Microsoft rank and file unsettled but optimistic about change

The Microsoft logo is seen at their offices in Bucharest March 20, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Bogdan Cristel

By Bill Rigby and Eric M. Johnson

REDMOND, Washington | Mon Sep 9, 2013 5:33am EDT

REDMOND, Washington (Reuters) - A mood of cautious optimism tempered with a dash of anxiety has spread on Microsoft Corp's leafy campus in the Seattle suburbs, as the world's biggest software maker embarks on one of the most tumultuous periods in its 38-year history.

Since mid-July, three interlocking events - all of them considered highly unlikely six months ago - have unfolded in quick succession, unsettling Microsoft managers and employees and roiling its share price.

First, CEO Steve Ballmer rejiggered top management as part of an ambitious plan to remodel the company around devices and services rather than software. Six weeks later, he announced his retirement within a year, sending shares soaring. Ten days after that, he unveiled a $7.2 billion purchase of Nokia's phone business, a move that ate up the stock's recent gains.

Within the company's Redmond, Washington, headquarters at least, the casually dressed workers seem much more worried about the far-reaching reorganization announced by Ballmer than the multibillion-dollar Nokia acquisition, which has incensed many investors who view it as a waste of money.

"The funniest thing I read on LinkedIn was, 'Two black holes converge,'" said one Microsoft employee, who asked not to be named, soon after the Nokia acquisition was announced. "But I think there's some real potential here."

The topic of Ballmer's retirement elicited a more complex reaction from some Microsoft employees interviewed this week.

"Like Wall Street, there was initial euphoria with the announcement for employees," said one 15-year veteran who has worked in a number of units at the company, in response to Ballmer's retirement and a change at the helm of a company that no longer sets the pace for technological innovation.

"But he is as much a symptom as the actual problem. This whole crazy re-org will still happen. And nothing will really change." he said. "Among many of my fellow employees - both new hires and long-timers - there is a recognition that Microsoft has lost its way."

Microsoft declined comment on the mood of its employees.

One of the ways the company aims to regain its stride is the addition of Nokia's phone business, but that will likely complicate an already complex reorganization that is just getting under way.

"The re-org is more unsettling for some people than Ballmer's departure. Exactly how that shakes out is more interesting," said another employee who asked not to be identified.

"There is always a small percentage of people who do lose their job, or get put into an awkward new role. For those people, morale is very bad, of course. But whoever you talk to, they all noticed that the stock went up on the Ballmer (retirement) news. If sustained, that will make morale improve broadly."

FOUR NEW GROUPS

Under Ballmer's 'One Microsoft' vision - which will take until the end of the year, at least, to complete - Microsoft's five operating units, including the massive Windows and Office businesses, are being realigned under four new functional engineering groups, broadly covering operating systems, devices, applications and the cloud.

In practice, that means tearing up some existing units and shifting thousands of staff around campus. The old Windows business will largely go into the new operating systems unit, but the Surface tablet unit will go into the new devices organization, to be joined by Nokia's phones next year. Office will be split between the applications and cloud units.

Most advertising and marketing staff are being taken out of their traditional business units and grouped together under a unified team. The software parts of Xbox will go to operating systems while the hardware will go to the devices unit, but not until after the November 22 launch of the Xbox One console.

Given the complexity, the full effects of the reorganization may not be felt for several more months.

"I guess the re-org hasn't yet settled down in a big way," said Raman Shrama, 34, who works at Microsoft as a program manager in the developer division, which helps outside firms make apps to run on Microsoft's Windows 8.

"I am personally not very impacted, because the division that I am working in is largely unchanged," said Shrama at the Overlake Transit Center used by thousands of Microsoft commuters.

Generally, he said, the mood at the company was good. "CEOs don't change every day. It's a big event, for sure. But I haven't noticed a drop in morale, or anything like that."

Microsoft's Redmond campus has maintained its laid-back air for the last few weeks. Crowds occasionally gather for morale-building events on one of the artificial-turf soccer fields. And in The Commons - the campus social hub - a few hundred employees congregate upstairs for the rowdy 'Trivia Tuesday' quiz.

One 31-year-old contractor who works on the Office user interface team said he was "very optimistic" about the changes.

