Speaking at the Evolve In London Conference, Microsoft Game Studios’ Kieron Connell said that his company won’t simply roll over and let Apple dominate the smartphone market, even if it faces stiff competition.
‘I think there are too many people with too much money invested to let Apple win in terms of flooding the entire market,’ Connell told listeners.”
MS: “Too many people with too much invested to let Apple win” [gameindustry.biz]
Giggle. It’s just amazing that people actually think that way.
Too late for a clue-impaired drone who works for a “me too” company.
Note that he’s not claiming “we’re too invested to lose,” he’s saying “we’re too invested to let Apple run away with this entire market with no fight from us whatsoever.”
I’m sure the troops are chomping at the bit after that pep talk. 🙂
This is exactly the thing I want to hear from Microsoft — or other companies for that matter.
Competition drives technological innovation and I loves me some innovation.
I totally agree but I’ve given up holding my breath for innovation out of Redmond for some time now. Kinect seems to be the only thing in recent memory that has been anything other than a second or third rate “me too” move.
That’s exactly what this is: a pep talk. Another example of Microsoft’s management forgetting that they’re not talking to a room full of their own salespeople.
Microsoft’s products have always been second- or third-rate products. It’s never innovated. It’s only bought and rebranded, or poorly copied.
Having been to one of Microsoft’s showpiece sites in Cologne, Germany I can mournfully say that it’s a management problem.
The stuff I saw and used there was pretty darn amazing, highly innovative and useful.
Now come the big BUT: Most of it is never going to get into the hands of consumers because the management lacks courage. They’ve become so afraid of potential failures, that they fail to see the potential of some of their own innovations.
One example is the Zune. The 2nd and 3rd generation were genuinely great DAPs, with a good interface and surprisingly good sound (better than most iPods). Combined with the Zune Marketplace they were the most innovative music players on the market.
But Microsoft didn’t have the courage — and the patience to negotiate music distribution contracts — to get those to the second biggest market for DAPs; Europe.
I am 100% sure they’d have become a huge hit, with the right pricing they could’ve even given Apple some actual competition.
Apple’s been fighting in the mobile phone space for 10 years now. They’ll need more than fighting.
Microsoft you mean, don’t you?
I heard good things about the Zune HD. It’d have been nice to see Microsoft get something like that right for a change.
Microsoft are so used to hanging onto Apple’s coat tails that they’ve missed who their real competition is – Android: people who want an iPhone will get an iPhone (if it’s on their network and sometimes even if it’s not) for those who for whatever reason don’t want iPhone, the choice is then between everyone else. Both Android and Microsoft’s real customer is the carriers of course.
Sounds like he’s worried about losing his own investment (job), while believing there are others (too many) just like him.
Finally! Some clarity on Verizon and Android:
http://www.asymco.com/2010/12/13/verizon-strikes-out/