G
gerooky
Guest
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10047704-17.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Windows Vista has been a tragedy on many levels for Microsoft. First, it was
marked with compatibility issues and annoyances with its User Access Control
feature that started a firestorm of epic proportions. But once those issues
improved, Microsoft ran into an even bigger issue: it wasn't able to satisfy
vendors, nor was it able to satisfy the geeks.
And that's where the biggest issue with Vista really is. The technology
space is looked at by many in the mainstream as a higher-level industry that
simply can't be understood by the average person. Software? Hardware? Huh?
Because of that, it's the geek that filters opinions and creates a
trickle-down effect in the space. Let's face it--if you don't know what
you're talking about and you know that your friend does, wouldn't you take
their word for it at the least or verify what they're saying at the very
most?
And when you verify what they're saying, you'll probably end up researching
the topic by going to the countless blog posts and articles by experts in
the field to decide if your friend is correct, right?
And what do you find there? A slew of stories written by geeks, for geeks.
And throughout the past year, those stories written by geeks for geeks were
littered with criticisms of Vista and countless reasons why the company made
mistakes. Sure, there were some sites that came to its defense, but the vast
majority of journalists took the opportunity to beat up on the OS.
So how did it get to the point where the Mojave Experiment became necessary?
How did it get to the point where Microsoft was forced to concede that it
was losing the PR game and it needed to tell the world about it?
You can blame it on the geeks and the trickle-down effect that makes the
technology industry such a unique space.
Technology's trickle-down effect is simple: a tech company screws up a
product in ways that the tech-savvy crowd will notice, but the mainstream
crowd won't. Once that happens, geeks start railing on the product and
discuss why it's so bad. Eventually, they start complaining to their family
and friends, who don't know much about it and the distaste for products
starts entering the mainstream. Once that happens, those people will start
talking to others and soon it becomes viral.
And that's exactly why Microsoft can't make the same mistake it made with
Vista. That operating system didn't appeal to the geeks and they spent the
past year telling the world about it. Once that happened, the world started
believing it (regardless of whether or not it was true) and Microsoft has
paid the price.
So what does it need to do with Windows 7? Make sure the geeks love it.
But making sure the geeks love it will be difficult. Microsoft isn't one of
the most well-liked companies in the space and any chance to beat up on the
company will make even the most objective geek happy.
Realizing that, Microsoft can't expect to quiet every critic, but it needs
to be more proactive in ensuring that more geeks will be happy. First off,
it needs to ensure that the geeks' desires are met as effectively as
possible: the geeks want better security, more customization, and full
compatibility. Secondly, it has to play the right PR game: make Windows 7
about the desires of the tech-savvy crowd and stop pretending like that
crowd doesn't matter.
The one thing I don't understand about Microsoft and countless other
companies in the technology industry is why they don't realize that the
influential people are not the average John and Jane Doe. Instead, the
technology industry is dominated by a select few who tell their friends and
family why a certain product or service is useless.
And that's exactly why I don't like what I'm hearing already about Windows
7. Microsoft isn't doing enough to appeal to the geeks and it's instead
tying its success to the mainstream. From a business standpoint that may
make sense--the majority of people are in the mainstream--but from a
strategical perspective, the company has it all wrong.
Microsoft needs to start leaking information that discusses some of the
features that would make the tech-savvy crowd go wild. It doesn't have to be
anything special, just enough to start building some hype. After that, it
needs to give the niche press unprecedented access to Windows 7 and create a
product that appeals to them. And simply by embracing the niche press,
Microsoft can start rebuilding its image in that space.
The technology industry is unique because it's segmented by a perceived
knowledge barrier. Because of that, a select few are looked at as the source
for knowledge and thus, provide the general public with the opinions they
should be formulating. Apple has realized that--just look at the press
coverage--but Microsoft failed to do so with Vista and now needs to repair
its image before Windows 7 throws the company into disaster mode.
Playing nicely with the mainstream means nothing in this industry unless the
niche is happy. And if Microsoft wants Windows 7 to be a success, it better
create a product that appeals to that niche and start playing nice with it.
If it doesn't, look for Microsoft's PR troubles to continue indefinitely.
