Mike needs to read this article

[Steve]

My work is principally in the Microsoft world. Notwithstanding, I have my grievances with current generation products both server (business) & client (consumer) side.

No doubt the Nokia 920 is the best Smart Phone I have ever owned. I'm also in the Windows 8.1 world but I have my criticisms about that. It's not intuitive enough to recognise when it's not operating on a non-touch device. The Surface(Metro)/Desktop experience is too disjointed & I hope that it will be addressed properly in Windows 9. The acceptance of Windows 9 will be pivotal for Microsoft's success or failure in the future.

The any device synergy & cloud service integration has been a great & necessary step for the evolution of Microsoft. In may respects, an understated achievement. Keeping in mind, Microsoft never seem to get the execution right, first time around. Reflective about trend, they tend to adopt a bigger picture but sometimes at the cost of capturing the market. Timely execution & a lack of innovation strategy in recent years can be blamed on the former management for the missed opportunities.

As for tablets, have played with Surface & Surface 2 & Surface 2 Pro. Surface 2 is an improvement, both platform & hardware. Surface tablets are robust but they are too heavy & bulky. Especially Surface Pro 2 (which has exceptional hand writing recognition & is a formidable workhorse for a tablet BTW.)

For now, I am stuck in the iPad tablet world because the latest Mini & Air models are light, fast & app rich. The Microsoft Surface app market is growing but there are still some apps that I cannot live without. eg. CCTV remoting, 2x Client, Logitech Harmony Remote. Also I like the cellular option without having to rely on WiFi bridging.

 

[ohbythebay]

Nice write-up Steve..appreciate it. Hey, I know we have made mistakes, Microsoft freely admits that...(it was before I joined so now its better...lol)

But if you guys could just see the work and synergy going on here like I do. This is REAL change not just words. I actually LIKE coming to work every day to do my part. But its a hard road and a tough nut to crack. So many consumer items firmly ensconced (Apple, Android, etc. ) but if we can truly unify our experience, it truly is a game changer. I see it every day in my work...everything from my phone, my laptops, my tablet..I feel like I own one system and the devices are just the terminals into that system.

I also like the fact that Windows 8 is pretty much Windows 7 with some bells and whistles...and I will admit also missing some stuff too...I go nuts trying to find features that were there before...Like removing unwanted wi-fi items I no longer use...where is the damn feature !!! I had to use DOS commands for gods sake..lol

So are we perfect? Nope. But I have never worked on a faster, more stable, feature rich windows version. even plug and play is just so much easier. Creative has been the only damn company to make me load drivers...LOL

 

[MusicDirector]

It's about investment - not actual user experience. MSFT might be a good stock buy, it might not be. But, I don't play individual stocks. I play indexes based on financial news prior to 9:30am. If the news is good, I bet on the fund that it will go up. If it's bad news, VXX is my friend. If the news is nothing...I ignore and do nothing.

Yikes! I stay away from the stock market...very bad place. I'm more than frightened of it. (Banks scare me now too, that's why I do not use a bank). You are more than extremely brave Mike for playing around in there.:amazing:

 

[MikeCh]

My work is principally in the Microsoft world. Notwithstanding, I have my grievances with current generation products both server (business) & client (consumer) side.

No doubt the Nokia 920 is the best Smart Phone I have ever owned. I'm also in the Windows 8.1 world but I have my criticisms about that. It's not intuitive enough to recognise when it's not operating on a non-touch device. The Surface(Metro)/Desktop experience is too disjointed & I hope that it will be addressed properly in Windows 9. The acceptance of Windows 9 will be pivotal for Microsoft's success or failure in the future.

The any device synergy & cloud service integration has been a great & necessary step for the evolution of Microsoft. In may respects, an understated achievement. Keeping in mind, Microsoft never seem to get the execution right, first time around. Reflective about trend, they tend to adopt a bigger picture but sometimes at the cost of capturing the market. Timely execution & a lack of innovation strategy in recent years can be blamed on the former management for the missed opportunities.