"We are so far behind on the mobile end of things. This is the only hope we have for connecting to the younger generation," he said. "The PC market is declining so much. This might give us a chance to find a new approach and a new corporate identity to get behind. I don't think Ballmer was really that inspirational, someone people believed in."

Another 25-year-old software engineer in the Bing search engine unit said she was "excited" about what was to come.

"I don't expect a big change after his (Ballmer's) retirement. Microsoft is a big company. A new CEO won't change much," she said. "In the last company meeting, Steve talked about the 'One Microsoft' spirit. People liked that idea. Probably, the new CEO will continue that."

(Reporting by Bill Rigby and Eric M. Johnson; editing by Gunna Dickson)

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Microsoft caught lying about tablet size in comparison to Apple's iPad

Microsoft caught lying about tablet size in comparison to Apple's iPadGet the lowest prices anywhere on Macs and iPads with exclusive coupons: Apple Price Guide updated May 25th. (Get the lowest prices anywhere) HomeReviewsBackpagePrice GuidesNew MacsMacs with AppleCarePrevious MacsiPadsApple Wireless DevicesBid on New & Used Apple ProductsFollow UsTwitterFacebookGoogle+RSS Feeds & QriusiPhone AppTip UsSend us a tiptip us anonymouslyContact us by e-mailForumsAAPL: 445.15 ( +3.01 )Never miss an update Follow AppleInsiderFollow @AppleInsider –A+
Thursday, May 23, 2013, 03:52 pm

Microsoft caught lying about tablet size in comparison to Apple's iPadBy Daniel Eran Dilger

In an attempt to draw interest away from Apple's iPad, Microsoft has set up a tablet comparison page that falsely presents the iPad as having a smaller screen than a Windows tablet with less screen area.


Source: Microsoft
Microsoft presents a series of four tablet devices running either Windows 8 or Windows RT, but the default comparison pits a full size 9.7 inch iPad against the 10.6 inch Asus VivoTab Smart.

However, as noted by blogger Elliot Temple of Curi.us, Microsoft's comparison graphics are not to scale.

"Microsoft has drawn a 10.1 inch tablet 36% larger than a 9.7 inch tablet," Temple wrote, pointing out that the iPad actually has a screen area of 45.16 square inches, while the Asus tablet is actually 3.5 percent smaller at 43.56 square inches, "not 36% more as Microsoft depicts."


Source: Microsoft
Microsoft doesn't just imply the Windows device is bigger; the site actually states that the ASUS VivoTab Smart "has a bigger touchscreen," when in fact it does not. Microsoft also points out that the Asus product has a lower battery life rating, is slightly thicker, and weights slightly less.

One detail Microsoft doesn't mention: the current iPad has sported a Retina Display with a resolution of 2048 by 1536 for years now, while the new Asus Windows tablet has an "HD" resolution of just 1366 x768, more comparable to the original iPad from three years ago.

iPad can't run our apps that we won't sell you

Microsoft also draws attention to the fact that "the only consumer Office app the iPad can run is OneNote," an interesting claim from the only company that has the power to port Microsoft Office apps to the iPad. The company is already rumored to have done this but is apparently withholding their release until all hope is lost for Windows tablets.


Microsoft also notes that the Asus tablet ships with ports for attaching HDMI and SD cards; Apple sells such dongles separately but also offers the technology to access external screens and storage wirelessly via AirPort and iCloud.

A fourth unfavorable comparison Microsoft makes is contrasting Apple's included 5GB of iCloud storage with the free 7GB it offers via SkyDrive. However, iPad users can access both Apple's iCloud and Microsoft's SkyDrive, meaning that it effectively provides 12GB of "free cloud storage" to anyone who wants to sign up for both.

The high cost of Windows baggage

Microsoft lastly compares the two models on price, depicting the iPad as $699 in comparison to the $449 Asus tablet, both at 64GB. However, Windows consumes much more storage than iOS does, so the free space Microsoft is giving it also is taking away.

On Windows tablets like the Asus, a full 8GB of storage is consumed by a "recovery partition," leaving, after Windows and other bundled software, just 33GB free, about half of the advertised storage. The list price of the Asus tablet is $499 ($420 on Amazon), and 64GB is the cheapest model available.

