Microsoft: Profit DECIMATED because you people aren't buying PCs Microsoft has weathered a difficult three months: despite signs of growth in cloud computing, overall sales were dragged down by dwindling demand from consumers. Revenues of $21.73bn in Microsoft's third quarter of fiscal 2015, ended March 31, met analysts' expectations. However, sustainable growth still eludes the software …
Well, that is too strong and I'll be roasted for it.
MS has spent way too much time playing with the UI for the supposed ultra-desktop/mobile interface.
The OS is OK, not great. The "Accessories" and "Office" are also OK but have some decent competitors, even in the Windows world.
Sometimes peoples just need to acknowledge that "their" time (30 years!) has come and gone. They need to actively help future developers learn from their mistakes.
Yup. Nobody wants windows 8, not consumers, not businesses. Xbox one has tanked beyond even Sony's wildest dreams. Office has been stagnant for years.
Even in the corporate space things aren't rosy, business are going web apps (like JIRA) that run tomcat and run it best on Linux.
windows 8.1 is fine if you use a decent replacement shell and default it to the desktop interface rather than the craptastic tiles...
You don't even have to bother with a replacement shell, so long as you train it to stay away from Tile City. Win8.1 is faster than Win7 on the same hardware. It's more stable. It's a better all-round OS in every way, except for the damn tiles. Once the tiles are banished to the lowest tier of Hell it's quite usable and useful. The main problem is that the tiles keep trying to break out of Hell and have to be forced back where they belong.
Could someone please locate Sinofsky and save a penguin or two by feeding him to a leopard seal? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_seal
It is fine if you used 7 properly to begin with.
Windows key and type part of the name of the app.
All the keyboard shortcut keys are still the same (And there are other useful ones like windows + x).
Powershell is improving (Can be added to 7 but if people cannot figure out the above well ....)
Windows "Professionals" who are not using Server Core are even worse.
True, but: Microsoft can afford to lose billions every year for the next decade so the odds are that *some* truly epic product will slip through the corporate kill-filter and revitalise the business.
Microsoft do have a lot of really smart developers - on the management side, ... not so much.
and yup!... everyone is getting sick of MS 'moving the goalposts' ALL the time!!! - turning what used to take 2 clicks into 5 clicks.. and hiding away a 'not much used' (except by design geeks!) function so it is not even possible to see it in the normal way.... >:(
as irritating as when you take your car in for full service and upgrade, you find they have moved the gear stick from between the seats to some fancy lever on the dash, that you have to press and slide - they thought it would look nice, and as an after thought add a 'safety' thing so you dont 'accidentally' push it... :(
setting up this new win8 server.. found another stupid thing... NEWB ALERT :) :)
changing the workgroup - instead of saying
"To rename this computer or change its domain or workgroup, click change"
Win8 says "To rename this computer, click change" ...
so... I thought , damned MS!! It has put it somewhere else!!!!! >:(
cue long search for where... Had not even done the 'user access to network' stuff yet...
and guess where I found the workgroup settings??????????????
Reality bites!
When Windows95 came out the general public were getting their first taste of the "inta-toobs" and MS hit a spot. Other than the Sony Playstation, most consoles ( Sega, Ninntendo ) were seen as kids toys, serious gamers used PCs. MS managed to convince people that they needed to keep upgrading to retain that "first time" experience and keep playing those state of the art games. Sadly the wheels have long since come off that wagon, the average person has that laptop/PC they bought 3 years ago and it's still good enough for using the "da toobs" to email Granny in Canada and to satisfy little Johnny's need to play Minecraft. Outside that Johnny can play his "Kill a Brown Bad Guy" game on his PS4 as he can have it in his room, he has a mobile phone and probably a tablet for everything else. When most people need to write a formal document, they can simply use Google office apps through a copy of Chrome, no need to buy and install huge office apps suite these days, most people simply want to bang out a formal letter to the GP or the local council and Google through a browser is adequate.
MS needs people to keep upgrading their hardware, that's generally the only time your average Joe P actually upgrades their O/S. I can put money down and show you that most of my rellies are still using XP or Windows 7 and they're happy, change is tough. MS keeps faffing around with the interface and average person doesn't like it. Most people still see a PC like a fridge or washer, just a device to get things done. They don't expect the fridge to change every 9 months!
