iPhone4 and Me: Attenuation Deficit Disorder

 

I have self diagnosed, and I have concluded,  (No second opinion sought as of yet…),  that I have,  “The New ADD” – Attenuation Deficit Disorder.  Just like the iPhone4!

  For those of you trying to keep up;

It is clear to me that I test positive for this malady, based on the following criteria;

Per Wikipedia

Attenuation is the gradual loss in intensity of any kind of flux through a medium.

For instance, sunlight is attenuated by dark glasses, X-rays are attenuated by lead, and light and sound are attenuated while passing through seawater. In electrical engineering and telecommunications, attenuation affects the propagation of waves and signals in electrical circuits, in optical fibers, as well as in air (radio waves).

ADD is a problem with inattentiveness, over-activity, impulsivity, or a combination.

You see, I often feel that intelligent information on a variety of subjects – from Gulf Oil Spills to issues with my #SmartPhone – are being #Attenuated – weakened and diminished by the time I receive.  This filtering and “watering down” of salient facts, causes me to have increasing amounts of inattentiveness, over-activity, impulsivity, or a combination. 

Do you find yourself with the same symptoms – continually feeling that you aren’t being told everything – and if so – doesn’t this cause agitation and angst?

If we are to apply the lessons of #SteveJobs, ALL cell phones suffer from Attenuation – So I have concluded that all people do to!   Which begs the question, Is someone or something – holding me incorrectly – or worse – putting their finger where it’s not supposed to be?   Should I wear a full body rubber #Bumper?  

Sigh, this is very challenging and is driving me to do nothing.. everything seems garbled and I feel that I can’t concentrate on.. well I can’t concentrate on… well I can’t concentra…  Please move your @#$% Finger!

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Social Media isn’t AutoPilot for Customer Relationships

Social Media Narcissism

One of my favorite quotes from Jack Welch, former CEO of GE,  is “Hierarchy is an organisation with its face toward the CEO and its ass toward the customer”.    It echoes my description of arrogant “old school” companies that - Have no windows – just mirrors

But  – old school, living in 1972 – “establishment” companies do not have a monopoly on arrogance – there are some “New Age” Social Media companies that are their equal when it comes to poor customer relationships,  as they gaze longingly in their own mirrors (disguised as windows – drapes included).

Take a personal experience of mine with a well-known top-tier Social Media company as an example.  Let’s call this company, Mega-Social Community Tools, Inc., ( abbreviated MC for this blog.)

MC is highly acclaimed for their software and their relatively high-ranking by technology analysts.   Their feature list is strong and they continue to enhance their offerings.  But that’s the last praise I’ll allow.   

MC is an avid user of  Web 2.0 -  Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc… mostly to acclaim their genius and high levels of customer satisfaction - but almost never is there personal contact from an account manager, or even a  phone call from an account manager, to a business stakeholder/customer,   to my knowledge.    All interaction with the customer by MC is totally focused on their website and a series of mostly technical FAQ and technical blogs.   Let me give you examples of how this Social Media company has failed in its attempt to use Social Media as their defacto Account Management;