Apple's full size iPad also starts at $499 (with models as low as $410 on Amazon). Apple's iOS also consumes much less storage, only around 4GB. A 32GB iPad has over 28GB free, making pure price per GB comparisons misleading.

Microsoft also makes no mention of Asus' NFC feature, promoted as "tap and Explore: simple interaction with other NFC enabled devices" on the Asus website. NFC has failed to capture much attention among consumers a year after Google, Microsoft and their partners have tried to leverage it as a differentiating feature that Apple has chosen not to support.

Microsoft spent two years reworking its failed Windows Slate PC efforts in order to more effectively compete with Apple's iPad, which has been eating its way into both consumer and enterprise markets, gobbling up conventional PC sales.

The moves included a two pronged effort to target both desktop PC users with iPad-like features and a tablet-optimized version of Windows capable of running on more efficient ARM hardware like the iPad (but incapable of running conventional Windows software).

Both efforts have failed to gain traction.Tags:WindowsMicrosofttabletsJump to comments (79)Categories:iPad(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Tweet!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); On Topic: WindowsMicrosoft caught lying about tablet size in comparison to Apple's iPadApple software update brings QuickTime for Windows to 7.7.4Editorial: Apple's iOS is the new WindowsFujifilm to help PC makers take on Apple with new touchscreen techApple's iPhone and iPad models claim top 5 slots in enterprise device activations for Q4Today's' HeadlinesNo news headlines yet todayRelated ArticlesTest finds Surface Pro's storage space comparable to MacBook AirMicrosoft Surface with Windows RT to start at $499Microsoft Surface tablet with Windows RT to start at $499Microsoft's changes to Windows 8 certification rules hint at potential iPad mini competitorMicrosoft says Surface screen outperforms iPad Retina displayPrevious Comments View Allslurpy2013/05/23 03:56pm

Yeah I sensed something was off about the iPad in that video.. it seemed to have the bezel of an iPad with the size of an iPad mini. You know, to make the iPad look as ugly as possible. Pretty disgusting dishonesty.

ireland2013/05/23 04:10pm

This article should have said 1. MS lies about screen size. 2. New iPads actually start from $329. End of article.

bullhead2013/05/23 04:13pm

Imagine that! ?Microsoft lying. ?Show how desparate they are with complete and total failure windows tablets are.

damn_its_hot2013/05/23 04:37pm

Quote:Originally Posted by AppleInsider?

In an
Microsoft presents a series of four tablet devices running either Windows 8 or Windows RT, but the default comparison pits a full size 9.7 inch iPad against the 10.6 inch Asus VivoTab Smart.

However, as noted by blogger Elliot Temple of Curi.us, Microsoft's comparison graphics are not to scale...

On Windows tablets like the Asus, a full 8GB of storage is consumed by a "recovery partition," leaving, after Windows and other bundled software, just 33GB free, about half of the advertised storage. The list price of the Asus tablet is $499 ($420 on Amazon), and 64GB is the cheapest model available.

Apple's full size iPad also starts at $499 (with models as low as $410 on Amazon). Apple's iOS also consumes much less storage, only around 4GB. A 32GB iPad has over 28GB free, making pure price per GB comparisons misleading....
?

?

?

I understand that puffing is a legal practice in marketing and sales but this goes way beyond that. This is deceptive and outright fraudulent in some cases. I wonder what the UK judge would have to say about this -- my bet is it would be a lot more than "its not as cool". I bet they are not running this advert in the UK.

?

slurpy2013/05/23 04:39pm

Quote:Originally Posted by Phrosty23?

This isn't as bad as Apple photoshopping the heck out of Samsung phones to make them appear almost identical to iPhones for their lawsuits.

@ireland, the ad is comparing 64gb models to each other. If you want to go with the Mini, it's $529.

?

Nice 1st post. Love people who register on Apple sites just to post comments like these. Justifying/defending something like this just to find an excuse to bash Apple because of a previous incident, (which is different in so many ways, because what was being compared were software elements) ?because of how much you despise the company. Apparently nothing was worth registering for until this very moment, to make this very comment. I'm sure we'll see a bright future of trolling from you.?

jungmark2013/05/23 04:40pm

Wait, Microsoft lies? In other news, water is still wet.

cobby102013/05/23 04:42pm

@phrosty23

Apple wasn't making size comparisons, the images were to dispute general software characteristics of the Lawsuit. The images were on different pages, and both images were not to scale. Size or scale was not part of the lawsuit.