Windows Vista has been a tragedy on many levels for Microsoft. First, it was
marked with compatibility issues and annoyances with its User Access Control
feature that started a firestorm of epic proportions. But once those issues
improved, Microsoft ran into an even bigger issue: it wasn't able to satisfy
vendors, nor was it able to satisfy the geeks.
And that's where the biggest issue with Vista really is. The technology
space is looked at by many in the mainstream as a higher-level industry that
simply can't be understood by the average person. Software? Hardware? Huh?
Because of that, it's the geek that filters opinions and creates a
trickle-down effect in the space. Let's face it--if you don't know what
you're talking about and you know that your friend does, wouldn't you take
their word for it at the least or verify what they're saying at the very
most?
And when you verify what they're saying, you'll probably end up researching
the topic by going to the countless blog posts and articles by experts in
the field to decide if your friend is correct, right?
And what do you find there? A slew of stories written by geeks, for geeks.
And throughout the past year, those stories written by geeks for geeks were
littered with criticisms of Vista and countless reasons why the company made
mistakes. Sure, there were some sites that came to its defense, but the vast
majority of journalists took the opportunity to beat up on the OS.
So how did it get to the point where the Mojave Experiment became necessary?
How did it get to the point where Microsoft was forced to concede that it
was losing the PR game and it needed to tell the world about it?
You can blame it on the geeks and the trickle-down effect that makes the
technology industry such a unique space.
Technology's trickle-down effect is simple: a tech company screws up a
product in ways that the tech-savvy crowd will notice, but the mainstream
crowd won't. Once that happens, geeks start railing on the product and
discuss why it's so bad. Eventually, they start complaining to their family
and friends, who don't know much about it and the distaste for products
starts entering the mainstream. Once that happens, those people will start
talking to others and soon it becomes viral.
And that's exactly why Microsoft can't make the same mistake it made with
Vista. That operating system didn't appeal to the geeks and they spent the
past year telling the world about it. Once that happened, the world started
believing it (regardless of whether or not it was true) and Microsoft has
paid the price.
So what does it need to do with Windows 7? Make sure the geeks love it.
But making sure the geeks love it will be difficult. Microsoft isn't one of
the most well-liked companies in the space and any chance to beat up on the
company will make even the most objective geek happy.
Realizing that, Microsoft can't expect to quiet every critic, but it needs
to be more proactive in ensuring that more geeks will be happy. First off,
it needs to ensure that the geeks' desires are met as effectively as
possible: the geeks want better security, more customization, and full
compatibility. Secondly, it has to play the right PR game: make Windows 7
about the desires of the tech-savvy crowd and stop pretending like that
crowd doesn't matter.
The one thing I don't understand about Microsoft and countless other
companies in the technology industry is why they don't realize that the
influential people are not the average John and Jane Doe. Instead, the
technology industry is dominated by a select few who tell their friends and
family why a certain product or service is useless.
And that's exactly why I don't like what I'm hearing already about Windows
7. Microsoft isn't doing enough to appeal to the geeks and it's instead
tying its success to the mainstream. From a business standpoint that may
make sense--the majority of people are in the mainstream--but from a
strategical perspective, the company has it all wrong.
Microsoft needs to start leaking information that discusses some of the
features that would make the tech-savvy crowd go wild. It doesn't have to be
anything special, just enough to start building some hype. After that, it
needs to give the niche press unprecedented access to Windows 7 and create a
product that appeals to them. And simply by embracing the niche press,
Microsoft can start rebuilding its image in that space.
The technology industry is unique because it's segmented by a perceived
knowledge barrier. Because of that, a select few are looked at as the source
for knowledge and thus, provide the general public with the opinions they
should be formulating. Apple has realized that--just look at the press
coverage--but Microsoft failed to do so with Vista and now needs to repair
its image before Windows 7 throws the company into disaster mode.
Playing nicely with the mainstream means nothing in this industry unless the
niche is happy. And if Microsoft wants Windows 7 to be a success, it better
create a product that appeals to that niche and start playing nice with it.
If it doesn't, look for Microsoft's PR troubles to continue indefinitely.
