Jeff Riefman writes about his experience with Windows:
I began using Microsoft products 23 years ago, at age 11, and I worked for Microsoft from 1991 to 1999 as a technology manager. For many years, I was a Microsoft loyalist. While aware of Microsoft’s shortcomings, I always believed that the Soft did its best to improve products over time, as it did with Windows XP. But recently, I’ve had a crisis of faith. Perhaps I’ve rebooted Windows one too many times.
I’ve had a crisis of faith. Last month I went out and bought a Macintosh G5 and began using the new Mac operating system, OS X. It has been a breath of badly needed fresh air after Windows.
Over the past year, my frustration with Windows grew, as did my envy of Apple’s cool new products. Finally, last month I went out and bought an Apple Macintosh G5 and began using the new Mac operating system, OS X. It had been years since I’d used a Macintosh. Until recently, I dismissed those who did as impractical, elitist hipsters, and I mocked the Mac “switch” ads on TV.
But in the first five minutes on my new Mac, I was surfing the Internet, sending e-mail, and ripping a CD. OS X has been a breath of badly needed fresh air after Windows.
This made me wonder about Microsoft’s willingness to innovate and compete. Why are Microsoft products still so difficult to use and so unreliable?
Yeah, I know what you mean Jeff. And here’s another thing I think about. Why is that many computer suppliers (IBM, and Dell) can master ‘just in time manufacturing’ but can’t manage to continue selling computers with the Windows 2000 operating system?
Why is that? Well, for starters it’s because Microsoft not only doesn’t innovate, they don’t properly support products that were developed 4 years ago. Why wouldn’t IBM want to sell computer with the Windows 2000 operating system if that’s what their customers want (and, believe me, there are customers who want this)? I can think of some reasons that would involve influence by Microsoft. Microsoft’s influence extends way beyond its suppliers. For example, if you were to buy 20 computers with WinXP but then use one installation disk to ‘downgrade’ them to Windows 2000 would that be valid in Microsoft’s eyes? You can be sure that if the answer is ‘yes, you can’ that it won’t be clearly displayed anywhere on the Microsoft website.
Microsoft should have a new slogan: ‘We don’t innovate; we dictate. And that’s just good business.’
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