This is a direct comparison in size and even stated as larger, yet it is not.

digitalclips2013/05/23 04:42pm

Well known sign of inadequacy, lying about your size that is.

sockrolid2013/05/23 04:45pm

Originally Posted by AppleInsider?

Microsoft spent two years reworking its failed Windows Slate PC efforts in order to more effectively compete with Apple's iPad, which has been eating its way into both consumer and enterprise markets, gobbling up conventional PC sales.

?

Evidently two years of rework wasn't enough. ?Of course, it was a lose-lose proposition for Microsoft from the very start. ?I think there were only three possible scenarios for Surface vs. iPad:

?

- The "success" scenario:?Surface becomes a raging success equalling or surpassing iPad sales. ?Surface hardware revenues soar beyond whatever MS can eke out of Xbox. ?But, because Surface's Windows RT / Pro apps and OS updates are much cheaper than legacy Windows + Office software licenses and updates, the company's overall revenue drops. ?Apple still makes money on iPad, selling to consumers and enterprise, still hurting Microsoft's profitability. ?But it's a two-horse race: Surface and iPad. ?MS actively iterates Surface and releases a Surface mini to broaden the line.

?

- The "don't care" scenario: Surface sales are moderate but still "successful." ?Surface hardware revenue is not stellar, but gives the business some sustainability. ?And again, because Surface's Windows RT / Pro apps and OS updates are much cheaper than legacy Windows + Office software licenses and updates, the company's software revenue drops. ?It's break-even. ?MS could flip a coin: keeping Surface or canceling it makes little or no difference to their overall revenue. ?They decide to keep marketing it because it makes them look relevant and modern.

?

- The "nightmare" scenario: Surface sales are dismal. ?iPad continues to dominate in the consumer and corporate pad computing markets, disrupting the legacy PC markets that Microsoft once thought they had locked up in perpetuity. ?The Surface division operates at a loss, and Microsoft's overall revenues decline due to the iPad onslaught. ?They decide to continue marketing Surface because they think it makes them look relevant and modern, even though it costs them plenty of money and in reality makes them look foolish and out of touch. ?They hype Xbox more, because it is their only successful post-PC device.

?

I think we all know which scenario is now playing out.

?

?

Originally Posted by?AppleInsider?

Both efforts have failed to gain traction.?

The market has spoken. ?Windows 8 and Surface have both been Zuned.

agramonte2013/05/23 04:48pm

"One detail Microsoft doesn't mention: the current iPad has sported a Retina Display with a resolution of 2048 by 1536 for years now, while the new Asus Windows tablet has an "HD" resolution of just 1366 x768, more comparable to the original iPad from three years ago"

that is also misleading... you do not get 2048X1536 real estate on an ipad... you do get the full work environment of 1366X768 using windows 8

you cant do a direct resolution comparison - the OS is using the resolution in different ways.

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Users Worry That Microsoft Will Follow Adobe To Subscription-Only Pricing

Many Microsoft Office users are concerned that Microsoft might ultimately follow Adobe's lead into subscription-only pricing, even though Microsoft has announced that it won't do so in the near future. Meanwhile, Adobe customers are already up in the arms that they will no longer be able to buy Photoshop and other Creative Suite (CS) products as packaged software.

After Adobe announced plans last week to abandon development of the packaged edition of CS, a Microsoft official went on record to say that Microsoft will continue to give Office users a choice between Office 365 and the boxed version of the office suite -- for some time, at least.

"Like Adobe, we think subscription software-as-a-service is the future," wrote Microsoft's Clint Patterson, in a blog post. "However, unlike Adobe, we think people's shift from packaged software to subscription services will take time. Within a decade, we think everyone will choose to subscribe because the benefits are undeniable. In the meantime, we are committed to offering a choice -- premier software sold as a package and powerful services sold as a subscription. "

The controversy started last week, when Adobe announced that Creative Suite (CS) and the high-end content creation applications included in the suite -- Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Premiere, InDesign, and others -- will no longer be available as packaged software past CS6. From now on, subscribing to Adobe's Creative Cloud (CC) service will be the only means of upgrading the software.