As for tablets, have played with Surface & Surface 2 & Surface 2 Pro. Surface 2 is an improvement, both platform & hardware. Surface tablets are robust but they are too heavy & bulky. Especially Surface Pro 2 (which has exceptional hand writing recognition & is a formidable workhorse for a tablet BTW.)

For now, I am stuck in the iPad tablet world because the latest Mini & Air models are light, fast & app rich. The Microsoft Surface app market is growing but there are still some apps that I cannot live without. eg. CCTV remoting, 2x Client, Logitech Harmony Remote. Also I like the cellular option without having to rely on WiFi bridging.

Somebody please explain to me why the huge-phone has such a leg up recently... View attachment 5222

I understand the problem with these oldies: View attachment 5223


....but come on! Holding a dinner plate up against your head is really all that convenient?

 

[Steve]

Aaaah Mike....hands free is better for you!

 

[Steve]

Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

I would like to see Microsoft push the IP device boundaries further, beyond the phone, tablet & desktop paradigm they visualise with Windows. Sure there is Windows embedded and a lethargic OEM model...Not that I really care about what is driving an ATM machine...

The Smart Home market is where consumer salivation is currently at and I'd like to see Microsoft step in and acquire in this disjointed space. To standardise and innovate further in this emerging market would open up opportunities to bring families together again with even smarter devices.

For example, CCTV & security is largely driven by Linux but there are always device compatibility, integration and complexity issues. Why can’t Microsoft make Windows 9 for CCTV cameras and DVRs? Essentially they’re PCs anyway. Bring Windows Surface out to more hardware and push a trend. Or is the future going to be predominately Apples & Raspberries?

Release an affordable Surface Table for the mums & dads to buy down at the local TV store. Position it to be the Household's Home Automation Hub or Hubs. A Family Collaboration Interface. A smart place to sit together, eat together, do school homework together, collaborate as a family TOGETHER....I don't believe the Smart TV & XBox One platforms alone could ever fill this gap from a collaboratively interactive activity perspective. Content delivery & gaming yes, but not as a homogenous sharing tool.

When you think of the smart devices out there today, they all interact on a one-on-one level. You only have to glance around a restaurant today & see how people are interacting. They are interacting with their smart phones, not with the person next to them!

I'd like to choose my meal from a menu on a Surface Table & pay for it by dropping my credit card onto that order at a restaurant, but why haven't I seen a Microsoft Surface Table anywhere to date? Why? Conceptually there, but what happened to the product execution?

Surface wasn't a disaster. Consider it a $1b late fee & an ongoing OEM hybrid motivational expense. Surface Table, Surface Mirror, Surface Tile, Surface Splashback, Surface Heads Up Display, Surface Windows!

Where is the Microsoft think tank? If vendor alliance initiatives aren't there or are being strategically locked up, then acquisitions to get innovation to market should become a priority.

I want home automation using common communication protocols such as IP, WiFi, & Zigbee. Cheap devices that perform a function that do not necessarily rely on an existing structured network to work. For example Philips Hue have reinvented the light bulb!

Another example is Logitech. The Logitech Harmony Ultimate remote control system may not be granular and open, but gosh it works and is simple to use. Hub & spoke.... If only they would open it up more, then there would be power to be unleashed.

Microsoft could spend up with acquisitions like their competitors are doing elsewhere to tie it all in and monopolise in the home automation vertical.

Smart wearable devices are certainly going to be pushing trends and innovation in the coming years. These devices should be able to touch base with Microsoft Home Surfaces via Microsoft's Cloud Services Infrastructure.

I want a bathroom mirror, kitchen splash back, wall tiles, so they can show me what the weather is, give me a health check-up, a stock ticker tape, family & news headlines, a reminder to buy milk & drop off/pickup the kids, Skype, pickup video notes from another family member who will use the bathroom later. Mirror, mirror on the wall, my daily list goes on.

Show me these Surfaces, please. Perhaps it's time for Microsoft to take back control of PixelSense from a hardware perspective. The existing alliances don't seem to be going anywhere.

Microsoft Home Surfaces. Where are you?