

Microsoft loss of credibility - lanej0
http://industryinteractive.net/ideas/microsoft-and-trust/

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xirium
From the article: they're constantly trying to play catch-up with others.

That hasn't changed. Microsoft has rarely been the first mover in a market.
The difference nowadays is that consumers are becoming more educated. There
was a time when an eight bit computer, a cruddy spreadsheet and a floppy drive
compressed the tedium of an accountant from 38 hours per week to two hours per
week. When that was the case, you could become part of a network effect or
leverage an existing monopoly to sell bad knock-offs. It didn't matter if it
crashed once per week because you'd still be four times more productive than
doing the task manually.

Nowadays, expectations are higher, choices are wider and value lies elsewhere.
Many people on this forum will remember when computer hardware and consumables
were only available from specialist suppliers. That isn't the case anymore.
Nor is it a de facto monopoly. Anyone in any major city can walk into a
retailer and walk out with a computer that doesn't run Windows. Furthermore,
anyone's nephew can install OpenOffice. People are now discovering that they
can pay _less_ and gain a productivity advantage. Having control of your data
is a fringe benefit which they rarely consider.

Microsoft now has to work extremely hard and an increasing number are
disatisfied. Unfortunately, too many consumers remain grateful for minimal
productivity gains. Unfortunately, too many consumers take vendor shenanegans
at face value. Fortunately, an increasing number of consumers have become wary
of encumbants with a long history of market abuse.