MS are damned lucky that Apple kit is expensive. I have at least one relative who got absolutely fed up with Windows 8 inability to do simple things like edit a home movie. My wife lent them her Macbook and with just the bog standard OSX apps, her video was edited and output in 30 minutes with no previous experience. They were going to get a new Windows laptop, now they've decided to spend a little more and get a Macbook. Plenty of IT people are setting up Linux desktops as most people simply need a browser. With Google Office apps online, those are good enough for most people.
"Yup. I've consulted at two companies in the last 5 years and more developers and IT operations techs are getting Mac laptops because of simplicity and Unix"
No idea what that is about. The only thing I can think is that those 'developers' are doing web page type stuff - which is basically type setting without the messy ink stuff.
Glue-seller Apple makes a tidy profit.
Ever since 8.1 came out, I've bought a small flood of windows gadgets. One commonality to all those purchases was rock bottom prices. $100 tablets (shocking not bad), $50 smartphone (nice), $190 laptop (sweet!), $60 Win OS for my son's gaming PC.
I'm happy that they've got their Mojo back. Android is pathetic next to Win 8.1 based gadgets. Still have the droid thingies, but I'll pick up the Win gadgets now.
Windows 8 was a wasted opportunity. If done properly (AKA differently) it could have made a massive difference.
What they ended up with was a touch interface forced into a non touch environment and the start of a Apple style walled garden.
Maybe 10 and Hololens might turn everything around?
Microsoft copying Apple? So whats new? Thats all they have done for the last 25 years. Even Apple poke a little fun at it http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/RedmondStartYourPhotocopiers.jpg
You only have to look at Windows 10 to see how many things they are adding that either Mac OS or Linux has had for ages. Notifications Bar, Multiple Desktops (although only a measly 4).
UEFI secureboot = better security
Windows 10 - its great, try out the tech preview
Windows App store - Easier access to applications
Forced cloud - Umm no, there is nothing forced on the user whatsoever
Subscriptions - an option in addition to the traditional perpetual rights, use whatever suits you
nice try but you are clearly talking out your backside
> UEFI secureboot = better security
Only if you run NSA approved operating systems. Doesnt like it when you want to dual boot into an OS tat you have complete control over.
> Windows 10 - its great, try out the tech preview
You mean the one that has broken the Start menu? How great is that?
> Windows App store - Easier access to applications
I buy hard copies. I'm not interested in vaporware that can be revoked at any time, for any reason.
> Forced cloud - Umm no, there is nothing forced on the user whatsoever
Except it's enabled by default, and users who arent tech heads wont know where or how to disable it.
> Subscriptions - an option in addition to the traditional perpetual rights, use whatever suits you
Except given Microsoft's history, it weont stay an "option" for long, and will become a requirement.
> nice try but you are clearly talking out your backside
Says the guy who has been reamed so hard and often by MS, he can no longer tell when his own arse is speaking.
This post has been deleted by its author
>UEFI secureboot = better security
Is this what's stopping me from slotting an SSD in?
>Windows 10 - its great, try out the tech preview
Don't want it.
>Windows App store - Easier access to applications
Don't want it. I want to own the software.
>Forced cloud - Umm no, there is nothing forced on the user whatsoever
How do you disable all cloud, for all time, for all applications at install?
>Subscriptions - an option in addition to the traditional perpetual rights, use whatever suits you
I don't rent anything.
>nice try but you are clearly talking out your backside
Say what you like. I'm not upgrading.
"All Microsoft has to figure out is forcing users somehow to actually buy a PC even if they do not need/want it and, kerrr-ching!
That'll be the ENFORCED obsolescence (sabotage) mechanism now trundling towards W7 then. Vista and 8 being stillborn and 9 not happening at all, it's next stop "UEFI SecureBoot + Windows 10 + Windows App store + forced cloud + subscriptions = profit"
This seems to be the worst report ever in the history of MSFT stock.
Shareholders are mad.
Microsoft profits have dropped 12%
Windows Phone revenue drops another 16%
Windows OEM revenue drops 22%
Xbox revenue down 24%
Office revenue declined 41%
What is going on in Redmond?
This is the worst quarter ever for the company.
Easy - Microsoft is settling towards a realistic value that represents their actual worth after riding a monopoly bubble buoyed by mostly legal, but also mostly unethical treatment of their competitors.
Too many times they pre-announced unavailable products to cut off competitors that could have added some valuable features to software, but instead crippled their sales efforts out front, while being slow or misleading when providing support to developers of competing products. Look at the spark that is left in Quantrix as compared with the complicated heap of Excel.
