Ed Sim makes an interesting observation about Microsoft having lost its stranglehold on consumers. Never thought about it like this, but now that he mentions it, it seems so obvious. No wonder they're looking at SMEs, enterprise customers, mobile, gaming and all those other new (for them) areas.
Link: BeyondVC: .Net and VC Loyalty.
One big value for Microsoft has been its hold on the desktop as Tim Oren strongly points out, but as we move more and more into a web-based world its strength is diminishing. Look at Google, Firefox and new scripting services like Greasemonkey and Yubnub which are increasingly offering users more and more functionality through a web-based interface. I am sure Microsoft will get it right with Longhorn but it has taken way too long and many a more nimble, startup has out-innovated Microsoft and decreased its competitive advantage. While the OS is important, Microsoft has lost its complete and utter dominance as we move to a service-oriented world where broadband is everywhere, apps are in the cloud, and the browser becomes king.
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