Why Microsoft Shouldn't Worry About Cannibalizing Their Userbases

New submitter coyote_oww writes "A ComputerWorld analysis article suggests that Microsoft should stop worrying about one product cutting into another product's sales, and concentrate on putting their best foot foward regardless of the impact on product lines. The big impact would be the price of Windows: '... Microsoft must, at least in the main, sell devices based on lower prices. And the only significant component of a Windows-powered device that can be cut further — hardware margins are at or very near the bone, and have been for years — is the Windows license.' It's still possible they could sell Windows versions at different rates for different devices, but that could get hard to justify to consumers over the long haul."

Comments

Different versions of Windows

[ArcadeMan]

You know what I want? A lower-cost Windows targeted at gamers. I don't need drivers for scanners, printers, fax and other unnecessary crap if all I do is play games on it.

A Windows with less processes running would also mean a faster computer able to dedicate more resources to the games instead of crap I don't need.

Re:Different versions of Windows

[Your.Master]

That's basically what an xbox is.

I guess the implication is that you want something that compromises between Windows PCs and XBox on some points. Which raises the question of what is the right compromise position?

Re:Different versions of Windows

[realmolo]

You don't know what you are talking about.

When a game runs on Windows, it ALREADY gets all the resources it wants.

A stripped-down version fo Windows wouldn't make your games run faster. Modern games are mostly video-card limited. And since there is no standard hardware platform for a PC, programmers can only do so much optimization before they break compatibility.

Re:Different versions of Windows

[the_B0fh]

So funny that Mac and iOS users are so much happier with their systems (even in Korea, where iPhone and iPad took first place in customer satisfaction away from Samsung), but the haters who don't use it, my god, it's like a jealous ex-lover. They cannot stop telling you how much your current lover sucks, even though you're happy with it.

Get over it. Be happy with your choice, and move on, rather than keeping on and harping and bitching about other people's choices.

Re:Different versions of Windows

[walshy007]

This may surprise you, but linux has had better hardware compatibility out of the box than windows for quite some time.

I don't expect linux to support windows games, just like I don't expect modern windows to support dos games. It's legacy.

Re: Different versions of Windows

[KingMotley]

This may suprise you, but that is only true if you want to support old hardware. Anything cutting edge is more likely supported by windows than Linux, and since I have more cutting edge hardware than old relics, it isn't true for me.

Re:"You have to kill your own babies"

[macromorgan]

The important thing to remember is in a competitive economy, someone is going to disrupt your business. It might as well be you. Fighting against it only postpones the inevitable.

Easy for us to say

[paiute]

Cannibalize your own product line before the competition does is an obvious necessity, yet it is the hardest thing for managers to actually do.

Re:New license model: Free!

[niftymitch]

Release windows for free, and we will finally see how it competes.

TFT (the fine title) suggests that they can still charge for windows as long as they keep eating the windows users (or only their bases?) without worry - and this "without worry" is somehow the miraculous key to the solution.

Not for free but they need to understand that as you suck harder and harder on the udder of a cash cow the less friendly that cow will be to you and will dry up or kick you in the head.

At this point it is difficult to believe that MS has not realized an honest profit from the honest investments it has made. They have done a lot of service but there is a point when the business model must change.

Worthy computers can be had for yuppiy pocket change and free software has gotten well beyond the experimental stages. Especially in server land.

The home computer model has changed, and there will be less and less need for WindowZ. My smart TV has more compute power than my early on desktops. Which were well beyond my 6502, MC14500 and 8080 processor based projects. It is a new day, MS and many others need to take stock or see their financial models fall apart.

Servers and server farms will grow.... but be in the hands of a small number of companies. In the price range of a UPS delivery van small companies will have local computer resources than can be installed and serviced by folk at an equivalent level of a USP van driver. Yes the Brown UPS vans are a marvel of technology but they make money delivering packages shipped for sub $10... that is astounding.

Chromebooks and the new XO tablet are showing that the old models are fragile and new ideas are welcome.

Raspberry-Pi and project boards like the pandaboard and Beaglebone Black are showing that sufficiently interesting hardware need not cost a lot of $$. Invest $100 in these school and development boards and revisit your education.

The future is at hand -- yet again.