Should Gates come out to save Windows?

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When Apple introduced the revolutionary first-generation iPhone, Microsoft also made breakthroughs in multi-touch technology. They produced a touch-screen computer with a coffee table size and configured An operating system similar to Windows 7. However, when Apple made its mobile Internet show, Microsoft's products could not enter the mass consumer market.

This case is a microcosm of Microsoft's embarrassing situation. In the era of Internet and mobile Internet, although Microsoft can maintain its beautiful financial data, it has been eating old books, missed many technological innovations, and gradually lost the right to speak, becoming a second-rate company. What Microsoft lacks is not money and technology, but the right strategy.

In October 2012, Microsoft released the Windows 8 operating system and the Surface
RT tablet, and the phones with Windows 8 were also released simultaneously. Microsoft CEO Steve · Ballmer also launched an offensive on multiple fronts, he gave Win8 the meaning of the times, claiming that the product is the most important product since the company launched Windows 95. The critics also generally believe that Win8 is of great significance to Microsoft. If the product fails, Ballmer is likely to resign.

The truth is that Windows 8 has not been optimistic in the past two months. Microsoft has been vague about its sales, but from the feedback of partners and analysts, Windows 8 PC sales are not as good as when Windows Vista was first released, and Surface RT sales are sluggish, so that it is greatly reduced. Order. A few days ago, the "New York Post" published a review article, calling for Ballmer to step down, Bill · Gates retakes Microsoft. From the current market performance of Windows 8, this proposal is likely to become a reality in the next two years.

PC Windows 8 Identity Crisis

When Windows 8 was introduced, the simple interface and boot speed were praised, but consumers said that its operation was complicated. The New York Times issued a document saying that the operation of Windows 8 is confusing, and people who use it for the first time will feel overwhelmed.

The report interviewed a 59-year-old computer user who believes that "Windows 8 makes him feel like the most amateur computer user in history". Due to the disappearance of the "start" key and many traditional Windows icons and the drastic changes in the usage process, users are at a loss. It took the user a few minutes to figure out how to send an email.

Microsoft is also aware of the complexity of the operation, in a Windows 8 notebook promo, shooting a pair of six or seven-year-old children playing in Microsoft retail stores, because many users do not understand the operation of Windows 8, So they stood on the stool as volunteers to explain the use of the new system to adult customers.

Children have an instinctive spirit of exploration and adaptability to new things, but for adult users, there must be a good reason for them to change their habits. Obviously, Windows 8 is not attractive enough to transform users. Many users did not feel particularly rewarded after the confusion and learning process.

Apple also overturned the traditional way of operating devices when it launched iOS devices, but it was easy to use and made users feel fun and convenient. And Microsoft does not need to transform the user's habits, innovation and innovation, will only make consumers feel a headache.

Mobile Internet does not allow failure

The PC market in 2012 experienced its first recession, and analysts predict that this year's recession will continue. Many analyses attribute the cause to the macroeconomic downturn. In fact, the impact of the economy is almost negligible, and the trend of individual consumers turning to mobile devices is irreversible, which is the main reason.

Microsoft launched a mature mobile device and operating system last year, which has lagged far behind rivals Apple and Google in consumer identity and community maturity, and there are no prominent highlights in the product. Surface RT tries to combine notebooks and tablets into one, but does not fully exploit the advantages of both, ignoring the real needs of users. In the forecast of the technology industry in 2013, Forbes magazine believes that the mobile operation market will “no third”, the smartphone and tablet market will continue to be dominated by Apple and Google, and Microsoft and RIM are difficult to turn over.

The current market performance also confirms this. The two months that Surface just released should have been the hottest time for sales, but Microsoft's retail store door can be ridiculous, Microsoft officially flashed its sales data, saying that "sales data is generally "," will be bleak due to lack of sales. For a while, it is blamed for insufficient channels and inconsistencies. The reality is that the Surface RT is overpriced, the advantage is not obvious, and it is not attractive to users.

Microsoft is not willing to disclose the specific sales of Surface RT. Analysts use their own methods to measure sales with little optimistic data. One analyst listed the keywords on the tablet on Twitter before Christmas, where the iPad appeared 50 times more frequently than the Surface. Earlier, the famous American talk show host Oprah sent a Twitter call "Surface tablet is great, it is the Mercedes-Benz in the tablet", but the Twitter logo shows that the news was released by the iPad, for a time. Oprah and Microsoft became laughing stocks.

Bill · Gates should come back to save Microsoft

In the 14 years that Ballmer led Microsoft, the industry has experienced dramatic changes in the Internet and the mobile Internet, and Microsoft's performance is lacking. The company's resources are controlled by the Windows and Office departments, and the products lack innovation and the business is in place. Ballmer is an excellent salesman, but not a strategic leader. What Microsoft lacks now is not technology, cash, but a leader who has the vision and dare to break.

Bill · Gates is a global vision leader. He saw the opportunity of operating systems and word processing software in the early days of the venture, occupying the top of the PC ecosystem and laying the foundation for Microsoft's 20 years of domination. status. At the same time, Gates is also a visionary. In the 1990s, he predicted technologies such as smartphones and cloud computing.

Not only that, Bill · Gates can also promote the original advantages in the new trend. The graphical interface is very important for the development of the computer, although the Microsoft graphics interface operating system is later than Apple. But with the help of Bill · Gates successfully overtook Apple.

People of insight appealed that after the failure of Windows 8, Ballmer will be out, and Bill · Gates should consider emulating Jobs and returning to the rescue to save the company.