Photoshop CS6 is list priced at $699, and the Master Collection of the suite at $2,599. Subscriptions to CC run at $50 a month with a one-year commitment, or $75 month to month, although Adobe also throws in 20GB of cloud storage, plus all of its Edge services. Subscriptions to a single product are priced at $19.99 monthly each. Discounts are also available. Adobe is offering users of CS versions 3 to 5.5 a reduced rate of $30 per month for the first year. Current CS6 users are able to subscribe for $20 for the first year.

While Adobe's pricing has been very steep for subscriptions and packaged software alike, subscriptions to CC can be financially advantageous under certain circumstances. Some Adobe users actually prefer the subscription model.

"Personally, I'm slightly ok with the subscription thing. [It] means a lot of money overall but at least it's affordable. No way I could have ever bought a full suite outright, I've only once had that much money in my bank account," wrote a user named October, on the bit-tech.net forum.

Adobe Users: Subscription-Only Pricing Unfair

Yet Adobe's move has kicked off consternation among many customers that the lack of a packaged software option is unfair to consumers, students, small businesses, and anyone who either doesn't need to update often or who uses the software only once in a while.

"I'm hit by this. At home I still use Photoshop CS3 for a number of reasons. Not only is Photoshop expensive, but I haven't had a need to upgrade to a newer version. I'm one of the people who upgrades very infrequently, so in my case a perpetual subscription model would make Photoshop more costly in the long term. The next time I look for new tools, I may take a harder look at some of the cheaper alternatives," said supermonkey, in the same forum.

"The Adobe subscription model in this case would seem to be targeted towards 'frequent usage.' If a company wants to capture 'infrequent' users, it uses the 'by the minute' model. A charge of $50/month isn't going to attract much casual usage," wrote Paul in a Google Groups forum.

Microsoft released Office 2013 in late January, at the same time as the subscription-based Office 365 Home Premium and Office 365. Since then, more than 25 percent of consumers buying Office have chosen Office 365, according to Patterson. However, this also means that close to 75 percent are opting for Office 2013.

Microsoft User: 'Subscriptions Are a Hassle'

"I don't like subscriptions, because they're a hassle. I have about a dozen applications I use regularly. If I had to pay a subscription for each one of them, it would drive me crazy," acknowledged paulej, in responding to Patterson's blog post.

"I also don't like subscriptions because there are times when I just don't want to get new versions of the software. That might be due to the fact I don't want to continue using a particular product any longer or it might be due to the fact that my budget is a bit tight. When buying software, I can upgrade on my own schedule and I can manage my expenses."

Subscriptions to Office 365 can also be financially advantageous, under some circumstances. List priced at $139.99, Microsoft Office 2013, Home & Student Edition, includes Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. It runs on Windows 7 and Windows 8 only. Priced at $8.95 per month for up to five PCs or Macs, Office 365 Home Premium adds Outlook, Access, Publisher and Lync. It also comes with Office Web Apps, editions of these same programs with somewhat limited functionality. The Web Apps can be used from remote locations -- such as while a user is on the road -- without any need to download software.

Many Microsoft Office users, though, are still using earlier editions of the suite.

'NO WAY That I'm Joining the Pay Monthly Club'

"There's NO WAY that Office 365 paid for monthly (or even annually) is cheaper than Office 2007 -- which I got (and 2010 too) via a Use at Home type of program and the Office 2007 Home and Student editions were very cheap and allowed use on 3 computers," wrote Coke Robert, on the Windows 8 Forum.

"I have more than enough software (and hardware) to last me for YEARS yet -- assuming I live that long -- so there is NO WAY AT ALL that I'm going to join the 'Pay Monthly' Club."

Adobe hasn't yet announced a move to subscription-only pricing for other products in its lineup, such as the consumer-oriented Adobe Photoshop Elements & Adobe Premiere Elements.

A move like that, though, could spark defections to any of a number of competing photo editing and video editing software packages, including Corel PaintShop Pro and VideoStudio Pro.

Microsoft Office, on the other hand, faces few rivals on the packaged office suite side. However, beyond sticking with older versions of Office, consumers can opt instead for free online office suites such as Google Docs.

