Vietnam was the first TV war, this could be the first Internet war - Wall St Journal
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Microsoft gives away Windows Phone 7 handsets to employees
INCREASINGLY DESPERATE Microsoft has resorted to giving away Windows phones to its employees in order to boost awareness.
The phones, which will run the firm's upcoming Windows Phone 7 operating system (OS), are being offered to employees at no charge. Microsoft will be hoping that by buying up a large number of the phones to throw at its employees, it can mitigate the chance of relatively weak sales to its own staff compared to Apple's Iphone and numerous Android devices.
It's not surprising that a company offers its employees phones running its software. Apple offered something similar to those who had worked for the cappuccino company for more than year. However, the popularity of the Iphone among Microsoft's employees must be a source of embarrassment to the firm, which has seen its Windows Mobile smartphone OS all but eradicated from the market.
Windows Phone 7 was initially shown off at Mobile World Congress in February and recently reached what the Vole called a "very significant milestone", with Microsoft ready to wheel out a technical preview. The software is not quite ready for prime time yet though, as the release is a closed beta, most probably aimed at developers.
Employees have not been told what phones they will receive or when they will get them, only that it will run the firm's latest and perhaps greatest smartphone OS. This tallies with the fact that neither the firm nor any handset manufacturers have chimed in with a release date for Windows Phone 7.
By dangling the carrot of a free phone, Microsoft must be hoping that its army of Voles will ditch other devices and help it claw back market share in the smartphone market. µ
Tags: Microsoft
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For those who don't get it. This article is actually Apple's desperate attempt at advertising in disguise. You see it's in part one of the only things Apple can do that has any hope of working. Apple, a desperate company who's made most of its weak sales on desktops by making fun of it's competitors and targeting retarded tweens and 20somethings, has cleverly moved its strategy to it's smart phones.
The idea is to target mostly the younger crowd who will think their phones are hip and cool. This is accomplished by making them thin, white and shiny. Why? Because since it's target audience is too inept to understand technology, they go only by what they can see on the outside and touch. If it's cool looking, and you can fling icons around, and apple is making fun of others, then it must be the right choice.
But starting with ImAMac commercials that used to sell their inferior, over priced, and slow outdated core2duo computers at double the price, they also implemented a makeshift pyramid scheme in their sales model. In other words, the assembly of human bots to help promote their company. It's quite ingenious. The idea is to take highly susceptible idiots and get them to repeat Apple's methods of making fun of the competitor. In other words, get the little idiots to no only pay for over rated, over priced products, but get them to do all the dirty work. This also avoids lawsuits on the part of Apple. The bots are completely programmed, brainwashed and activated through ImAMac commercials. And yes, only about 10% of people are dumb enough to be susceptible.
Once fully programmed, Apple hoped that about 5% of it's apple cult would turn into writers. Some of which would hopefully work for the inquirer. They in turn write articles to make fun of any and all Microsoft products. Even if they haven't appeared on the market, they are programmed to ATTACK!! DANGER DANGER!
They then write insulting articles to help any more powerful smart phones on the market, including microsofts, look worse to other itards who may be reading. This keeps sales up and most of all keeps the fantasy going!!
Apples has an over sized Ipad maxi with no web flash or camera that reminds people of a feminine pad? NO PROBLEM. Just make fun of the competitors! Have Steve Jobs say, "Beautiful. Isn't it gorgeous? Look at that! Mere mortals! It just works"
They have an Iphone4 that drops calls when you actually hold it like a phone? NO PROBLEM. Just attack the HTC Evo! Or the upcoming windows 7 phone. Remember these are ATTACK itards and will stop at nothing!!
What about the fact that an i7 based pc at 4ghz can be had for $750 that blows away their $1600 with lousy core2duo in everything including video rendering? OR even their $2500 i7 mac pro for that matter? NO PROBLEM. Just attack the competition and make fun of them, sprinkle in a few lies. And pretty soon more sales for Apple. Wash Rinse and Repeat. Wash Rinse and Repeat !
Very impressive strategy. Only it's sad that Apple had to get its business through desperation and deception. And also sad for all the people who know better. Sometimes I think maybe Microsoft shouldn't have saved Apple in 1997 from going under and into bankruptcy. Yes, look it up. That said, I fully look forward to what ever smart phones that come out. And I fully expect Apple fanboys to attack everything out there. As usual..
"If Microsoft was to give up just because someone makes a better product they would be out of business a long time ago." -- Heh, heh. Funny because it's true. -- Actually, just about *everyone* makes better products, especially the Linux geeks who are truly into geeking. -- M$'s success has been one of the most important examples that undermined my belief in "capitalism": clearly, that system isn't based on the best products succeeding, only who's more ruthless and corrupt.
Anyhoo, interesting to note how many blatant M$ trolls are out today, especially the two "sengle" posts with nearly the same line, though that may be merely trouble with TheInq's cranky steam-powered web server.
Had they just given out a few hundred iPhone4 units out to the rank and file employees for testing they might not be in such a shitstorm right now.
Giving just a handful out to a select group of trusted techs isnt going to cut it.
MS knows that secrecy and restricted product development spells disaster.
Other folks are just a bit slow.
This drivel has to be the silliest "article" on the Windows Phone 7 yet. When Apple gives its' employees phones for testing that is apparently brilliant and when MSFT does the same thing that is desperation. What sophomoric nonsense.
The author of this article should go wash dishes, as he clearly knows nothing of technology, good business practice, or marketing.
First of, if you're a reporter - not one person cares of your PERSONAL feelings about the way Microsoft chooses to market their product. I don't care much for Microsoft myself, but what they are doing is completely standard and no different from what Apple or Google do to market their products.
Apple iPhone is a great phone, many employees of many companies use it. If Microsoft was to give up just because someone makes a better product they would be out of business a long time ago. If every company was to give up when someone else made a better product, we'd still be in stone age.
This has to be one of the silliest "articles" in a long time. When Apple gives its' employees telephones for testing in the real world that is presumably brilliant testing and marketing. When MSFT does the same thing it is "desperation". Utter nonsense at a sophomoric level.
Like the taste of apple flavored Kool Aid do you.
microsoft's idea of beta testing is to sell a product for top money and then release updates to address subsequent problems
i.e. what it always does with its operating systems
Revenue numbers in Windows 7 grew by 100,000% to 93,000 units shipped in August and September of 2010, gaining 0.01% of market share in the mobile market. The total amount for these revenues is $250 (I paid for my own phone). Revenues are exppected to drop to normal levels in September to the average 3/mo, with the introduction of Adroid 2. Gates did not report on the expected time for Win7's security patch that wreak havoc the company's communications in late July.
Free is still to much. Even if it was free and free minutes for a year you would not see me using this phone or any Microsoft product for the rest of my days. Tired of this company and their crappy products
It's called beta testing. It's amazing how little tech journalists understand about what they report on. Desperate Apple and Desperate Motorola do the same thing. People should be thrilled with more testing...it leads to more stable products.
Happy with your 30 seconds of fame?
This article is ridiculous citing that Microsoft is giving away phones free to employees out of desperation? Every company test their products or give incentives to your employees whats new here?
no doubt microsoft's statisticians will class these freebies as actual sales to quadruple the genuine sales
as they did with vista (which was the best thing since sliced bread up until the night before they announced it was crap and needed replacing)