How much longer will MicroSoft Last

[meStevo]

...and do what, install some free flavor of Linux? People have been saying that for what, a decade now?

There have never been more viable alternatives, but MS isn't going anywhere.

This is even more absurd than the other thread suggesting Facebook would experience trouble because of their stock stuff.

 

[mike123abc]

I have no doubt that MS will stay in business and still make a lot of money. But, I do not think they will hold on to 90% of the market any more. If you count tablets that people now use instead of a laptop or PC they are already way down. I see no reason for a person to buy a desktop any more that does not need the large screen for something like gaming or work. The tablets are moving in and taking over the home market.

 

[Bob2011]

The only people talking about Microsoft's downfall are those sitting in 10+ year old cubicles. The whole world is changing to a hyper mobile mode geared for the tablet. The Microsoft Surface and Surface Pro will be a game changer for many businesses. The Surface Pro and other clones running Intel Core processors are going to outclass plenty of low end laptops. I can see a time where the average office worker is assigned a tablet instead of a desktop or laptop. Their new cubicle will be a fraction of the size it was in the 90s. There may be nothing in it but a chair and small desk. A power outlet would be optional due to 10 hours of battery life

 

[KE4EST]

I sorta agree but it will be another 10+ years before this is the norm....or at least that is the way I see it.

 

[mike123abc]

The only people talking about Microsoft's downfall are those sitting in 10+ year old cubicles. The whole world is changing to a hyper mobile mode geared for the tablet. The Microsoft Surface and Surface Pro will be a game changer for many businesses. The Surface Pro and other clones running Intel Core processors are going to outclass plenty of low end laptops. I can see a time where the average office worker is assigned a tablet instead of a desktop or laptop. Their new cubicle will be a fraction of the size it was in the 90s. There may be nothing in it but a chair and small desk. A power outlet would be optional due to 10 hours of battery life

Yes but which OS will that tablet be running? iOS has a 3 year head start, and a lot of businesses have adopted the iPad for many functions. The next few years will be interesting.

 

[Sean Mota]

If a lot of business moves to the "cloud" even if the cloud resides in that business and all the employees access it via the browser from anywhere, the need for windows in the business world will shrink a lot.

Mike, not to use your quote directly but this business about the cloud is, many times misunderstood. For example, in our business we are prohibited from using any cloud outside our own business. In fact, if anyone uses any outside cloud we will be in violation of so many private law. We have our own cloud that we can access only through vpn right now. We are always 2-3 years behind any technology change in,software or hardware.

 

[Sean Mota]

sean,

Yes, businesses could well jump off the upgrade bandwagon and stay on 7.

That would buy them time to switch.

As an FYI, I can do nearly everything on my android tablet except for Visio stuff.

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We will probably stay on 7 for a while. the problem lies in the type of business that you work for.

 

[John Kotches]

Bob,

I agree with part of what you said about the shift towards more of a mobile device for mainstream users.

I just see MS as being behind the curve these days and struggling for relevance in the future. If Win8 isn't a home run we'll see the descent of Microsoft to a smaller role in the lives of everyday computing.

Anything less, akin to the ambivalent reaction to Vista for example, is going to be problematic for them.

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[navychop]

Yep. "Last" is one thing. Being dominant is quite another.

 

[avg1joe]

What I find fascinating is that apple products have been firmly entrenched in the school systems for decades now and they still have less than ten percent of the market. Every kid is introduced to an apple computer at some point in his school career. More than nine out of ten of them grow up to buy a Windows machine. Ask yourself, is what you hate about Windows 8 that it isn't Windows-like enough for you? Has Microsoft tried to be more like its competition and everyone hates it? Apple is never going to have a serious share until they price their products differently. What will we be using to access information and communicate with each other in the future? A big screen, or a small one? Microsoft does well being compatible with various hardware and programs. I don't think Microsoft is going anywhere.

