What is Digg?94 Comments
- morgrar, on 10/10/2007, -5/+31Unfortunately, they can't just flip a switch and make The Digital Home a reality. Think about how many people don't even have an HDTV yet.
- majortom1981, on 10/10/2007, -3/+21Actually the only reason why microsofts ROUTERS failed was because they dropped them. I had and still have a mn-700 router and it has/had better signal then most 802.11g equipment ahs and can handle more things running on it. The few people who bought it loved it.
Microsoft all of a sudden dropped support for it .
heck even open source firmwares can be installed on it. - ProAm500, on 10/10/2007, -5/+14i dont know about this list....looks a little flaky to me......and lets face it, the general public isnt ready for the "digital lifestyle". Many products have come out with the same types of concept but havent done well. Not because they're bad products, but people arent ready for them yet, and may not be for quite a while. Hell, look at Apple TV. They hasnt done near as well as some projected, but would you say the "product" itself is a flop or its still a very premature market for products like these? The 360 is really the first product that I can think of on a mass level (yeah I know XBMC, I said MASS level) to really infuse the "digital lifestyle" concept, and to me is doing it pretty well.
- daGUY, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Like what? The only thing on this list that I see fitting that idea is the networking hardware (Apple has the Airport Extreme and Airport Express). They've only really just started their foray into the "digital home" idea (Front Row, Apple TV, etc.).
- mephitix, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8Yeah, I have a MS router too and it's pretty awesome. I'm guessing that they just didn't see any profit or areas to grow in the whole router market... I dunno, it's a shame though.
- bieber, on 10/10/2007, -5/+10...you say that like those of us without HDTV's are living in the stone-age or something. I'll be damned if I'm going to spend hundreds, if not thousands, to get a television that I'd hardly ever watch anyways...
- yournamehere, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4you're one of those annoying people that think they're funny, right?
- drmsux, on 10/10/2007, -7/+111. SPOT - its price is comparable to a cheap smartphone, but smartphone can do much more.. and I wouldn't call Windows Mobile a flop...
2. Windows Automotive - there's a very lengthy process to add new technology to cars.. and, face it, iPod car integration started to appear only quite recently.. so I guess in 5-10 years they'll have something here. Just in time for solid state hard drives.. )
3. Networking hardware - I guess most of these are just rebranded ODMs..it's not like they were running Windows CE.. )
4. ActiMates - never heard of
5. XBox is Microsoft's way to get into the living room.. I wouldn't say it's been a flop.. and the whole 'digital home' concept is just a concept - that's something different from a 'flop', no really ) - virtualball, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6C'mon people, you need to accept flops when they come! As I said ^somewhere up there^ I'm an Apple fanboy and I'll admit the Cube flopped, so far, the aTV is a flop,I thought the iPod shuffle (1G) flopped, and the iPod Hi-Fi all flopped. I don't say "well.... the iPod Hi-Fi was a flop but it's pretty much a car stereo system, and I wouldn't say that was a flop!" or "The aTV needs technology that really isn't available now, so in 5-10 years it may be a flop!" And drmsux, you're forgetting your '('s
- jrbrewin, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3yeah, like he's the one buying 90%ish percent of PCs... *rolleyes*..
come back in a couple of years ggko when you've matured past puberty and can deal with microsoft being in the world a little better. - MusicalGenius, on 10/10/2007, -8/+11Even though I'm a huge MS fanboy, it doesn't take much research to find that MS didn't think of the Digital Home...it's an idea LONG running.. But the flop really isn't to anyones discredit. It can be done. No one has created a practical way yet to make it blend with personal life styles and needs.
One huge thing is a talking refrigerator that says "You need milk." over and over... this is annoying and the talking phase really isn't that practical yet.
If you had maybe a touch screen built into the glass(like the surface computer etc) on a counter which just displayed what was running low(if detectable...?) and had options such as a recipe book so that all your recipes would never get lost or dirty from food and easy to search for...PRACTICAL unlike the annoyance of having to say lights on to an empty room every day... It just doesn't feel natural. A screen for recipes and an inventory of food could work well... and if at the store and need the info, you could text your house to send you the contents or something...there are great possibilities here.
I've thought about this a lot and it's not that it won't work. It's just that they have the wrong ideas for practicality behind it.
I think MS hardware is great, and I use it personally. The networking might not have worked, but if they REALLY wanted to fix it...they have the money...sorry but they could buy Linksys just to get it going if they had to. Put it this way, for one thing that didn't flop... Windows didn't...big time...and yes it is a lifestyle practically. People steal it over a free Linux...that's got to say at least something. - estvir, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4I wish Microsoft ventured into more hardware areas.. but for I continue, if you're going to say anything about Xbox360 hardware problems, please keep your ignorant comments elsewhere.
- Their mice and keyboards simply rock and the only other real competitor is Logitech and there is no clear best as they both have their own awesome products and it comes down to your personal taste.
