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Windows Phone 7 Demo…
From Channel 9, this is the first of 3 videos introducing Microsoft’s upcoming “iPhone Killer”. Very interesting, well worth the watching, especially for iPhone developers…
– Dave
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Windows 7, Flash, and the iPad…
HP recently posted the video below on their Voodoo Blog. To me, the video shows several things.
First and foremost, the video highlights the ubiquity of Flash on the web. As far as I know, Apple still has no plans to support Flash on iPad. I’ve always heard that this was due to bugginess in Flash, as well as Flash’s cost in battery life. On the Mac, battery life is less of an issue, and the Flash code is isolated from the main browser code. If Flash crashes, the browser notifies you of the crash and then restarts Flash. Apparently, either this is not possible in the iPhone OS browser, or the battery cost of Flash is just too great. The video points out that tablets like HP’s Slate are based on Windows 7 and get Flash support by default as part of the overall Windows 7 experience.
The video also highlights the basic differences between Apple and Windows 7 vendors like HP and Dell in their approach to the tablet market. As they did with smart phones, Microsoft’s partners are working with a scaled down version of the desktop operating system. A process or application you run on your desktop has at least a chance of working on the tablet. Certainly, the browser experience will be nearly identical. Apple’s core approach is different, as different as the toolboxes offered by Mac OS X and iPhone OS. The SDKs for both are quite similar, but there are a vast sea of differences. Clearly, there’s no simple way to port an application from one platform to the other.
The video also shows off the HP device, gives it a real chance to shine. And, in my opinion, this is where Apple really comes out ahead. HP’s Slate is thick and chunky. The iPad is graceful, subtle, elegant. And thin.
All that said, I think this is going to be a very interesting new phase in the evolution of computing. Will Apple force Flash to change or, perhaps, open the door so a Flash competitor can enter the market? Or will the ubiquity of Flash eventually force Apple to allow Flash to play under iPhone OS. Interesting, interesting times!
– Dave
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Bing Maps Challenges Google…
An interesting article in FastCompany shows what the marriage of Flickr and video to Bing Maps looks like. Some terrific ideas. The video below is part of the story…
– Dave
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Microsoft Cancels Family Guy “Almost Live” Episode…
This is kind of amazing to me. Microsoft made a deal with Fox to create a special “live” version of Family Guy that would air in prime time, hosted by the creators of the show, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein. Consisting of typical Family Guy material, the special was to be part of Microsoft’s Windows 7 rollout, weaving highlights of Windows 7 in amongst the hilarity.
I can only imagine the shock and dismay on the Microsoft Exec’s faces when someone suggested that they actually watch a bit of Family Guy, just to make sure they were all on board with this hip thing the kids are all into. Hah!!!
According to Variety, “We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of ‘Family Guy,’ but after reviewing an early version of the variety show, it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand,” said a Microsoft spokeswoman. “We continue to have a good partnership with Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein and are working with them in other areas. We continue to believe in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent.”
Um, I suspect what really happened was that the lower level marketing folks love the show and thought it would give Windows 7 a cool, hard edge. But then mom and dad found out what the show is really about when execs attended a screening and were, to put it mildly, dismayed by what they saw: “typical ‘Family Guy’-style jokes, including riffs on deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest.”
An amazing gaffe. The show will go on, and I suspect there is a lot of scrambling right now to find another sponsor less worried about offending people and more interested in that huge ‘Family Guy’ audience.
Here’s the Variety article that lays this all out.
Sheesh…
– Dave
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Interview with Microsoft VP Tami Reller…
The Windows 7 launch is in 2 days (this Thursday). I’m looking forward to watching this unfold and to seeing Apple’s response. I hope that Windows 7 is a better experience than Vista. In my opinion, it’d be hard for it not to be. Vista set a new standard for bad.
You’d think I’d be rooting against Microsoft, given how staunch a Mac supporter I’ve always been. But no, I see Microsoft as part of our national economic engine. Microsoft bring a tremendous amount of money flowing into our economy from offshore, and that’s good for all of us. I do not want to see them fail. Microsoft pushes Apple to reach higher, to explore new markets. I think Bill Gates pushed Steve Jobs in personal ways, back in the day, and that evolved into Microsoft pushing Apple.
Here’s a link to the CNET interview with Microsoft VP Tami Reller, who talks about various aspects of the Windows 7 launch…
– Dave
Microsoft Blog Post on Supporting IE6 Forever…
Posted by Dave Mark on Aug 11, 2009 in Microsoft
Here’s an interesting blog post from Microsoft that addresses the question “How long will we continue to support Internet Explorer 6?”
To me, the highlight of the post is this:
“We committed to supporting the IE included with Windows for the lifespan of the product. We keep our commitments. Many people expect what they originally got with their operating system to keep working…”
This is not an easy problem for Microsoft to deal with. Supporting a legacy browser means adding legacy code to each new OS release. Interesting stance on the part of Microsoft, interesting comments on the blog page, too. I wonder if Microsoft’s statement truly reflects reality or, instead, if they are simply putting a better face on the concept of not forcing an upgrade as part of accepting a new service pack.
– Dave
Microsoft to Give Away Web-based Office 2010 For Free…
From my buddy, David Sobsey. Yes, you heard that right, Microsoft is putting out a free version of Office 2010, designed to go head-to-head against the free doc-editing web-based suites put out by folks like Google, Zoho and SlideShare.
Lest you think this is total insanity, Microsoft is not abandoning the dollar or their $20 billion Office biz. The web version of Office 2010 is free, the locally installable version is not. Very interesting strategy.
– Dave
Steve Ballmer Speaks to a Stanford Entrepreneurship Class…
Interesting talk on the economy and entrepreneurship. I have to say, I am not a fan of Steve Ballmer, but I did find this fascinating. He does a nice amount of reminiscing about the early days of life with Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Worth a listen…
– Dave
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Raising Bill Gates…
Posted by Dave Mark on Apr 25, 2009 in Microsoft
Via Scott Knaster: Terrific article in the Wall Street Journal about Bill Gates as a boy and about his parents. Fascinating read…
– Dave
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Microsoft to introduce iPhone killer – Oh, wait, it got stolen…
I want Microsoft to succeed. I have good friends who build Microsoft apps and/or hardware, and I believe Microsoft makes an incredibly important contribution to our economy.
That said, I was never a fan of the Zune and I do not believe that Microsoft will ever unseat the iPhone. This story just seems fitting somehow. Thanks for the pointer, Jeff.
– Dave
