

Microsoft workers celebrated Windows Phone 7 RTM with iPhone hearses - rbanffy
http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-workers-celebrated-windows-phone-7-rtm-with-iphone-hearses

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elbrodeur
It's really encouraging to see signs of life in Microsoft's culture. I've
never been a real fan of their products, but hopefully if some of this fun,
creative energy makes it's way into the user experience.

That being said, whenever anyone declares any product dead I cringe a little.

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elbrodeur
I knew the iPhone well. We were great friends for a long time. This is
absolutely terrible news -- has it been confirmed anywhere else?

The only reason I ask is because IE6 was supposed to have died last year but
11% of our users still use it.

<http://ie6funeral.com/>

~~~
cheald
Zombie IE6 is a terrifying thought.

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Timmy_C
Where was the Microsoft funeral for the Kin?

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angstrom
It's in bad taste to poke fun at a still birth.

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dannyr
So no Android?

It's either Microsoft thinks Android will not gain significant market share
like what they thought about the IPhone
([http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2007/04/ballmer-
says-i...](http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2007/04/ballmer-says-iphone-
has-no-chance-to-gain-significant-market-share.ars)) or it thinks they cannot
kill Android.

~~~
narrator
Android is Linux. From what I've seen of Microsoft's marketing against
competitors, there strategy is to pretend that Linux does not exist.

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krobertson
They going to keep the hearse around?

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patrickaljord
Don't get too excited about WP7, for example the IE Mobile will be based on a
mixed of IE7 and IE8...

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grsites
At least Windows Mobile is no longer using IE6. Gasp!

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DannoHung
I can appreciate that it's the platform team having some fun for shipping...
but this is gonna be pretty embarrassing if WinPhone 7 tanks.

~~~
rbanffy
Not if, but when.

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mattmanser
I'll believe it when I see it.

Looking at the windows 7 demos on video it's very clear they've spectacularly
missed the mark. It's like a really bad version of Windows media centre, which
I accidentally had the displeasure of trying to setup today when hooking my
new XBox up to my PC.

They may think it's good, but really what will happen is that it won't sell
and they'll look like idiots, again. Whoever headed up the XBox should
immediately be promoted into Ballmer's postion, his effigy should be burnt and
then maybe they'll be ready to move on and be a real tech company again.

~~~
keithwarren
Yeah, because pop culture and how cool you think a guy is really matters. In
the mean time since he has been CEO Microsoft has doubled their profit.
Metrics matter.

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mattmanser
In the last 10 years would you like to estimate how much the computer industry
sector has grown? Double or would I hazard a guess at significantly more?

So, put it into context and doubling the profits is pretty pathetic.

~~~
keithwarren
They have held their PC market share in tact so regardless how much the market
has grown they have gone with it. Pretty hard to push past 80+ % share.

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houseabsolute
The important thing from my standpoint as an investor is that the CEO "show me
the money." Whether that's in terms of profits distributed as dividends, or as
a growth in the value of my equity, it doesn't matter, but it has to happen
some way. If it doesn't, I'm pretty disappointed. How much value has Ballmer
created for his shareholders over the past ten years? Does it compare well to
other companies with stable market shares in their primary line of business?
These are the questions that interest me, not merely whether he's been able to
maintain a market share status quo. That's the baseline of competency, not a
sign of success.

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shareme
Back when WM was just a baby a fired Nokia engineer started a site claiming
that WM would overtake Symbian any day now..

Its several years later and good many MobileMonday members have laughed at
that time and time again..

My prediction WM8 will be MS buying RIM..in 18 months or less

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lotusleaf1987
Why no Android or Symbian? Are they giving up on those?

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MichaelApproved
Android was taking the pictures <http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/10/windows-
phone-7-funeral/>

~~~
keithwarren
You almost can't make stuff up that good.

~~~
rbanffy
"Win Phone sex? The killer app?"

I LOL'ed

