A recent article by Ashlee Vance, writer for the New York Times brought up some interesting points about why Microsoft maintains their doom and gloom results in the youth market of consumer technology products. Vance’s article pondered one possible explanation regarding their inability to win over the hearts and pocketbooks of the younger generation- the lack of appeal as a company worth working for by newbie developers. Without the influx of new blood pumping into the company, it’s hard for the software giant to get its feelers on the pulse of what is pertinent to kids today. Vance also mentioned Microsoft’s inability to pump out consumer products in a timely fashion. Since they always seem to be one step behind the trends, they are seen as the slow kid in class, stumbling and wheezing into last place.
While none of this is new information, it draws unneeded attention to Microsoft’s failures while the company is continually trying to win people over with its search engine Bing and the new Windows Phone 7. The question is: what can the fat cat do to change its image? First, Microsoft could put out some decent products for a change. The first Zune was a burly machine with a throwback design reminiscent of a 1980’s walkman. Most people didn’t give the software on it a chance because its design was outdated. However, with the April 1, 2010 release of the new Zune 64 they might have gotten everything right. It’s slick design, and noticeable upgrades like an HD touchscreen, FM/HD radio, and, well I’ll let this review by CNET do the tech talk on the 32 GB version, but all together Microsoft looks like they put out a sharp contender when compared by PCWorld to the iPod touch. The main problem that most bloggers have noted is that there is a lack of third party app store for the Zune, but word has it that Microsoft has been developing an app store for Windows Phone 7 and will also be available for the Zune. Now that Windows Phone 7 release is here, maybe all their hard work will morph into success with an app store for all their handheld media devices.
