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Microsoft Plans Flickr Competitor
An anonymous reader writes "Judging by newly posted job calls, Microsoft is now working on a Flickr-like online photo service. ZDNet reports: '"This feature team is building a next-generation photo and video sharing service that will compete with Flickr, SmugMug and other photo web solutions today. This is a 'v1' opportunity," the ad said. And video will be a part of the effort, too: "This role will work across the new Windows Live division with teams like Spaces, SkyDrive, Messenger and Hotmail to construct a winning strategy for Microsoft in photo and video sharing." Evidently, Microsoft sees the effort as an online extension of its current desktop technology.' Gundeep Hora, at CoolTechZone, feels that such a service is unlikely to succeed, and lays out the numerous challenges the company will face upon entering the market."
MS has yet to make one web app that gained any real steam. Do they really think they stand a chance of uprooting flicker? I thought they learned their lesson and deiced to just buy people who know what they are doing.
"We want to make it easy and fun to enjoy your photos and videos, whether that is on the PC in your office, the Media Center in your living room, the XBox in your entertainment center, or on your mobile device when you are out and about."
Oh yeah? What about my iPod, Bill?
-Grey
Silver Clipboard: Time Management Tips
But Flickr just got its two billionth picture.
That's what I was thinking as well. The photosynth demo I believe was using Flickr photos to create the 3d images. However, remember also that MS has a stake in Facebook now too.
It's quite easy to see a potential integration between Facebook (through some app), MSN Messenger, Photosynth, and their Flickr competitor that could produce some interesting results.
Can you, by chance, name any other successful, cool and useful, endeavours that Microsoft has produced over the years? They seem to be escaping me at the moment.
No. XBOX Live does not count.
Where did all the talented people at Xerox PARC get Xerox? The issue here isn't that Microsoft doesn't have talented people (it does), or that Microsoft doesn't have some innovative research products going (they do). The issue is: can they get this to market successfully? Their track record with projects outside their core area of expertise is not so great.
We'll see, though.
I've noticed that every time a new product/service is announced, the media's prime focus is that it's a "competitor" of some earlier product? It's like, who cares about what it actually does, let's just talk about the "competition', "horse race", etc.
Maybe a company releases a product/service just to make money, not to compete or kill something else. Hell, I have multilple gmail, yahoo, and hotmail email accounts; I don't think of them as competitors (even though they are), they are just services to me. Sometime I buy Coke, sometimes Pepsi. I don't give a damn about the competition between the two.
So here we have the story, "Microsoft Plans Flickr Competitor (or 'Clone' as TFA says)" rather than "Microsoft Plans Online Photo Service" as the headline. Because all we care about is the competition aspect. *yawn*
-- "I never gave these stories much credence." - HAL 9000
Do they mean 'v1' as in "version 1" or as in V1. Because you know, other empires had interests in 'v1' opportunities as well.
Seriously though, what will they include in this product that will make people want to switch away from the existing photo sharing sites? As a photographer I'm all for cool new features. But those features are worthless if they don't help me get things done better/quicker and the menu options for them keep moving around with each new release. What is the compelling reason to use their service, or are they playing a game of "Oh crap! Time to get caught up!"
This wouldn't just be competing against Flickr, but also Zooomr, SmugMug, Photobucket, Picassaweb, WebShots, etc. This space seems very crowded already. How many pictures do people want on public display anyway?
You know, if Microsoft was a proactive company instead of a reactive one, they might actually be able to legitimately claim that they are innovators. I'd say 95% of the crap they produce is the result of a response to products already available on the market. If you're going to copy somebody else's product, then it needs to be an improved version of it....this is one big reason why I have no doubt in my mind that Linux will eventually overtake Microsoft in the OS market.
Microsoft sits on this rather impressive technology called Photosynth. I'm sure most of you have seen/tried the demo. If not, go there now (sorry guys, Windows only). MS has now optimized the algorithms sufficiently to allow home users to generate synths at their own machine. A "no comments" comment also hinted that MS is working on a video version of PhotoSynth. If they integrate PhotoSynth into a Flickr competitor they will have a *huge* appeal. It is all about appearance. This way you can allow guests to take virtual tours of your house, car, neighbourhood.
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