Is Microsoft Stupid? - Page 2

if Microsoft stupid, they won't be making 56 billion

GM made piles of money up until they went bankrupt.

so Apple must be retarded???

I had to look it up.

MSFT, $69.9B revenue last 12 months, $30.03B Profit before taxes, $215.66B Market Cap

APPL $100.32B revenue last 12 months, $32.08B Profit before taxes, $349.96B Market Cap

Apple has excelled at its hardware offerings whereas Microsoft's hardware has been abysmal.

I think that tells the tale.

Outside of the Xbox does MS even make any hardware?

I know tons of people love the locked in mindset of Apple's software, I can't stand it.

Absolutely.

They have tried cell phones, MP3 players, etc and all have been pretty horrible compared to the iphone, ipod, ipad, etc.

Edit: Here are a few: http://wowb1og.blogspot.com/2011/04/...failed-in.html

A few more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0...itle=Kin_1_and

They have a computer peripheral division that makes mice, keyboards, webcams, and other various thingamajigs. Back in the day of the broadband boom, they also offered Ethernet and WiFi adapters, routers, and other broadband-related peripherals.

Too bad Microsoft is primarily a software company whos current products are enjoying tremendous success, and I guess XBox 360 (Microsoft's primary "hardware offering" has apparently been "abysmal.")

And its mobile offerings aren't doing so bad either.

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/tec...15_582408.html

I was referencing the Apple to MS sales comparison.

And yes, some of MS offerings have been failures. And even though I don't like Apple at all it appears all they make is consumer Gold.

That's the difference in the hardware side and the reason that Apple has had such great success recently.

Look up the Pippin

And the Newton.

Oh I have to disagree. Every Apple is golden...Oh wait, the next gen of every Apple is golden! What a great business model, release products with 'slightly annoying' quirks (the iPhone antenna that worked fine until you used it hand-held, the inability to attach external storage to the iPad, non-replaceable iPod batteries that fail in a couple months...the list goes on), then shortly after making the public aware that their 'Golden iDevice' is inherently flawed release the next gen iThingie! Then after you sell a gazillion of them announce its flaw...Lather, Rinse, Repeat, taking everyone to the cleaners...

I love Media Center, works much better than my Motorola cable box.

Too bad Media Center is virtually useless in Canada.

Like I said --- I don't like Apple.

But to the average best buy guy apple is golden. Perception is reality on this one.

BTW I don't own a single Apple product other than an ipod that is 7 years old that I haven't even picked up in about 2 years. I don't even know exactly where it is.

You pay twice for an apple product but they do have quality hardware. I personally just prefer to have the more dominant OS because everyone writes software and makes hardware first for windows.

Oh yes I forgot about the Zune, actually a couple of people I work with have them and they really like them maybe because the Zune software is better then Apples media software.

I've wanted to check one out for a while now. I have an iPod that I got for free that does nothing but sit in my desk drawer. The overwhelming reason why I hate using it is iTunes.

The orignal MS remotes were (and probably are) still the best for controlling media center (all versions). I have two of them, and will seriously hate the day they break and have to go. I should have bought more when you could actually buy them!

As for the MC team, well, it appears that MC will definately appear in Windows 8, so somebody at MS is still working on it, but in what form it takes we're not exactly sure yet. It may be based on the new Metro interface, will likely have more support for streaming media, but, and this is a serious request, I sure hope they keep BDA tuner support in there. Without this, it's wont be worth using.

Yeah, and those mice and keyboards are still the best available for regular desktops. They keep coming out with new innovative designs too.

They used to make some really nice routers and other ethernet stuff. And they made gamepads and joysticks and computer speakers and lots of other stuff. All of which was well built and usually fairly innovative and nicely designed.

Looks like MSFT is more efficient and profitable than Apple (42% Margin vs 31% margin)

Even though Apple generated $30B more in revenue, they only made $2B more than MSFT that generated $70B.

MSFT has bene offering Windows Essentials for free for a while now, and Norton, Kasperski, AVG, McAffee, et all, are still in business. By MSFT offering free anti virus and firewall it may have prompted those guys to offer their products for free, as well.

Profit margin on hardware, even Apple's overpriced hardware, is less than on software.

They don't include the virus protection built into Windows, and they don't really promote or publicize it. You have to know about it and go get it. My guess is that 90% of pc users don't even know Security Essentials exists, and, as far as I know, it doesn't have parental controls, spam filters, etc. that products like Norton and Macafee include. Besides, when you can routinely find a 3-pc pack of Norton Internet Security for $19.99, the price isn't really much of an issue.

If Windows came with virus protection built in, most of those other products would vanish shortly thereafter (and the lawsuits would follow).

- Back in the day, Microsoft had to choose between HD-DVD and Blu Ray. BR uses Java and costs licensing, they went with HD-DVD and that bet didn't align with the market.

- BR encryption schemes and file structures are not standard, and it makes no sense to have a dedicated staff to keep it all up to date and waste CS resources on joe-six pack who can't play Fox's latest DRM-inventive BR release on disc. And supporting BD-Live? Ugh.

- Why go to all the work with Blu ray when you can leapfrog and put your R&D in streaming services.

- Legal threat of monopoly. This will be an interesting point to see if you can "purchase" certain functionality on the App Store, such as BR playback, IE, etc. Seems like a win since its not bundled, and if they are smart in the countries that ban integrated copies now they have to pay up and hopefully mitigate some of those settlements. That's what I'd be looking at.

This is the biggest reason I'd like to see them do it. If they built BD playback into Windows, the studios would have to make disks that worked with it or the public would go bananas. If it was a functionality that Windows had and simply did; i.e, if Joe Six Pack could buy their PC or laptop from QVC or Best Buy with a blu ray player or burner and expected to be able to pop in a disk and have it simply play without issue, just like their blu ray player, the studios couldn't afford to build disks that wouldn't work or the public, and then Congress, would raise hell over their ridiculous constantly changing DRM schemes. Right now, no one has the clout to cram a standard down the studio's collective throat. They don't care if it doesn't work with TMT or the like.

To me, that's the biggest problem wtih Microsoft staying out of the fray.

Hey now the Newton wasn't that bad..

I still have mine & it still works. My 6 year old plays with it. It was just ahead of it's time..

Of course my ipad is tons better...

I think it's called mythbuntu. Ok, I know it's called Mythbuntu













not sure about Blu-ray support

Yeah I would be tempted but my TV card is not supported. Also I think there is no blue ray support.

Plus I don't think its a stripped down distro