- Their joysticks like the Sidewinder range where damn good and IIRC where some of the best choices.
- Other odd hardware like their thumbprint reader is actually pretty good hardware but they dropped the ball on the software side (Limited/non-existant API, etc) and I think if they re-launched it with a decent API (Of which they have many nowadays and are having travailed alongside some new products like Windows Home Server)
And they have some other good hardware and X360 aside, it's all solidly built, my IntelliMouse Explorer (4.0) is like 4 years old now and aside from some small things from me it looks perfect, same with my MS MultiMedia keyboard which I got for free from a LAN cafe.. yes, a LAN cafe and it's in ace condition. - estvir, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4And Apple TV is doing oh-so-well and is such a good product.
I just lied. - Branden, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6Saying Xbox is a flop is a very arguable statement. I'm also not very sure if Windows Mobile could be considered a flop.
- ericdano, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Yep.
- Bilbobaggins, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7They should have kept the routers going, I really liked my old Microsoft router.
- yournamehere, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2apple stole from xerox. their widget, stolen from windowblinds which had it back in the late 90's. if you think companies don't 'borrow' ideas from other companies then you're pretty naive.
- Jumangi, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3You could dig through any companies closet(yes even the mighty Apple) and find poor ideas that never saw the light of day.
Then again they arn't MS, every bodies favorite whipping boy... - WATYF, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Not only that, but the general public also doesn't have the MONEY for the "digital lifestyle". People keep talking about this stuff as if it's free and everyone should have it. All this crap is really expensive, and people are not swimming in so much money that they can just dump a couple grand on whatever cool, new tech comes down the pike next. Most of this stuff is just a minor convenience (if that)... once they come out with digital lifestyle tech that solves a major daily issue, then maybe it'll catch on like wildfire, but saving me the 3 seconds it takes to dim the lights when I walk in a room is not worth thousands of dollars.
- estvir, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Poor guy, his parents must hate him.
- jrbrewin, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2how does either a mac, or linux directly replace a working xbox 360?
- longzheng, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2No, FM radio is not for sale under the FCC auction.
- RubberBinder, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Microsoft has the SYNC in car computer that will be implemented in Ford's cars during 2008
- krusader3z, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5One of those Microsoft routers, the MN-500, has been serving my fraternity house flawlessly for years.
- mephitix, on 10/10/2007, -6/+7Zune wasn't exactly a flop... considering it's the #2 music player and it easily beat out other competitors that have been there for eons (Creative, iRiver, etc.), I wouldn't call that a flop. The iPod is really in a league of its own. Also, iPod/iTunes doesn't exactly have a heavenly DRM structure either.
- yournamehere, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I don't understand how that's a problem. if you don't watch tv (or movies) then obviously you are not their target consumer. This would be for the people that do use their tv. Personally I use mine in a home cinema which is cheaper than going to the movies in the long run (not to mention more comfortable).
- yournamehere, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1did you just say that whole paragraph worth of words in one sentence. there are these things called periods and it looks like your girlfriend isn't the only one missing them.
- MasterThief117, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4I am SO glad Microsoft Automotive never caught on. Everyone would be crashing.
- smartmlp, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Yes I run this same router too. I bought it a couple years ago after I picked up my neighbor who had one and who was a good 8 houses down from me. I couldnt believe the range so I had to buy one. Its been on 24/7 ever since.
- PuffyC, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2It's funny how all the anti-Microsofties only think in consumer-land. Like it or not, Microsoft dominates in the true enterprise market, they make money in that space, and they will only increase their dominance in that market with products most people have never even heard of. And if you think Microsoft actually makes money from product support you're just flat out wrong.
As far as many of these 'flops' go, Microsoft is well known to push the envelope when absolutely necessary, only to kickstart thier partners and accelerate the market. They's why you see them quickly push the curve then mysteriously drop a product, or you see a product whose main fault is being ahead of its time. If you want to fault them, their primary vice is a non-stop attempt to drag the rest of the industry kicking and screaming into the 21st century when the natural reaction is to resist disruptive change. As a side note, do a little research into who spends what on R&D. The results may surprise you. - ggko, on 10/10/2007, -4/+5"Even though I'm a huge MS fanboy, ..."
Ah, so *you're* the one! - grumpyrain, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Interestingly, by the same argument Vista has been selling like hotcakes compared to Tiger all year, yet around digg you would think it was being avoided like the plague.
Vista has 'sold' 60 million licenses yet seems to be considered a flop. (Yes, that probably includes the vouchers, MSDN subscriptions, and all those digg submissions of people reverting to XP). Apple has sold 1.75 million Mac computers last quarter (Yes, other Mac users also upgraded their OS). Even being generous, you would have to allow a 50 million : 5 million split over the past 6 months. Looking at current sales trends, there will be more Vista boxes than Apple boxes (all versions combined) *within a month*.
Is that sad? Of course not, Apple has significantly boosted its market share and managed to produce a good OS. And take a look at what has happened to their share price in the past 5 years.