I look back at what the computer industry was like before MS was moved into a dominant position by a very ignorant and essentially stupid IBM's approval and am saddened by the sudden crippling of the pace. If this was aviation we'd have DC-3s with turbojet engines, but no pressurized cabins.
This seems to be the worst report ever in the history of MSFT stock.
Shareholders are mad.
They are indeed if they are still holding stock. Unbelievably, it went up after yet another loss announcement. Maybe they didn't catch all the dodgy traders in Hounslow? :)
What is going on in Redmond?
Karma?
"When you make a major change in you user interface every couple years - people start thinking you don;t have a clue what you are doing.
And they go else where."
That might be true for the few people that actually pay attention and have any degree of interest.
But the vast majority just buy what is available at the time.
"I think it's more that the vast majority just buy what OEMs install."
And that's probably part of the problem. If the customer doesn't like what the OEM installs then they're less likely to buy. If MS only allow the OEM to install what the customer doesn't want then we see a slump in both PC & MS sales. MS blames the PC sales slump for their own low sales but to some extent that slump might be a thing of their own making.
"Microsoft keeps saying just wait for _________. You fill in the blank - I gave up keeping track."
How long have you been waiting?
Hang in there. I'm sure Windows __ will be everything you're hoping for...
"DOS being fairly cloned has had a dramatic impact on our pricing for DOS. I wonder if we would have it around 30-40% higher if it wasn't cloned. I bet we would!"
Bill Gates, 6th August 1989
"DOS remains the backbone though of both our software businesses. It is under extreme attack by high quality clones like DR DOS."
Bill Gates, 1st December 1989
"On the PR side, we have begun an 'aggressive leak campaign' for MS-DOS 5.0. The goal is to build anticipation for MS-DOS 5.0, and diffuse potential excitement/momentum from the DR DOS 5.0 announcement."
"DR DOS 5.0 Competitive Analysis," 2nd May 1990
"On the desktop, we have a strategic win today (monopoly). We must keep the desktop."
Microsoft Executive Staff Retreat, 10th May 1990
"There is an obvious conflict quickly approaching us, and I get the feeling we are not very prepared PR wise. The conflict is Windows 3.1 and DR-DOS. Apparently DRI is quite aware of our plans to not test with DR-DOS, our plan to not let them enter the Win 3.1 beta program, and our plan to detect the presence of MS-DOS and warn the user they are on an un-tested OS if MS-DOS is not detected."
David Cole, 7th November 1991
"What the guy is supposed to do is feel uncomfortable, and when he has bugs, suspect that the problem is dr-dos and then go out to buy ms-dos. or decide not to take the risk for all the other machines he has to buy for in the office."
Brad Silverberg, 10th February 1992
"the design preview has not leaked to the press are you surprised do you wish it would if so when"
Steve Ballmer, 9th June 1992
"Who at Microsoft gets up every morning thinking about how to compete with these guys in the short term -- specifically cut their revenue. Perhaps we need more focus on this. . . . "
Bill Gates, 21st July 1993
"WOW -- If you are REALLY still telling the field the RTM is Sept 30 -- and if you are REALLY serious -- we have a ton of work to do VERY fast?!! Is this just propaganda mail???"
Mike Appe, 7th April 1994
Dear MS Shareholder,
We are trully sorry for these very dissappoining results. Don't worry as we have a plan to increase our revenues and profits again.
As you may know, we have already announced price rises for MS-Sharepoint, MS-Exchange and other server related products. Today, we announce that these price rises will be imposed as of today and will increase by 10% accross the board.
We are confident that the extra revenues will return our profitability to previous levels within the next reporting period.
Yours
Sataya, Captain of the good ship Titanic (a.k.a Microsoft)
See Icon but is it really that far fetched?
Nonsense! They have this whiz-bang new market strategist at the helm who will certainly sort things out - granted, the bloke is freakishly short of stature and there are rumours he has been stealing underpants in the past for some unknown reason but that is surely just malicious gossip...
Maybe M$ should provide what people want, not what they want us to have (subscriptions & "value add" software)?
The latest generation of software & consoles are about what is taken away, including property rights & privacy. M$ aren't alone in this, but they are the most financially exposed.
Hope Munich sets a fire under their collective a**es.
@AC
The French police have proven you can do a nation wide desktop roll out using Linux.
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