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» Software » Reading: "Will Microsoft be able to learn from its past mistakes?"
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| Will Microsoft be able to learn from its past mistakes? |
By:
Lalit Yadav |
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Microsoft has made some costly mistakes over the past few years. Its long-term dependence on the operating system to dominate the software world has put it behind its competitors in terms of product adoption and loyalty. Also, after the departure of Bill Gates in 2008, who served the company for 31 long years and achieved the success that every corporate have in their mind, the company has to bear the grunt of severe competition in every sphere of business.
No doubt he laid milestones for the company but there were few products that never made up to the expectations of users. The feature here discusses some of the biggest failures of the company in the recent times.
No Microsoft Linux!
According to sources, at present Linux rules super computers segment with 88.6% share. Microsoft’s Windows has only 1% market share. Hence, the software giant should have had its own version of Linux. Analysts claim that Linux is more secure and it is easier to detect bugs in the system. Further, irrespective of Windows, Linux is an open-source software that provides freedom to the user to run it, to study and change it.
Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) was the default browser shipped with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. At present, it has been superseded by latest versions of Internet Explorer, but still Microsoft supports IE6 in Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP3. The company has no mood to call it off.
Various analysts criticize the IE6 for being vulnerable to malicious attacks, viruses and malware. Various reports also questioned about the browser’s design and said that IE6 is unstable. Further, it did not support CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) version 2, which makes it difficult for web developers to ensure compatibility with the browser. Still, IE6 market share was almost 25% for August, 2009.
Underestimating Apple’s iPhone
Besides Linux, Microsoft has also underestimated Apple. The enthusiastic response of Apple's iPhone forced Microsoft to launch its own such device. In November 2006, it had launched a rival to Apple iPod, called Zune. But at that time, Apple had already attained over 70% market-share, whereas Microsoft’s Zune could not create such hype. Last year in May, the company had sold two million players since its launch.
Windows Vista
Microsoft Vista was released worldwide in 2007 but the company could not achieve the same response as with Windows XP. The release of new operating system came more than five years after the introduction of its predecessor, Windows XP. It hosted many changes and came with bunch of new features like Windows Aero, besides much touted improved security. However, the new operating system could not justify the Microsoft’s claims.
The list of minimum requirement, slow running speed, boot time and security flaws dampens the Vista’s significance. Many consumers downgraded their system back to the eight year old horse, Windows XP. According to the recent research, 86% of corporate PCs continue to rely on the Windows XP.
Besides the above mentioned mistakes, the company had also launched various products which are either denied by public or they had severe bugs due to which the company pulled them back. |
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