  • A recent roadshow for  Mega-Social Community Tools, Inc, was highly publicised by Twitter, Facebook, and their web site - but no personal contact was made by anyone at MC to tell or help remind a customer that there was an upcoming event and pertinent information would be shared  – in person.   (When I registered for the local event that I found by accident – I wrote a terse comment to the organizer – and received absolutely no response.)
  • Software releases and upgrades  have taken place without warning or contact with either IT stakeholders or business stakeholders.  When asked how we were supposed to know that a major upgrade to our software had taken place, the response was, “… we always post upgrade information on our website.”    Darn!  Too bad I dont’ have all day to check my vendors web site!  Shame on me!  (By the way – the surprise software upgrade disabled several custom features we had added to the software module.)
  • We asked MC to do some custom work for us and when the work was complete on their end – but not implemented on my companies side, we started to hear a bizarre attitude from MC’s technical staff implying that we (the customer) were really “holding them up” and the tone was unmistakably - “We want to fire you as customer”.  (No payments were withheld and as far as I know – nothing in the custom contract should have been a concern for MC. - we had just plain inconvenienced them! )
  • During two of the three  in person meetings in 1 1/2 years,  with Senior Sales titles from Mega-Social Community Tools, Inc, none of them knew how many instances of their tool we had licensed, what we were using it for, or what our  business goals looked like.   (Perhaps MC should consider that new fangled software trend called CRM?)
  • Senior staff at MC, (At least people with VP initials in their titles) are aware of our concerns – and have never picked up the phone or sent a personal eMail to ask how they could help or improve.    These same executives at MC never fail to have time to Tweet and give themselves the “thumbs up” multiple times a day…   “…. we have such GREAT customers! “  ….” … We’ve just added new features and changed the course of humanity as WE know it!”…. etc…

Don’t misinterpret my comments – Social Media empowering, building, and enhancing Social communities is a truly invaluable tool for better customer relationships resulting  in high customer satisfaction and sales – but it isn’t the ONLY thing.   Account Management  – The human voice and personal  visit cannot be replaced with a Tweet or smiley emoticon.

So, am I dealing with a “Hierarchy based company…  with it’s ass toward the customer?”  Yes – I believe so… and if this company would only look into one their many mirrors – they would not see their own face – but truly the opposite end – the view that this frustrated customer has observed for over a year.

I challenge myself and you to to put our faces and our ears – to our customers, and not our backsides.

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Cultural Gushers at BP and Toyota – Another Disaster

As if the auto safety issues and the Gulf Ecological disaster weren’t enough for the leaders of  Toyota and BP , they have exposed yet another issue – Culture Leaks.  

President Akio Toyoda,  BP CEO, Tony Hayward,  and BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanbergall have become iconic examples of how “Un-Flat” the world is – at least in the context of language and in the old poignant saying, “Know your Audience.”   The lack of cultural sensitivity ( An issue that the U.S. is constantly criticised for…),  is appalling from the leaders of these two global companies.

 The World is Flat, by Thomas L. Friedman,  (http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/bookshelf/the-world-is-flat),  brilliantly describes the complex foreign policy and economic globalization  activities and issues that have transformed our world in the last century.   One of the highlights of Mr. Friedman’s past work, and his equally  insightful book,  Hot, Flat, and Crowded,  focus on the new economic  ”level playing field” that we all find ourselves on.   But, I am fascinated how mega – multi – national  companies like BP and Toyota can so thoroughly understand the flatness of commerce , and still – after decades of experience and exposure  to the N. American Culture, the leaders of these two great companies can so completely misunderstand – repeatedly – how to address us and our culture.

It seems to me that Toyota’s issue was one of arrogance, not so much the use of an out of context english phrase - and the deep-seated asian tradition of “not losing face”  – became more important than the common wisdom of today – “… admit you screwed, up – ask for forgiveness – enroll in a rehab program…”   Toyota’s strong market share and growth – spurred by their deserved reputation for quality and safety became their personal corporate heritage – regardless of the facts.   Toyota embraced what was true – that they where among the best automotive manufacturers in the world – with the truth – that they had issues.   They refused to recognize that getting ahead of a problem is always better than staying behind one.

BP however is a blend of arrogance – and cultural clumsiness.    Tony Hayward’s comments about looking forward to “getting his life back”, while 11 of his former employee’s literally lost theirs – was a horrendous gaffe.   Mr. Hayward’s declaration regarding underwater oil plumes – “…there aren’t any plumes.” was just plain stupid.   And the poor sod, Svanberg, BP’s Chairman, saying that “..BP cared about the small people, ” was sad – unbelievable, and knee slapping – side splitting funny,  like loud flatulence during a vesper service.   While I am certain Mr. Svanberg was well-intentioned, it hard to conceive of a more ill timed misstatement on such an important and sensitive issue.

