Vista is so bad it can only reach 60% of the speed and performance of Windows XP. And the learning curve is non-trivial to make itself perfectly People Ready clear. And its compatibility with perfectly good Windows XP compatible software and hardware is very disappointing. So for competitors – this ought to be a big opportunity. H U G E.
Apple has flunked the test
I have already raised the white flag for Cupertino and showed that presented with unparalleled opportunity, Apple can and has effectively doubled downward literally – gone from double the price of a Windows PC to 4 times. Dont know how long Apple stock can maintain those ridiculous price earnings ratios -but I would be checking my Apple stock for shortness of breadth.
Linux has damned itself
I am as contemptuous of Linux gurus as they are of allowing money to be made “with their operating system”. Nobody dares to use the OS or enter the market for the same reason they dont dare enter the Windows marketplace – if a software vendor should make any money some Open Sourcer will do the 80-20 kiss of death – duplicate 80% of the features, charge nothing , and kill the market opportunity. Sounds almost Redmondian ruthless. And if that doesnt work, the gurus can mount a blogospheric attack of unrelenting shortsightedness about software being purely profitless. Dont look for lasting innovation here.
VMWare has dawdled
Hey Paul, you dont have have to give it away for free … you let the OEMs in on the action and they will be wanting to sell the $20 version of VMWare that allows users to flit between Windows, Linux and MacOS. You guys already know how to package it with all sorts of 3rd party software and gaming bundles. But for the time being, VMware fiddles while Xen source is in the hands of IBM OSers – fat chance of anything creative from there.
Minibooks languish
Redmond and greed killed the minibook market. I laughed when I saw the price and features of the HP Minibook at $700. My gosh what advantage did that have over $700 notebooks except tinkertoy specs. And of course Redmond killed off Windows XP. And then – Mirabilis Mirabile – introduced a “new version” of XP specifically for the Minibook marketplace alone and promptly prices were raised by 30-40% for this XP version. Hey Paul of VMware – is there an opportunity here ???
And IBM is nowhere to be found
Gosh, is IBM still in the computer business? They exhort People to Innovate. And I say ” IBM, heal thyself!”
Implications
You know when a market is reaching well beyond “maturity”, when presented with an huge silver platter that is Disgusting Vista – and yet everybody who is anybody in the IT market finds away to fumble away the opportunity. Maybe its just symptomatic of sclerosis that is afflicting the American Capital markets.