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Microsoft makes Windows Phone commercial, sells iPhone instead

Microsoft makes Windows Phone commercial, sells iPhone instead | iMore.com Skip to main content Android BlackBerry iPhone / iPad Windows Phone webOS SIGN UP|LOG IN iMore Forums Apps Games Accessories Reviews How-To Podcasts Contests iPhone iPad mini iPad iPod touch Apple TV iOS iCloud iTunes Mac Hot: iPhone 5S Guides: iPhone buyers | iPad buyers | iOS users Free: Wallpaper | iPhone apps, games | iPad apps, games Shop Online Cases Chargers Screen protectors Headsets & More Free shipping on orders over $50 Microsoft makes Windows Phone commercial, sells iPhone instead By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Apr 29, 2013 a 7:21 pm 50

Microsoft has released a new commercial for the Windows Phone Nokia Lumia 920, and in it they show off both Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S. A lot. So much, in fact, it's hard to know what the commercial is about until the very end, when the Lumia 920 finally makes an appearance. Anyone outside Microsoft see the problem there?

The theme is: Don't fight. Switch. The setting is a wedding where the groom and the bride's side both use different phone platforms, and quickly get into a heated, and pretty funny war of insults that escalates into full-blown Mobile Kombat. When nothing but dust and decimation remains, the waiters wonder if Lumia couldn't just help them all get along.

Here's what Microsoft's Michael Stroh had to say on the Windows Blog:

I chuckled when I first saw the spot. As you’ll see, it plays off the strong—even irrationally strong—feelings some of us harbor about the technology in our purses and pockets. You might recognize someone you’ve met among the wedding guests. You might see shades of yourself. I sure did—and smiled.

I did as well. And it wouldn't be out of place on a late night comedy show. Actually, it would kill as comedy. But this isn't comedy, it's the real, brutal, smartphone market, and here is that Microsoft is promoting Apple and Samsung over their own brands, and that's exactly what happens to them in the market already. Apple had a "switcher" campaign for the Mac many years ago, and while they had a generic "PC" character, he was seldom if ever branded, and there certainly wasn't ever any recognizable, competing hardware in the frame.

Ultimately, however, I didn't really end up caring any more about Windows Phone than I did at the beginning, and that makes it a pretty ineffective commercial. Give it a watch and tell me what you think. Anything there that's better than, I don't know, say Microsoft actually releasing an XPhone Halo edition?

Source: Windows Phone via WPCentral

Rene Ritchie

Editor-in-Chief of iMore, co-host of Iterate, Debug, ZEN and TECH, MacBreak Weekly. Cook, grappler, photon wrangler. Follow him on Twitter, App.net, Google+.

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More of: Microsoft, Nokia, lumia 920, Competition ? PreviouslyApple set to focus on "power users" with 10.9, but whither the regular folks? Next up ?The Mailbox security failure that wasn’t There are 50 comments. Add yours. Divegeek says: Apr 29, 2013 at 7:30 pm - 1 day ago

I just watched it over at android central. I think it shows the great features of both iOS and Android, but doesn't show any thing of substance about the M$ phone. It does show the bickering in a humorous light though.

Reply ianberg says: Apr 29, 2013 at 7:37 pm - 1 day ago

Yes it's like the clickety-clack Microsoft Surface commercials that showcase no features nor functions of the device. Too bad it doesn't show the waiters taking photos of the brawl & sending them to Instagram... d'oh!

Reply kravex says: Apr 30, 2013 at 5:08 am - 1 day ago

" showcase no features nor functions of the device"

Must have been made by someone from the car industry.

Reply Daniel Rubino says: Apr 29, 2013 at 7:57 pm - 1 day ago

Rene, I have to disagree with you here big time as I think you missed the point.

Ads are not to understood in a vacuum. Nor are they meant to "sell" the device. They're meant to pique interest in the consumer--that's advertising 101. You only have 30/60 seconds to get and maintain viewer's attention--it's rarely about the product, it's about the image. C'mon, channel your inner Drapper ;)

All winter/spring Microsoft has been running Windows Phone 8 commercials on TV ad nasuem. Those were the Jessica Alba/Gwen Stefani ones focusing on the Tiles/personal aspect of the phone. This ad takes a very different approach: humorous, entertaining, poking fun at their rivalries. It's so that people who see the ad will be aware of Windows Phone next time they walk into an AT&T or Best Buy "Oh, that's that yellow phone I saw on TV the other day".

