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Eric Jackson on Forbes writes about some pretty uncanny ways in which Google resembles Microsoft circa 1999. To me, this is kind of like comparing the assassinations of Presidents Kennedy and Lincoln. Eerie similarities, but I don't believe that the Google brass is nearly as complacent as Microsoft in 1999. Remember, Apple was all but dead then and Read More
Microsoft just signed a deal in which it will effectively make money off of Android. From the Mashable piece:
It may seem strange that Microsoft is licensing Android and Chrome patents when both of those products are managed by Google. But Microsoft holds many patents that relate directly to technologies used in the Android operating
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You've heard the phrase before: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Variations of the quote have been attributed to people for centuries and the bromide continues to resonate today, including Joseph Stalin. Think about what Facebook's decision to spend more than $500 million buying patents that Microsoft just purchased days ago. While I have no insider Read More
I see just about everything these days through the lens of platforms and ecosystems. One of the major questions in The Age of the Platform (and, by extension, on this blog) stems from how open or closed a platform should be. Hint: It's a line, not a binary. Against, this backdrop, I was struck by Jack Wallen's article Read More
Remember when companies like Microsoft could dictate terms to their partners and VARs? Well, while not gone altogether, it certainly isn't 1999. Case in point: Rovio (maker of "Angry Birds") has evidently decided to pass on making its flagship game available for Windows Phone:
"We're the No. 1 app in the Windows Phone app store, but it's
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Beyond its sexy hardware and über-useful apps, Apple's platform--it's integrated set of planks--along with its premium brand are collectively driving it to ridiculous heights. What's more, these two factors are making it tough for the Dells, Microsofts, and HPs of the world to catch up. Apple is all about integration, as this piece from ReadWriteWeb points out:
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According to TechCrunch, there will be nine (count 'em, 9) different versions of Windows 8. From the piece: There isn’t a winner here. Microsoft and Apple have different approaches and goals in regards to its desktop operating system. It’s easy to stand on a soapbox and at Redmond, “You’re doing it wrong! No one wants Read More
Check out this interesting article by Alex Goldfayn on Mashable on how to fix Microsoft, a company whose stock price has stagnated over the last decade . Short answer: change the company's DNA and focus on what it's good at. Goldfayn seems like a smart guy, but I don't buy his argument for a minute. In the Age of Read More
What do Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google have in common? Many things. Here's a big one: they are all customer-centric. Amazon and Apple personify this as well as any company out there now. It's all about the user and customer experience. Everything else is secondary. The trouble with being primarily product-centric is two-fold. First, it often forces Read More
Count Microsoft among the companies taking shots at Google for its "new" privacy policy. Do I understand this? Of course. Microsoft is trying to differentiate itself from arguable its main rival. Do I agree with it? Of course not. If Microsoft could do what Google is doing, it would. Period. In the Age of the Platform, it's easy to Read More
Read my Inc. Magazine column: All About the Platform.
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