Everyone acknowledges the flaws about the Zune. Microsoft spent way too long waiting for their bumbling partners to get their act together to give the iPod some real competition. None of them could pull together an iPod killer. By the time Microsoft decided to enter the Zune, iPod had as much brand recognition as walkman had in its day. It is incredibly hard to compete with a company with such a brand. Think about Google , Photoshop, Xerox, Kleenex, Bandaid, etc. Most of their competitors can't touch them. That doesn't mean their competitors are necessarily inferior (though some are). It just means when Joe Average goes to a electrical store, he wants to buy an 'iPod' not a 'portable music player', and that makes him less inclined to walk out with a Zune or iRiver or Creative or something. - iplayyouandme, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11) Actually, Apple is selling twice as many computer today as they were two years ago and that makes up for 50% of there profit; 750,500 (3Q 2005) 1,750,000 (3Q 2007) or roughly 3 million (2005) vs. 7 million est. (2007).
2) It should also be noted that Apple's growth in computers is outpacing the industry's overall growth by a factor of 3; Apple 33% vs. PC Industry 12.5%. Apple is now worth twice as much as Dell in market-value and just passed HP in market-value, the two largest PC manufactures, and is near INTEL and is worth half of what IBM is now.
3) 50% all Macintosh computer sales are to PC user who switched to Mac.
4) Apple is projected to surpass the market-value and profit of Microsoft in the next 2-3 years.
5) Without Windows and Office Microsoft would be operating completely in the red, as in no profit. - OBKenobi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I had to MN-730s that I bought on sale from Newegg. They both failed after a month or so. Then I realized why they were on "sale".
- enginbeering, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1No *****. The apple flops are probably better known than these alleged microsoft ones. I think most people know about Lisa, Newton, appleTV maybe?
Actually I'm an apple fan. Innovative companies are going to release stuff that doesn't pan out. Even apple's failures resulted in industry revolutions. First the GUI with the lisa, and then palm hitting it big after the Newton.
I'm just saying. - iplayyouandme, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yes, Microsoft makes billions from selling overpriced copies of Windows. Its well known that Microsoft's margins on Windows make OS X and the Mac look cheap. Microsoft's markup on Windows is around 90% far more than for any Apple product.
Yes, Microsoft spends billions on R&D but what has come of it? Nothing.
How has Microsoft "accelerate" the market? It hasn't.
Let's hear your examples? Please... - Branden, on 10/10/2007, -4/+5Xbox: They take a loss in the hopes of making a long-term profit. I'm sure they projected the loss, minus the warranty extension. Windows Mobile: Apple's OSX isn't dominant. Does that make it a flop?
- OBKenobi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Microsoft Surface hasn't been a success yet. It's probably going to wind up on the next version of this list in a few years.
- MvTCracker, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1The Digital Home is not cheap setting up a Large personal basement server room electronic locks home automation large screens = money prices on some things are falling but most companies are not working together and almost no one is working with Microsoft and that's a huge disappointment Microsoft cannot do everything on its own Microsoft likes to work with many companies to deliver on its promises
Msn direct even tho its a great product one that I use most people are not interested....
The laws and regulations hold back the Microsoft car - havuk, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2yeah, and the ipod hi-fi is a big hit
- dmpapwor, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Take away Apple's iPod then, see how they're doing. Oh wait, since everyone runs OSX I'm sure they'll be fine. Right?
- iplayyouandme, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Microsoft is a one trick pony. Without their Windows monopoly they'd be nowhere.
- PiGuy, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4While not commericialzed, there are plenty of automated 'smart' houses out there, Microsoft has just never really pushed its own smart home system.
- soupir, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Wait what? How could that be??
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2I agree with you, except for the xbox/xbox360, its doing well. One of Microsofts best products. Where else can you play modern online multiplayer games without a pc?? But yeah, windows mobile is garbage
- MvTCracker, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2despite people calling the digital lifestyle a "flop" we have:
Online Banking
Online Store Fronts
News
Community's
Tv
Radio
Recipes
Microsoft Surface
Cd Playing and Dvd Playing capabilities
Gaming
We really are in the digital decade - DiggMeisterDude, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1.
If you have an Acura automobile with a built-in navigation system, then you are using Microsoft Automotive technology. Who says, "Microsoft Automotive" is a flop??
. - subxero37, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Anybody remember Microsoft Bob?
http://toastytech.com/guis/bob.html - lintmonkey, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Way to be social. Sign me up.
- Escamillo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Agreed.
I had a Microsoft wireless router. Very easy to set up and worked flawlessly. But I decided to switch from t "B" to a "G", and Microsoft had stopped making routers so I couldn't buy their "G" version. So I got a Belkin (failed after a year) and then a U.S. Robotics (has to be "rebooted" every week for no apparent reason), both of which have been problematic. Every so often I'm tempted to set up the old MS "B" router again, despite the lower bandwidth. -
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