DISQUS

David Mackey · 2 years ago

Good summary article, I enjoyed reading it very much. However, I have to disagree with your terming of Microsoft Home as Vaporware. By my definition (am I wrong) vaporware is a product which does not exist. According to this, the items do exist they just haven't been commercialized...But I hope, and expect, them to be within the next ten years.

Steve · 2 years ago

Windows Automotive is actually a big part of modern Fords, and has been in a number of luxury cars in the EU for years. I think every Ford from 2009 and forward has full Windows Automotive support.

Ben · 2 years ago

Good point, but if you look at the vast amount of products/services Microsoft launches every year some of them are always gonna end up in these categories.

Mack D. Male · 2 years ago

I suppose you're right David, the home does exist. I think vaporware is still a relevant term though - there's been far more hype and announcements than actual results.

Event Promoter · 2 years ago

Granted they have some real duds of products, but every company has at least a handful of products or services that either never lived up to their supposed promise or consumers just weren't interested in. There are some clever ideas coming out of Microsoft and some are bound to be highly successful while others completely crash and burn, but at least they are persistent in trying something new.

ning · 2 years ago

Good point, but if you look at the vast amount of products/services Microsoft launches every year some of them are always gonna end up in these categories.

No perfect things always.

DeepFire · 2 years ago

Windows Automotive? The new Fiat 500 will have it, I think. I thought about buying the car, but after I heard of the Windows integration I changed my mind. Never. Any. Microsoft. Ever.

James · 2 years ago

Ok, besides Windows & Office (XP, Moblie, etc,.) what has been successful, as is profitable?

James · 2 years ago

1) Get underwear
2) ??!??
3) Profit

Microsoft is like a blind man shooting in the dark. Other than profits from their Windows monopoly, they are failing on all fronts. Why does anyone believe their promises anymore?

Microsoft did a bang up job on these too...

Microsoft on your telly: a history of the company’s Internet TV strategy

Pete Wailes · 2 years ago

Microsoft Home won't be viable until Surface is available to the consumer. Then it'll be a presentable option to the new home builder.

Brian · 2 years ago

MS home does exist in Bill Gates' house.

Ledd · 2 years ago

The next flop will be Microsoft Surface.

Doug · 2 years ago

You forgot Microsoft Phone, and Microsoft UltimateTV! UltimateTV got a lot of commercial time on prime time networks, competing with TiVo in its early days. And then they pulled the plug...

James · 2 years ago

"The next flop will be Microsoft Surface." @ Ledd

You're right... flopping right along...

Microsoft Meeting: Will Another Demo End Up On YouTube?
July, 26, 2007
http://www.cnbc.com/id/19980908
‘You’d think after a year, and so many YouTube views, that any new product demo this time around would be bullet-proof, particularly one involving Bill Gates himself. But this morning we got a kind of digital deja vu dispatch from senior executive at an investment firm who says this year’s tech demo was equally disastrous. Says our source who was on hand for this: “Gates’ first demo on that ‘table’ Surface display (the one Microsoft made a big deal about) didn’t work.” (Remember this product, unveiled earlier this year? The coffee-table sized computer that, um, acts as a coffee table?) “Supposed to be a ‘touch screen’ control but Gates touched it and tried to move things on the screen; nothing moved, it was frozen.” Gates’ quote, according to our tipster: “It’s a lot more fun when they work.” He added: “Gates looked kinda embarrassed, but he’s still talking and things going fine now.”

“He later got it fixed,” our tipster writes, “but it took two tech guys 7 to 8 minutes to fix it.”
It gets worse. The same analyst says the crowd can’t connect into Microsoft’s own network to view slides on their laptops during the executive presentations: “IT guys running around like crazy here trying to get things fixed…”'

James · 2 years ago

I'm sorry, I guess it's a Vista flop... they can't even get their core business right...

Windows Vista unreadiness revealed
July, 26, 2007
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/26/windows...

'Turner joined other senior executives at Microsoft's annual financial analyst summit to paint a future of Windows running on multiple devices and even inside table tops, with the recently unveiled surface computing - which runs on Windows Vista...

Getting a first-hand taste of what's coming down the road from Microsoft, chairman Bill Gates was forced to ad lib during his conference demo, as the surface computing setup failed to work on the first attempt. "It's turned on... maybe we'll come back to that. It's more exciting when it does something - which right now it's not," Gates said to a ripple of analyst laugher.'

carldec · 2 years ago

the FIA has announced that all the Forumula One Cars electronic control units starting next year will be Microsoft products. Does anyone know if this is in any way related to the Windows Automotive stuff?


also.. I cant believe you didnt mention Bob... the most horrible "lifestyle" UI ever.

Mack D. Male · 2 years ago

@carldec: No, I don't think it is directly related to Windows Automotive. It's actually not just Microsoft, but a joint venture between McLaren (who have been supplying ECUs for years) and Microsoft. I think Microsoft's role is more to ensure the devices work well with backend infrastructure for analysis.

See: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/d...

I didn't mention Bob for precisely that reason - everyone mentions Bob! And the article was focused more on hardware and systems than software.

Steve Savage · 2 years ago

The technologies aren't duds, but Microsoft's association with them is the kiss of death to be sure.
Microsoft's latest flop will be the computerized table. The interface seems cool at first, but like most Microsoft products, its a solution in search of a problem.

James · 2 years ago

There is absolutely new about Microsoft Surface! Its already been done by several other companies. The only thing Microsoft did was to run these old technologies on Vista. Surface doesn't even have a touch screen, it uses cameras, how 90's. Nowhere near the iPhone.

Wasatch Software · 2 years ago

Great article! Windows Home Server and Microsoft Surface look they are incredible products, but will Microsoft stick it out or ditch these like they did all of the products on your list...