There isn't a single 30 or 60 second ad that has in and of itself sold a product. It's part of a broader image and campaign, but if you view just in isolation you can pick it apart.

The fact is, it's a fun(ny) ad and gets people talking. It's no different than Samsung's iSheep ad making fun of Apple fans waiting in line and we all see that Samsung is riding mighty high today off of that line of attack.

"Microsoft is promoting Apple and Samsung over their own brands"

If you think that was "promoting" Apple and Samsung over their brand as oppose to satire, ergo making fun of them, then I'm not sure what to say exactly. All I know is satire can be very effective.

Reply Rene Ritchie says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:14 pm - 1 day ago

Yeah, I am channeling my Draper -- and I worked in product marketing for a decade. No way Draper lets the competition get that much screen time or brand recognition.

Most people don't pay much attention to commercials. They see glimpses between getting snacks, chatting, switching channels, and other distractions. They don't get branded satire, they only see the brands.

When you make a commercial, you need to make it survive low attention environments. That's why commercials are often so brand-crazy, and why product placements are so in-your-face about brands.

Samsung's done this type of commercial before, making fun of iPhone owners. That was a brand behind, and arguably still pretty bad.

Glancing at this commercial, 90% of the time, you wouldn't even know it was for Windows Phone, and that really is a problem.

I want Windows Phone to succeed, I just wish they'd give it a much better chance than this.

Halo phone, Daniel! Halo. Phone!!!!

Reply Josh Beshears says: Apr 29, 2013 at 9:08 pm - 1 day ago

The fact that you have a article talking about a windows phone ad on a iphone site tells me this ad worked.

Reply Emeroid says: Apr 29, 2013 at 11:24 pm - 1 day ago

But it doesn't tell everybody that. I showed it around, not a single person I knew said it was a Windows ad.
It worked but only in so far as it grabbed attention. It didn't promote what it was designed to promote.

Reply jpf22467#IM says: Apr 30, 2013 at 10:40 am - 20 hours ago

Wait a min Emeroid, you showed this ad (the 1 min ad, that spent the last 15 seconds showing a close up of the windows phone and talking about it), and no one knew what the ad was about???? Did they speak english?

Reply dannyd86 says: Apr 29, 2013 at 9:17 pm - 1 day ago

I agree Rene. I'd add that Windows Phone, and windows 8 in general has some weird marketing behind it. Hard to tell who there targeting. No real clear message. And no real effort. Like they're confident the product will sell itself.

Leaving the road for blackberry to dominate that #3 spot all day long.

Reply demontooth says: Apr 29, 2013 at 10:25 pm - 1 day ago

I'll admit I would probably buy a halo Xphone.

Reply tqmcguire says: Apr 29, 2013 at 11:38 pm - 1 day ago

I showed my wife, a Windows Phone 8 user, this commercial. We laughed. It was a funny commercial, I'll give it that. We laughed about the guy yelling at Siri for karate, old people with iPhones, and we made fun of the old Samsung "yep, simple as that," commercial by touching our phones together. Then I asked her what she learned. She said mainly Galaxy phones can share by touching. But the real telling thing here? 20 seconds after it was over she asked, "Wait, was that a commercial for my phone?" And this was after my encouragement to watch it and pay close attention.

Reply Trappiste says: Apr 30, 2013 at 2:20 am - 1 day ago

This ad has now been featured on every site I have visited this morning. And it is the first WP ad that has done that. Sure, there have been ads focused on the superior Lumia camera technology, the ease of use vs. competing platforms, etc. I do not remember a single one of those, though I know I saw them.

This is the best WP ad yet.

Reply scatteredthings says: Apr 30, 2013 at 5:48 am - 1 day ago

I can see both sides of the argument. On reflection, however, I think where the ad really failed in its message is that it was this: "People are passionate - to the point of violence - about iPhone and Android/Samsung (what great phones they must be to inspire such emotion). Windows Phone, on the other hand, is for dispassionate waiters who watch other people living their lives, but never join the party/fight."

