell you something 24/7, whether it's what he wants you to hear or (despite himself) what he's actually thinking. |
| jdixon Sep 28, 2008 11:36 AM EDT |
> The better plan would be taking the radical step and build a better search engine. There they have a problem. The only thing Microsoft has ever been any good at improving was the user interface (and even that is a debatable matter), and the user interface for Google has little to no room for improvement. When it comes to the inner workings of a search engine, Microsoft has no idea where to begin. |
| TxtEdMacs Sep 28, 2008 12:21 PM EDT |
jd, I disagree**: Quoting: ... Google [delete "is"*] has little to no room for improvement I think it was a flash in the pan type incident, but do you remember the reception here for Cuil? Here is one skeptical response, but that was the first in line in a Google search. See, skewed search results? People are looking for something better, however, MS is one of the most unlikely instruments to deliver. Their first aim is mega cash flow, whereas for others it is the idea [or ideal] first and afterwards they see how to cash in or out. The hunger is there and the reception could be both big and unexpected. When and if it comes. * Should I have inserted [sic], meaning left exactly as written? Until recently, I did not know what that meant. ** Sorry, see serious tags. When can I get to have some fun here? |
| jdixon Sep 28, 2008 3:56 PM EDT |
> People are looking for something better... Oh, I agree with you about that. I didn't say that Google had no room for improvement. I was only discussing their user interface. > ...however, MS is one of the most unlikely instruments to deliver. Again, we're not disagreeing. You're correct about the is. I have no idea why I put it there. It's deleted now. |
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