When is Microsoft going to deliver, blogger asks

Chris -

That’s funny considering I woke up today to headlines like “Could the PS3 kill Sony?”

The 360 has sold more units in the US since it’s US release than the PS2 did in the same timeframe – and the PS2 had been out in Japan 8 months beforehand. So don’t prattle on about “shortages.” Every next-gen console has “shortages” when it’s first launched. The only reason the PS3 might not have that problem is that probably no one will be able to afford one.

Ralph is part of the problem. Not the solution.

Microsoft releases it’s Beta/CTP, then the bloggers go to work:

Scoble, Microsoft-Watch, Wininformant, Winbeta – you name it, and the next thing you know, you have a dense cloud of bullshit surrounding a product that is not ready for primetime. Expectations are inflated, release dates are speculated on, missing/new/wanted features are beaten around the blogosphere.

Even companies that don’t do betas as often suffer from this. Pre-MacWorld, the blogs are full of idle speculation and when Jobs doesn’t announce the Mac Tablet, The Mac-Mini Media Center, there’s the let down, and the godawful postgame play of his keynote. “No Intel Mac-Mini Launched” – Gimme a frickin’ break. Nobody at Apple said there was going to be an Intel Mac Mini yet, so why waste column inches responding to self created products.

In the old days, my answer to Ralph would be simple. Don’t go to channel9 and Scoble. These days, with blogs cannibalising each others content, you can’t escape it. Someone else has read scoble and wants to give you their 2 cents.

It amazes me that Microsoft-Watch and MacRumors exist. The fact that these sites can live off the news coming from one company either shows the company is being very productive, or there is a bunch of people with nothing better to do than speculate.

Where’s the Gillette-Watch site?

How about the Coca-Cola Watch?

I can start a fight over why 5 blades are better than 4 on a razor with the best of them, but I doubt anyone would be interested.

So, what is about Software and Hardware Companies that has elevated them to 24 hour scrutiny?

@Brandon – are you saying that the 360 has sold more in its initial launch (almost 3 months now?) than PS2 did in its first 3 months?

Or are you saying that the 360 has sold more units over the last 3 months than the PS2?

What are the numbers? What is the 360 doing to the original XBOX sales?

Brandon, boy oh boy…No one will be able to afford the PS3? Even if only 50% of marketshare upgrade, it’s still 10 million up total XBox and Xbox 360 combined sales. And the worldwide thin-slice release strategy, something no one has ever dared try, (for good reason) didn’t account for say any of those product ‘shortages? But see, you are dead wrong, as even your own company is saying “shortages” just they are blaming IBM.

But the slag bad-mouthing the competition, Major Nelson style, will but backfire. You stress differentiation, which in the Xbox 360 line-up would be the Xbox Live. Marketing 101.

But with total blinders like that, you are obviously on a Microsoft Executive Career Track.

I can start a fight over why 5 blades are better than 4 on a razor with the best of them, but I doubt anyone would be interested.

Actually I would, but more why 5 is better than 3, as no four blade shaver out there, unless you are talking just the physics of it. I actually bought 2 Fusion’s, but the single blade fine-tune slicer on backside is a drawback to me, still scared of accidentally flipping over and half filleting myself. And maybe Phillip Krumholz would be interested too. Phillip is a master, author of “Gillette Collector’s Handbook” and countless other historical razor shaving and collector books. Happen to know him personally, quite a whole historical wealth of info there. Actually thinking of doing a documentary on him and his research and flying up the Documentary channel market. History Channel take note.

http://www.heart.net/~krumholz/

Brandon,

I like the 360 but you are dead wrong. You can afford supply problems when you are the market leader. Not only was Sony the market leader when PS2 launched, they had a year lead.

The 360 isn’t going to have that luxury. Further, you don’t have the geographies to support the massive development budgets required for AAA titles. As Christopher mentioned, developers are furious over the management of the 360 launch. (I’ve spoken with them personally)

The 360 doesn’t have enough to carry it though this Christmas. Barring catastrophic PS3 shortages, the 360 is finished.

I will say on the 360 (not meaning to keep this thing solely an Xbox thread), but patches and capacity issues on Live aside, the machine is a fantastic home entertainment centerpiece that hits most of the right targets in ways I don’t think the PS3 will necessarily do and is thus an excellent example of a good “delivery”. It’s a state-of-the-art hi-def gaming console with always-on network connectivity, a meeting place, a marketplace, a gaming lite portal, home network jukebox, *and* a Media Center Extender. And all of these features are intuitively accessible from whatever the machine is doing within 10 seconds.

I find it hard to imagine anyone saying “wow” about a microsoft product. The most I’ve ever heard was “eh.. it’s marginally better in some ways than the last pile of crap.”

Mujibur – I think it’s the PS3 that’s in danger of failing, not the 360. Who is going to pay twice as much for a lesser system? Just for a BluRay drive?

Lesser how? Because it’s not adorned with the MS logo? The whole “MORE POWER” idiocy overlooks CONTENT.

Let’s see, what next gen system is going to have more content, the Xbox 360, PS3, or the Revolution.

Hmmm…Revolution wins, followed by the PS3. The PSx and the Xbox X are friggin’ clones of each other anyway, only differing by the names on the titles.

J. Random: nice fud, but I stood in line with hundreds of people who were waiting for Xbox’s. They didn’t do that because Xbox 1 only made them say “eh.”

Oh Branddonnnnnn…You are so fan-boy blind, about not worth bothering. You are defending the indefensible.

“I think it’s the PS3 that’s in danger of failing” – You have to be quite nuts. No one is saying that, no analysts, no press, no developers, not even your own company, worst case scenario is pegged at 30-35 million, which bests Xbox all totals. And here’s the thing Xbox is already a failure, in terms of profit. Microsoft will never be able to recoup their investment. Sony will drop ball in distribution for sure, but it won’t be the global Microsoft style.

“twice as much” – Well since the prices haven’t been announced, that’s pure FUD on your part.

“lesser system?” – Eh? Pretty even-matched, with Cell and BluRay as bonuses, now don’t go all Major Nelson on me, but many areas in which it be not lesser, including content. And I wouldn’t discount the BluRay impact, already real demand there, Nero 7 just supported too, long-term play, but far better than the HD-DVD add-on line Microsoft is sticking with.

Now what is really in your favor is the strength of the Xbox Live Community.