 

[mike123abc]

What I find fascinating is that apple products have been firmly entrenched in the school systems for decades now and they still have less than ten percent of the market. Every kid is introduced to an apple computer at some point in his school career. More than nine out of ten of them grow up to buy a Windows machine. Ask yourself, is what you hate about Windows 8 that it isn't Windows-like enough for you? Has Microsoft tried to be more like its competition and everyone hates it? Apple is never going to have a serious share until they price their products differently. What will we be using to access information and communicate with each other in the future? A big screen, or a small one? Microsoft does well being compatible with various hardware and programs. I don't think Microsoft is going anywhere.

I think that windows wins, as you mentioned, because you can get a computer for $300, but if you want an Apple you are looking at $1k+. This is where I think that that iPad has changed everything. Now you can get an Apple for $400 (iPad2) that does what most people want to do around the house... Surf the web, email and Facebook. With a keyboard add on you can do word processing. As a bonus you get a huge selection of entertainment, that quite frankly is awkward to watch on a desktop and to some degree on a laptop.

PC sales are in decline. Last year was the first time the market actually shrank. As Apple has pointed out last year they sold more iPads than any computer manufacturer sold PCs in their entire line (15.4 million iPads vs HPs 15.1). Now there are of course a lot of PC manufacturers, but the iPad and other tablets are seriously cutting into PC sales. The desktop in the home will probably be the first major casualty, they will go from something that was in most homes to a niche product.

HTPCs have been practically wiped out by the various boxes including AppleTV - not that they were really any more than a niche market to start with.

So, MS's market will really just be laptops in the home and business computers. A nice large market that will keep them profitable for a long time. But, gone are the days when everyone had to have a windows PC at home.

 

[John Kotches]

Mike,

We're not quite there yet, but will be in the next year or two. All IMO of course.

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[Barry Erick]

WIN7 is much better than XP INO. Faster, backup easier. Much more stable on release.

 

[John Kotches]

WIN7 is much better than XP INO. Faster, backup easier. Much more stable on release.

I would hope they learned something in the 7+ years between the releases. But is Win 7 really faster than XP or is it the underlying hardware improvements?



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[Neutron]

I would hope they learned something in the 7+ years between the releases. But is Win 7 really faster than XP or is it the underlying hardware improvements?



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It's too bad MS didn't learn from Vista now that Win 8 is out.

 

[Ronnie-]

It is amazing the different opinions on the new OS. I think it is pretty darn good myself.

 

[Ramy]

I have yet to try it. Might get a copy since a lot of places are selling it cheap.

 

[osu1991]

My dad bought a new Dell i5 laptop with W8 and liked it, so to make it easier on my step mom trying to use 2 different looking operating systems, we put W8 on their old dual core Dell Laptop that had Vista Business on it and it is night and day the difference in speed and performance. He is now regretting buying the new Dell i5 laptop with W8 to replace his desktop. He could probably have just put W8 on it and been happy, other than he wanted a 2nd laptop for traveling since they are now spending several months a year at the condo in Vegas.

I don't have a problem W8, but I'm holding back as I have everything for my business working perfect on W7 and I know if I upgrade I'm bound to find a proprietary program from one of my government clients that doesn't work with it and then I'm stuck trying to support a standalone program(s).

 

[John Kotches]

The desktop market shrank in the last year. Apple is gaining percentage in a shrinking market which would indicate that they are maintaining overall unit sales.

Tablets at work? If there's a dock and you can use a larger monitor. Otherwise, impractical for 8 hours of work.

 

[Stargazer]

A lot of tablets (and laptops as well) have HDMI outputs on them these days. I think the future involves having people connect tablets and phones up to a monitor taking their data with them instead of a desktop connected to a monitor. Perhaps the future is to make it transmit the data wirelessly to the monitor or through the home network by just laying it beside the television. This combined with a wireless keyboard and mouse is a great solution. No more desktops needed as a result.