Analysts To Microsoft: Think More Like Apple

by , 10:00 AM EST, February 27th, 2004

How many of you know about Window XP's Remote Desktop feature, or use Windows Messenger? Being that you are an Apple audience, your ignorance of these features is understandable (note that 1/3 of our visitors are on Windows machines), but that shouldn't be the case if you happen to run a PC with Windows XP. Whereas iPhoto is something most Mac users will readily recognize as a feature of Apple's OS X OS or Macs, Movie Maker just doesn't spark the same reaction for XP from people; and that's a problem to Microsoft.

The Associated Press is running a story in which Microsoft execs openly complain about the marketing of many of XP's features, and that the strategy behind creating and marketing XP could have been done better. Even more interesting is that the story also cites analysts who say that Microsoft could have been more like Apple as to how it creates and advertises XP features. Here's an excerpt from the Associated Press article appearing in the Washington Post Intelligencer titled:

Jim Allchin, Microsoft's group vice president for software platforms, including Windows, said he thinks customers aren't using gadgets like Windows Messenger and Movie Maker because Microsoft hasn't done a good enough job telling people about them.

"I don't think we've marketed it very well," he said at a dinner with journalists Wednesday in Bellevue, near the company's Redmond headquarters.

Allchin said he was "very frustrated" to find that more people haven't embraced technologies including remote desktop, which lets people access their own computer from another computer, and a remote assistance option that is designed to help people solve computer problems more easily.

...

"Too often Microsoft tries to create new behavior, which carries an inherent barrier to selling it because you're asking someone to do something they haven't done before," (Industry analyst, Joe) Wilcox said.

He compares it to Microsoft's rival Apple, which introduced products such as iPhoto based on familiar things, such as photo albums. Microsoft could have done a better job building on familiar experiences, he said.

Another problem, Wilcox noted, is that while Apple used catchy names like iPhoto, Microsoft has stuck with cumbersome product names like Scanner and Camera Wizard.

There's more in the full article at the Washington Post Intelligencer.

The Mac Observer Spin:

While it may be true that features such as MovieMaker are not something people readily associated with Windows XP, we believe the problem Microsoft faces is far more serious: Security. People can't see themselves using features like remote desktop when they have to worry about viruses and worms on a weekly basis, especially when they are unsure how secure the new features are.

We find that we agree with Mr. Wilcox, at least when it comes to the creative side; Apple has looked at how people want to use their computers and have created features accordingly. That said, we think Apple does a poor job of advertising those features outside the installed user base. You know about iPhoto, and we know about iPhoto, but does the soccer mom down the street know about iPhoto? It's a product ideally suited to her needs, as is Mac OS X, but Apple has failed to deliver that message to her.

Microsoft exec says marketing effort faltered with Windows XP