http://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-the-party-over-for-
microsoft-2009-07-24
"The cash cows are dying of neglect. This company cannot keep its eye
on the ball because there are too many shiny objects to distract it.
* Years ago in the pre-Internet era, AOL was the talk of the
town, so Microsoft had to copy it with MSN. No money was made; no
strategic advantage was gained.
* Netscape was the rage for a while, so Microsoft threw together
a browser and got in that business. The browser was given away for
free. No money was made; the strategy got the company in trouble with
government trustbusters.
* During the early days of the Internet, new online publications
appeared. Microsoft decided to become a publisher too, rolling out a
slew of online properties including a computer magazine and a women's
magazine. They were all folded.
* Computer books became popular; Microsoft began Microsoft
Press. After an early splash and success, the company soon lost
interest and the division now languishes.
* Teddy Ruxpin became a hot toy. Microsoft rolled out a couple
of robotic plush toys, including the creepy Barney the Dinosaur who
sang "I love you and you love me." The company soon lost interest and
dropped the whole thing.
* AOL-TV appeared, along with other device-centric TV-delivery
mechanisms in the 1990s. Microsoft created a Microsoft-TV division as
well as a device. It soon lost interest.
* Adobe Photoshop became a huge success, so Microsoft hired Alvy
Ray Smith to develop photo-editing software. Smith quit when the
company lost interest in the idea.
* Yahoo and Google showed that a search engine could be a money
maker, so Microsoft copied that idea; it now has Bing.
* Cloud applications are currently trendy, along with notions
about software as a service. Microsoft decides to go into that business.
* The Apple rolled out a MP3 player, the iPod. Microsoft came up
with its own MP3 player, the Zune. The company also says it wants to
stream music.
Now comes the latest fiasco: Microsoft wants to open retail stores,
all of them next to or near an Apple store."
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