So there you have it.   These two powerhouse multi-national global firms,  lead by certified “Captains of Industry”,  completely and totally understood how the economics and opportunities are indeed ”flat” in todays economy - but failed to understand that there remain many cultural  barriers  seen and unseen.   Religion, values, language, and even recognition of and about business success,  differs greatly depending on where you were born and where you reside.

These are more than examples of cultural faux pas’ – they are reminders of a world that is perhaps flat for commerce – but we are all still highly steeped in our individual culture, customs, and roots.   Cultural leak or a cultural gusher?  We have much to learn about each other!

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Japanese Nuclear Power, BP, Captain Nemo, and Icarus

 

(This previous post was focused on the BP Oil debacle – but it strikes me as being very germane to Japan’s Crisis.)

Ok, since Japan’s Nuclear Experts BP have tried everything else – can’t we now send an S.O.S. to Captain Nemo and the Nautilus?  Surely, the mighty submarine that circumnavigates the globe 2.5 times per voyage, has technology to stop this leak!  (Either Radiation or Oil)

Not to make light of this sad and serious disaster, but I can’t help but wonder what else canJapan BP try?  Drilling Mud, cement, golf balls and pieces of rubber, Tophats, hoses into pipes, pipe cutting, and who knows what else they’ve tried – have all fallen short.  Radiation Oil continues to spew into the Ocean and the atmosphere Gulf at an alarming rate, no matter who’s estimates are correct.

Is this yet another example of humanities “Icarus Syndrome”?  (He was warned not to fly too close to the sun, nor too close to the sea.  But,  overcome by the giddiness that flying lent him, Icarus soared through the sky curiously, but in the process he came too close to the sun, which melted the wax. Icarus kept flapping his wings but soon realized that he had no feathers left and that he was only flapping his bare arms, and fell into the sea. – Wikipedia)  

Has our confidence – over confidence  – in technology brought us to a state of giddiness in our own capabilities?   Perhaps deep water oil exploration and this recent  failure to manage unseen but inevitable consequences is a warning from the technology gods – Don’t fly to close too the Sun – cuz we’re going to get burned!     Based on these events in the Gulf of Mexico, what other horrors await us?   Let me just list a few cutting edge technologies and allow you to gasp, at your leisure;

  • Reviving extinct DNA (Hellooo, Raptor!)
  • Cloning (Just how many copies of bad humans do we need?)
  • Nano Technology (I am already afraid of ticks and other small crawly things…)
  • Invisibility Cloak  (Could we just make one to put over congress? We would need an audibility cloak too, in this case.)
  • Hadron Collider  (Could we possibly suck the oil into another dimension?)

My advice and stance on these exciting and scary technology experiments?  Well…    Prior to;

  • Creating a dinosaur with  an appetite bigger then Oil Company Profits
  • Cloning Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
  • Developing nano robots that are 1,000x smaller than a cockroach and even harder to kill
  • Making our problems invisible – rather than solving them
  • Creating a giant worm hole where Earth USED to be…
  • Wasn’t Godzilla created with RADIATION?????

Let’s just take a step back -  and first develop methods to reverse these unintended consequences.

Now, has anyone seen my wax wings?  And has anyone heard from Nemo?

I hope Nemo picks me up from the Sea!

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I Miss my Buttons

My Kingdom for a Button!

Ok, I’ll be the first to confess I am a very early adopter of technology.  For a reference point,  if Moore’s “Crossing the Chasm” were literally about a real terrestrial chasm, then as an Uber early adopter I would be so far away from the chasm, I would need a satellite image to know there’s a chasm to cross. That said, I have spent a career helping promote technology – mobile technology to be specific. I have been among the first to own Blackberry’s, Palm VII, iPaq’s, Sony P900′s, Nokia 9000′s, Apple iTouch, Droids, etc… And I have loved them all… but… at this point in my life…  I really really miss Buttons.

