Microsoft fights for its reputation, where’s Apple and Google?

I think their strategy is “don’t put oil on the fire” in hope the fire will extinguish by itself.

One thing I don’t understand is why computer graphic artists are worshipping macs. I could understand in the 80s. not in 2006.

“One thing I don’t understand is why computer graphic artists are worshipping macs. I could understand in the 80s. not in 2006.”

let’s turn this around: why would you even contemplate NOT using a Mac, assuming you are given a choice? I use both platforms and I’ll tell I will never spend one dollar of my own money on Windows, for the foreseable future.

“One thing I don’t understand is why computer graphic artists are worshipping macs.”

You must not be a graphic artist or you’d know

Graphic artists got addicted to Macs back in the mid-1980s because Apple gave them high-quality fonts, an easy to setup networking system, and a great laser printer before anyone else did (all VERY important for graphic design).

No one has given them a real reason to switch since (although the Tablet PC came close, but those machines are too underpowered to really be considered for hard-core desktop publishing/photoshop work).

I know more and more graphic artists, though, who are using Windows.

“Graphic artists got addicted to Macs back in the mid-1980s because Apple gave them high-quality fonts, an easy to setup networking system, and a great laser printer before anyone else did (all VERY important for graphic design).”

None of this has changed, plus you add Bonjour networking and Final Cut Pro.

Also, TCO on Macs is near zero. With Windows, you need dedicated staff to keep things going.

I am a IT researcher, and I also know that Apple and Google get less efforts to research such as writing a paper.

Nevertheless, Apple and Google try to create “STYLE” which MS does not have.

People want be more emotional than ever. They want to “show” their emotional attraction which created by them.

MS looks like a genius group, not a stylish guys.

I have no idea whether the open-blogging/secrecy axis and the uncool/cool axis are related. People seemed to think it was pretty nice when Dave Hyatt was blogging about the internals of Safari, but that didn’t make Apple either more or less cool. I just think they’re different kinds of companies trying different approaches to the business.

Apple and Google have been secretive for a long time, and Steve Jobs in particular is obsessed with product secrecy. That’s part of his strategy. Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are not, and it’s not as much a part of theirs — but *business* secrecy (what are we trying to do, not what are we going to make) has been. Just different. They all make money. Microsoft’s “uncoolness” is also long-standing, and as much a part of the company’s DNA as Apple’s coolness is of its.

Take another set of examples: Wal-Mart and IKEA. Do secrecy and openness have anything to do with their reputations? I don’t think so.

Oh, and as for the graphic artists, don’t forget about AppleScript. That’s their secret weapon for efficient inter-application and inter-computer workflow automation, and it doesn’t exist on Windows.

Todd is right. Microsoft must defend themselves. Google and Apple have products that speak even louder than a sweaty Ballmer.

Why fight when you can listen? Didn’t somebody from Google contact you after your rant about calender, to listen to what you had to say, to understand your point? Sure, folks from that team could have jumped in and tried to defend the “what is” and generally show off but none that really helps you as a customer does it? If your playing defense, and getting in the mud on every little thing your not having a useful (though maybe entertaining) dialog, and what is the point of that… Well I guess the point is it makes for fun blog journalism but that is really about it. I much rather the companies not engage in that level of debate and instead demonstrate how they are listening through their products and upcoming release notes etc.

Google has a record of doing the “right thing” far more regularly than Microsoft or Apple.

Someone asked why graphic designers are “addicted to the Mac” in 2006.

There are a couple of pretty simple reasons (and I’m speaking as a partner in a small ad agency). First of all, Postscript fonts still aren’t all the way there under Windows. Most service providers (and presses) have to substitute fonts if you’ve built your job on a Windows machine – even if you use InDesign/Illustrator/QuarkXPress. Most of the bureaus are using Macs, so it makes sense.

Secondly, color still just isn’t as good onscreen using Windows as it is on the Mac, you can’t calibrate monitors as accurately and there’s nothing that even approaches Apple’s ColorSync for Windows and monitor targeting. Color alone would be reason enough never to use Windows for print work. On the other hand, in all fairness, most of the web designers I know and work with prefer a Windows environment, they feel that it’s a better workspace for what they do.

The final and probably most compelling reason in these days of Mac OS X is stability and reliability. I’ve got seven machines in this office, they’re all networked to a Mac file server. They have all been up and on for three years, the only time they’ve needed rebooting has been when we’ve done system upgrades/updates. I’ve been able to maintain our machines and our network by myself without paying a consultant since we opened. We use time tracking software here and I just ran a query and my avarage maintenance time per month was 53 minutes. That’s for seven machines and a network. There’s no way I could do that if all my machines were Windows machines.

Those are some of the reasons we’re “addicted”.

I don’t hate Windows. In fact, I recomended that my girlfriend purchase an HP laptop a couple of weeks ago. Macs work for what I do and for what my industry does. Most people don’t have the same needs we do. The only other demographic group that consistantly pushes their machines as hard as we do would be the gamers and the ones that are really serious are buying AlienWare boxes that cost more than our Apple towers…

Cheers.

