For years, Microsoft's dominance in the world of client operating systems was sort of undisputed and taken for granted. Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer were THE choices out there. Windows Mobile was THE choice when it came to smart phones. Even more ahead of it's time, the Tablet PC made Star Trek look more science fact than science fiction. All in all, the dominance was obvious, strong, and, at times, crushing for the competition.
With the strong grip on the client side of things, Microsoft turned its attention to the enterprise, where at that time it was merely an underdog. Playing on the strengths of Windows and Office, the folks from Redmond paved the way for the spectacular rise of SQL Server, SharePoint, BizTalk and of course, .NET. After years of painstaking work and tremendous efforts from the product teams, it looked like Microsoft was finally on the course to become a major enterprise player.
But then something happened along the way. Something that, for me, represents the essence of information technology. It's the thing that makes me love this field, the thing that justifies the airports, the long flights, and all the other prices I have to pay to be an actor in it. That thing is innovation.
In a blink of an eye, the tide shifted. Windows Vista was an OS that even a Microsoft technology fan like me disliked profoundly. Windows Mobile was sent to oblivion by iOS and Android. Internet Explorer started to feel real heat from FireFox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera. Despite the rivers of digital ink flown in debates over what happened, the root cause of the shift was rather simple. Blinded by the enterprise wars and the relative warmth of the client world top dog position, Microsoft lost the consumer world. In this world, it moved from pedal-to-the-metal innovation mode into don't-need-to-do-anything-yet mode. It choose to fight the iPhone with Windows Mobile and the iPad with Windows 7 running on slates. To me, those were the times that qualify as a genuine Ground Zero for Microsoft. Not because of sales, those continued to be stellar. Not because of Windows and Office licenses, those went on and on in the hundreds of millions. But because of the apparent loosing of touch when it came to innovation in the consumer space.
Many were quick to announce the end of the Microsoft era, and there were even voices that went as far as predicting Microsoft's end as a software company. I think those persons and those voices were and still are very, very wrong. Why? Because the same thing (innovation) happened again, this time, on Microsoft's side. The signs quickly added up. The phenomenal success of XBOX and it's Kinect sensor, the high quality of Windows 7, Windows Azure, and Windows Phone were just a few of them. Proving able to learn the new rules of the consumer game, Microsoft looks now to be set on a course to re-conquer the consumer space of the 21st century. It won't be as easy as the first time, but it's definitely possible.
I'm writing this post from 40000 feet above Europe, while flying to Anaheim, CA, for the BUILD conference. All signs indicate that this week will prove to be crucial for the long-term future of Microsoft's position in the consumer space. The bar is set vey high and expectations are skyrocketing. Everybody wants to see whether Microsoft is able to re-invent Windows and make it a player in the post-PC era. According to many, Windows 8 will prove to be either the Phoenix or the Nemesis of Microsoft. In my mind, there is absolutely no doubt on how things will go. I believe this will be the week when the game changes, the week when Windows will shine once again. It will mark a turning point defined by Microsoft adding the final and most important piece to the grand scheme of rebuilding its consumer Ground Zero.
Stay tuned for some fantastic news!
Subscribe