I am talking about buttons with numbers. Yes, 1-9, 0, a # and an *.   I long to push those buttons and feel them Push Back, (wow, is that why we push each others buttons?).   Smooth slick bright glass screens are amazing to view a web page, read a book, or play electronic Scrabble. But, they’re not much fun to dial a phone number with… Especially in a car or in bright sunlight.

(I can’t help but wonder if this is how it felt moving from a rotary dial to touch-tone?)

Yes, voice search and voice dialing are getting better – but they still are far from perfection.   I am especially frustrated when I try to use voice dialing an the phone correct ME – Suggesting that next time I need to say, “… Call … Matthew…   Work …NOW.  Very helpful, indeed.

So I ask,  how many of us can  dial on a phones buttons without looking, merely by using our tactical sense and memory?

So as I rant in Luddite fashion about my absent and perhaps obsolete buttons, in the I interest of full disclosure – I writing this blog on my Apple iPad.    (Yes, I know – lighting is coming for me!)   But prior to being incinerated by a billion gigawatts of static electricity, please allow me to elaborate.

The keyboard “buttons” on my beloved iPad are;

- large enough to type on
- giving me an audible key click when touched
- in conjunction with a slick predictive spell checker – fixing my errors (mostly)
- designed to be used while stationary and paying some attention

In fact, I type as well on an iPad as I do on most net books. ( On a full sized keyboard I can type at approximately 65 wpm.)

As highlighted above,  touch screen tablets work very well for me…  As a tablet, not as a phone.   In fact, I am considering going “back” to an old fashion feature phone to use as a phone.

Yes. Just a phone. For all other keyboard activities, messaging, tweeting, blogging, and web browsing work great on my iPad, and as a side benefit of using an old fashion cellphone as just a phone,  I may not get into a car accident while using my favorite numbers, 1-9, and of course my real “Talk” and “End” buttons.

This just in – #Mashable’s Poll validates me!    “Mobile Keyboard Faceoff: Physical vs. Virtual”   50% of those responding choose a physical keyboard!

http://mashable.com/2010/05/17/faceoff-qwerty-v-virtual/

I really do miss those buttons!

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Palm: Go-To-Market Failure

Palm.  Palm invented the PDA.  Palm invented the smartphone.   Palm created the first handheld PDA that wirelessly connected to the internet.  Palm had the first web enbabled location-based services web platform,  the Palm VII. 

The Palm Treo was a breakthrough product combining a PDA and a cellphone – so avant-garde that is featured in the first Bourne Identity movie.  ( The inept customs guard that Bourne took out in 3 seconds had one, and Mr. Bourne cloned the SIM! )  The Treo 650 – honestly was one of my favorite phones – ever!    Keyboard, touchscreen, and TONS of applications!  

So, why is Palm struggling to survive today?   Just over one year ago Palm launched the Palm Pre and WebOS  to great accolade and fanfare – it was going to be THE iPhone Killer… said the press and pundits worldwide.   What happened to that company? 

It’s really so simple.   Three letters are the real reason …. G  T  M.   GTM… Go To Market  strategy – and GTM execution failure.   Many companies misunderstand that an exciting, well covered by both press and analysts –  social media powered announcement does not – DOES NOT - mean a commercial product success is imminent.

GTM is more than just a product announcement or launch.    It must include a sustainable lifecycle marketing plan – In other words – What are you going to do on Day 2?

The decision for Palm to launch exclusively with Sprint was a major reason for their GTM failure.  Not that there’s anything wrong with Sprint – after all – 4G ROCKS! – and the Sprint network and customer service are grossly underrated.  No, the problem wasn’t Sprint – they were a symptom – not the cause.  After all, who among us could turn away $1M in marketing money?  Especially if your company, like Palm was/is, already cash strapped?   The million bucks bought lots of advertising – some a little … mmm.. how do I put this … SCARY… but - the PalmPre had a great deal of attention and Twitter Trending success both before and immediately after the Pre’s public announcement.  