All hail Christopher Coulter! He cut right to the core:

“It’s got zero to do with the ‘conversations’, and in fact in Microsoft’s case, the conversations do far more harm than good, all so much vaporware talk and eventual backtracking, I only need to cue up your PDC 2003 overhype as a perfect test case.”

As many a defendant has learned, speaking in itself may not do you any good. You must actually have something credible to say and it must not prove to be untrue. Microsoft employees may actually do more harm than good when they try to do public relations for the corporation. Most obviously, all the sweet talk in the world cannot change the provable fact that Vista is so late that may have to renamed Horizon.

Recently, at another site, persons identifying themselves as being from Dell tried to minimize the biggest electronics recall in history. They would have done better to have remained silent. The midst of a disaster is not the time to tell people everything is wonderful.

Robert,
Since you left Microsoft, I have noticed that you have had get together at your moms place, your place, selling your house etc. Now I see that you are critizing Microsoft, is this the way to get readers?

http://www.irin.co.uk

jean, how does this post criticise Microsoft? And what does this post have to do with getting readers? Please explain, not sure what you mean.

Griffon: >>Didn’t somebody from Google contact you after your rant about calender, to listen to what you had to say, to understand your point?

Yes, but they didn’t do it publicly.

I think of companies as having “good juju” and bad “juju”. I don’t mean this in any mystic sense — just that there are a variety of factors that contribute to a company being one that people “love to love” or being one they “love to hate”.

Apple has done a fantastic job of maintaining their good juju over the years. Certainly a strong history of good and user-friendly design has been a big part, but so did their early reputation as an “cool” employer (almost like a dot-com 20 years ahead of its time), their generosity to schools and their long years of being the underdog to Microsoft. I also think they deliberately choose icons and aesthetics (in their GUIs especially) that make people feel good.

Google’s good juju started with the personalities of their founders and their convincingly earnest “don’t be evil” approach. A consistent stream of “cool” features and being Microsoft’s enemy help, too. They’re loosing some ground as they are seen as dominant, and as they have to make pragmatic compromises (such as how to deal with Chinese law).

Dominance is almost always bad juju, especially if you’re perceived to abuse it, which is a big issue for Microsoft. A history of releasing immature products and oversetting expectations hasn’t helped, not to mention that most bad computer experiences happen in a Microsoft context. They’re trying much harder now (in terms of both product development and general juju management) but there’s a lot of interia when it comes to juju.

Actually that “juju” you speak of has a proper name, goodwill, and actually has a monetary value when a company is bought or sold.
I would disagree that Macs are the favorite choice for your average MS hating geek, Linux certainly is, OS X has virtually no “geek chic” and is virtually incompatible with everything. The growth of the Ubuntu distro of Linux suggestd that soon Linux will overtake Mac OS X due to its open source nature,and (admittidly new) ease of use. Check out this link for a comparison between the 3, and make up your own mind, its worth a look, trust me!
http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2915

Do MS Employees speak out more because they know more?

This may sound simplistic… but microsoft fights for their reputation cause they have to. Think about negative press in general and then maybe you can figure why maybe Google and Apple keep their guards up higher.

Google and Apple keep their guard up cause they can! As one mentioned… while Google and Apple are far from perfect they don’t have near the negative that they have to come out and defend themselves against to begin with. And right wrong or otherwise Apple and Google are seen as more innovative.

That’s right…. while obviously Google and Apple have made purchases as well… Microsoft seems to buy up the companies that innovate and/or roll over top of them!

I’m not pushing any religion so no you don’t have to agree if you wish not to.

Quality products don’t need as much defence as inferior products.

microsoft NEEDED to pay someone like you to promote their products, and to try and reduce the general “evilness” factor of the company to the public.

Apple makes such superior products that many of their fans do it for free.

How many people have you heard say that they love microsoft?

How many people have you heard say that they love apple? What’s the ratio of the two?

When you are good, you don’t have to spend as much time saying it. Plus, I suspect Apple and Google employees are more geared toward the technical, where as the genius of Microsoft is in the marketing, certainly not the software.

While I can’t speak for Google and Yahoo, I can say as vp of corporate communications EarthLink and a blogger that you have no choice but to get in the game. The blogosphere is too all encompassing not to. Having said that, we at EarthLink are taking a gradualist approach. We launched a blog, implemented an employee online commentary policy and dipped our toe in podcasting and vlogging. Our goal is to mainstain a dialogue, address the egregious and allow employees to engage the blogging community on a case by case basis – learning from our mistakes and taking advantage of the medium to communicate thoughtfully, candidly and respectfully.

Arouw? Did someone ask for me? BTW, I want to apologize in advance that I’ll be going to a book sale today instead of hitting nofoo. But bear in mind: just because you don’t always see Googlers or Applers (?) where you are doesn’t mean that we’re not out there getting feedback in our own way. I just cleaned out about 50 private email conversations on this sunny Saturday, for example.