Palm had several core issues;

  • Sprint – a very good cellular provider – is the 4th largest  carrier in the U.S.   Even if, as Mr. Rubinstein has often suggested, Palm had done a “better job training the Sprint retail store rep’s” ,  Sprint alone – based on their market position, could not offer enough selling bandwidth to allow the Pre sufficient runway in an already crowded smartphone market.
  • Apparently, no GTM plan to sustain interest in the Pre and more importantly WebOS, was in place – and if it was- execution was flawed.    A common misperception of GTM is that it only includes media buys and splashy pricey events – when in fact – today’s technology sales trajectory is almost solely in the hands of a small but ‘SUMO’ like technology community of developers, ISV’s, and integrators, that literally make or break a products success.   Don’t believe me? Ask Apple how important their developer community is to their bottom line.     WebOS is a fantastic mobile OS – but with only one phone to write software for – how could a small development shop afford the  investment to write app’s for the Pre alone?
  • The delayed launch of the Palm Pixi - failed to convince buyers and more importantly developers, that Palm  and WebOS was a “going concern” that they could afford to develop for – invest with… Again – the Pre was announced first on Sprint – only.

I propose that the Palm story would not be an epitaph if Palm would have had executed a strong GTM Plan, including;

  • Resistence of  Sprint’s “free” $1M marketing launch investment and sought a launch on Verizon – simultaneously
  • Spent resources on the developer community to encourage and fund WebOS development
  • Offered WebOS for free – like Google has with  Android – to interested cellphone and computer manufacturers

Most importantly,  Palm needed a long term - sustainable marketing plan that included more then just a loud and boisterous launch.   A steady stream and investment in a long term market strategy is the only way to get your message out – and sustain interest in your technology products in this very new marketing millenium.

I hope that Palm can make it alone.  Really.   But at the least, I hope a new management team and perhaps new ownership, ( With both deep experience and pockets), will come to Palm’s rescue.   Best to you, Palm – and to your next GTM strategy!

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iPhone4: The 15 Minute Stampede

What do they know that we don't?

You know those movies where a   noise is heard in the jungle that signals an impending disaster and the animals run -in a panic – for their lives?   

Scared to death, they trample anything and everything in their path – with no regard to the consequences.  

How does this have anything to do the iPhone4 “outing”?   It seems to me that the stampede of the social media pundits and curious onlookers falling over themselves to find out the scoop on Apple’s next generation iPhone is a stampedeblind, senseless, ravenous, trampling on people, intellectual property, and morals.  

The rumors say that GIZMODO has had almost 4 million web site hits since breaking this story – now that’s a big BIG stampede!   And who have they trampled?  

The list is long:    

  • Apple’s IP
  • A person’s life/career
  • “The Press”
  • Moral obligation

(Random order above.)  

First, Apple’s IP:  

Any company, even Apple, has a fundamental right to protect their trade secrets and to disclose those secrets at a time of their choosing – if ever.   This basic right is supposed to be supported by our various patent laws.  The recognition of intellectual property is one of the free enterprise rules that makes the U.S. a business leader and innovator.   Create a better mouse trap – patent it – reap  the benefits of this knowledge and creativity.   No one, no matter how big a “FanBoy” , has the right to publish or utilize IP that belongs to someone else – period. (Without their permission.)  

A person’s life/career:  

Wow.   I guess GIZMODO doesn’t have a monopoly on this one!   Is blogging about a person’s alleged mistakes considered “news” or is it just libel?   Let’s face it.. GIZMODO has a vast global audience…   the person that lost the iPhone has the right to not have judgement inflicted by here say and second-hand information.  Have you not heard about the online social media bullying cases that are finding those participating guilty of harassment?  Really, GIZ… there was no need to give the name of this person.    

The “Press”  

I am simply not knowledgable or conversant enough to cover this…  but I really – perhaps naïvely -  thought there was a difference in reporting the news and creating the news.   Is it right to buy property when you know those in possession of the property aren’t the rightful owner?   When you look at the media cascade for this story – I am reminded - Stampede Indeed!   Did GIZMODO and other outlets not trample on everyone? 

Morals:  

Ok, so let’s just make this simple.   You found something that doesn’t belong to you.  You try to return the item – knowing it has great value to the legitimate owner.   Circumstances and human nature delay the return of the item – so you think that you now have the right to SELL THE ITEM to a 3rd party????   Really?   Legal or not – does this feel right and sound right to anyone?    

Is our response to this stampede of curiosity  human nature or are we instinctively drawn to the mistakes and misfortunes of others?   Has “Tabloid” style news completely run over any decency and sense of what is right?   

All I know is that if  we all get our “15 minutes”  of fame -  for making a simple human mistake - I for one will gladly give up 14 minutes of  my time.

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Tweet this:http://bit.ly/cuzIgotnthintosay

… Is the reason you ”got nuth’in  to say”… is that you try to say something every five minutes on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc…?

I have noticed an interesting trend in Social Community sites – almost all comments link to comments from someone else.   While I appreciate the visibility and insights that most of these links offer, I can’t help but wonder if in our effort to be social media “hipsters”, – that we are somehow violating the core  principles of these new collaboration tools.   It would seem that frequency trumps content in the “look at me” world of social communities.

After all, aren’t we supposed to be expressing our own personal and professional thoughts and ideas – not someone elses?

Does retweeting or adding a link to our comments add credibility to our thoughts and opinions - even though we haven’t expressed any of these ourselves?   Will Social Media become nothing more than the passing out of  markers to the opinions or the marketing messages of someone else?  Is this what pundits of social media mean when they say we’re nothing more than “proxies” for everyone else’s thoughts but our own?

I am not certain what I really have to say on this subject – so – knock yourselves out:  http://bit.ly/cTlcWN

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iPad. iSaw- iBought – iHappy

 
iPad. The new black and the new crack.

 

UPDATE:  April 4, 2010 

Yes, my wait for the Apple iPad was worth it.   It is all that everyone reported on, reviewed, and imagined – the good and the not so good.  

An amazingly well made device – the look and feel – is nothing but quality.    The screen, well yes – it is as good as the reviews said it was – brilliant, bright, and highly responsive.   

The functionality – it’s all there – well – enough for a fantastic “1.0″ device.   Do I wish that it had a camera, USB, etc…?  Yes!  I do – but I also wish I was less heavy, taller, smarter, and richer – so now that’s out the of way – The Apple iPad is the most aspirational mobile device I have ever owned.  (And if you’re wondering – in the last 30 years,  I have owned most every electronic device known to humanity.) 

Aspirational?  Yes.  If  Henry Ford’s Model A had been this well-engineered - we certainly would have had flying cars  – 30 years ago!   Just imagine in the very near future the breakthroughs to come;   Pico Projection – 3D,  Biometrics that do instant DNA scans,  and nano storage technology – all squeezed into an iPad form factor.   Ok, before the über geek in me implodes – let me digress – and ask a simple question.  What other product has captured the imagination of so many diverse people – (everyday people, geekdom, etc… ), prior to the product launch?  Easy answer:  NONE. 

I know that I may have lost all credibility in saying that I’m NOT an “Apple FanBoy”,  but regardless of who engineered and built the iPad – my feelings would be exactly the same. 

This form factor is a milestone for both the consumer and the enterprise user – we have only to figure out how to harness this new “access point” - to the worlds imagination.

_________________________________________________________________________________ 

As a hopeless technology geek, I am drawn to the iPad like a moth to flame – it is like an irresistable gravity that compels me to move forward unconsciously to the Apple Online Store.    

I believe that I am not alone in this obsession.  For me, as I am not a card-carrying Apple FanBoy, it’s more about the “next thing”.  I am especially drawn to the  promise of what the Apple iPad will do for Enterprise Mobility.    Yes, Enterprise Mobility – I am excited not for watching movies and videos while I travel, (Although very cool..), I am excited about the future applications that will be created to satisfy the insatiable and growing demand for business applications – anytime and anywhere.  (Yes, I am keenly aware of small handheld smartphone devices that can offer but a tiny a peek – a peephole – into a database or a glimpse into a document.)  I am talking about the ability to bridge and combine these teeny tiny applet’s and views with applications best suited for a 20″ desktop screen.       

I envision a completely new business application family that will deliver far more than the usability of a super slim notebook computer, or a 4″ “Plus” sized smartphone.    Look at the offerings for the iPhone today – although some are less than frivolous, a large majority are tremendous productivity drivers – Just look at the multitude of POS (Point of Sale), applications – and the number of applications that are “Vertical” in nature is astounding.   Add these successes to a larger format, that appears to be ultimately portable, and you have not just a new platform – but an honest to goodness game changer!    

So, that’s the real reason that iCan’t iWait for the iPad – after all, it’s the Enterprise Mobility Applications -stupid!  (.. and of course The Advertising Revenues – but that’s another blog.)

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Windows Tablet – Cold: Windows 6 on a Warming Plate

  

Does Microsoft need one of these for 6?

STRIKE  #3 

As I expressed concern previously in this post,  Microsoft’s (#MSFT) – NON-PLAN for Windows Mobile 6 is a major miss step – but with Balmer telling the world that Microsoft was hard at work on creating an “#iPad Killer” with Windows 7 – is well… hilarious – in a dark sad way! 

As many have commented before – the genius of the iPad is the minimalist approach taken with the OS and the user interface – Simple is Simply – Brilliant.   

The failure of Windows Mobile was primarily due to the fact that Microsoft tried to shoehorn a desktop OS into a phone – so now – shoehorning a desktop into a tablet seems like a great idea?   Wow.  Speechless.    

Strike #2 

Is #Microsoft’s Windows 6…well.. the end of the line for all current Microsoft #Mobile Devices as suggested in BGR – http://bit.ly/aPC6ef  ? 

While this a serious concern for consumer devices – it is a disaster for #enterprise customers. 

Thousands of enterprise customers have built their mobility solutions and future IT strategies on Window Mobile – with the confidence that their choice of the Microsoft ecosystem assured a consistent, understandable, concise, upgrade path.  At least they used too… 

Once again, Microsoft seems to have ignored business users and the enterprise with the recent Windows Mobile 7 preview at the Mobile World Congress.  Until the last week, Microsoft has made no attempt to placate and ease the concerns of the business community. 

How ironic that the boys in Redmond are so eager to chase #Apples #iPod consumer success at the expense of their most lucrative-margin rich-business.  (I am reminded of the dog with a bone looking into a pool of water and seeing his reflection – rather than being happy with the bone he has – he greedily makes a grab for the mirror image – only to lose his real prize into the pool…) 

The decision of #Balmer & Company to again put the very global enterprises that have made Microsoft the global leader it is- in second place is appalling.  The brass ring for Microsoft is not to be Apple like.. it’s to be Microsoft LIKE.  MICROSOFT - YOU OWN THE ENTERPRISE BUSINESS- Wouldn’t you like to keep it?  (Insert praise for #Google #Android here.) 

So, in the meantime, we’ll just put WM 6.x on the toddler warming plate and wait for Microsoft to act like the mature business it’s supposed to be. 

Strike #3 

I wonder what Microsoft’s third strike will be?  Maybe a proprietary small texting phone with no compelling features and a high monthly service provider fee… no wait they already did that – KIN!

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