Reply unraveledideas says: Apr 30, 2013 at 4:01 pm - 15 hours ago

I was going to write a reply arguing this was a great commercial (I have and love my Lumia 920), but now I think I agree with Renee. My first thought was "Hey, just like the commercials Samsung used to gain traction", but then I realized that this commercial doesn't show a single feature of the 920 except it comes in red and yellow. If they just added a few more shots of the phone, how it simply integrates all the social media for sharing such an epic event etc. that would have been great. As it is... not so much.

Reply iSRS says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:15 pm - 1 day ago

Those celeb ads were nice, but didn't make me want their phones. Even the old PowerBook ads, I never believe the celebrity actually uses the product 90% of the time. As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago, No Doubt posted a picture on its official Instagram feed of Gwen and Tony, writing songs, in the studio. A MacBook Pro and an iPhone 4/4S with them. Granted, the iPhone could have been Tony's, but no Windows phone in site.

Reply Marcelo Zaca says: Apr 30, 2013 at 6:31 pm - 12 hours ago

Daniel Rubino, that's great observation. Agreed.

Reply IIJBII says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:13 pm - 1 day ago

That ad was awful for windows phone.

Reply iSRS says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:18 pm - 1 day ago

Apple's logo got as much air time as Microsoft's. still, funny

Reply thesorehead says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:23 pm - 1 day ago

I liked the ad, especially its lighthearted silliness (I can't get the Apple tattooed on some dudes flabby chest, who then gets decked, out of my mind) - but I have to agree at least in part. The Nokias at the end were essentially a punchline, and if you don't stick around for the whole ad you won't get it.

Basically we needed to see WP and/or Nokia earlier in the piece.

Reply benjitek says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:24 pm - 1 day ago

Windows Phone's biggest problem is Windows 8. I've been using it for about a month now, and while it's not horrible, it doesn't move me to switch from iOS to Windows 8 -- it makes me appreciate my iPad/iPhone even more. Prior to getting Windows 8, I'd thought about going all-Windows... not any more, regardless of what advertising is done by Microsoft.

Reply ScottAB says: Apr 30, 2013 at 12:46 pm - 18 hours ago

Windows 8 is not the same at Windows Phone 8. Fortunately WP8 works well on a phone; Win8 works on tablets and is a work-in-progress on a desktop.
-SAB
(WinPhone refugee with an iPhone 5 due to the app gap)

Reply benjitek says: May 1, 2013 at 4:03 am - 3 hours ago

Duh... Regardless, as I said, Windows 8 steers potential users away from WindowsPhone. Thanks though for stopping by ;-)

Reply blueyestm says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:43 pm - 1 day ago

That commercial may not have show cased the Lumia as much as it could have but that was one fricken hilarious commercial. I loved it. I do not, however, like the Surface commercials. Those bug the ever loving heck out of me.

Reply SockRolid says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:46 pm - 1 day ago

Note to Microsoft marketing department: you mention iPhone, you lose.
It's that simple.

Reply Steveo#IM says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:49 pm - 1 day ago

I can't believe everyone is arguing about the whether or not the commercial is effective...doesn't that kind of prove the commercial's point?

Reply dannyd86 says: Apr 29, 2013 at 9:16 pm - 1 day ago

People on mobile nations discuss everything, just because you see a topic here, or even on all tech blogs accross the Web, doesn't mean an average consumer will even notice it

Reply vianar says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:51 pm - 1 day ago

I liked it, good for a laugh. Didn't make me want a windows phone but made me want to see a battle like this first hand, it would be hilarious to watch. "search karate" that's awesome.

Reply R1cki97 says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:58 pm - 1 day ago

i still prefer iphone because i think is better and have a better design, i mean all people may have a different opinion, but i think this commercial is just hilarious, at least they weren't like samsung galaxy ads vs the iphone

Reply Wlctttrue says: Apr 29, 2013 at 8:58 pm - 1 day ago

Hilarious.

Reply rowdys03 says: Apr 29, 2013 at 9:11 pm - 1 day ago

Funny...but not much else in my opinion. At least the Samsung ads pointed out features that were either on the Galaxy S3, or ones that the iPhone lacked.

Reply SockRolid says: Apr 29, 2013 at 10:26 pm - 1 day ago

Except for those off-color (literally) bad-comedy ads with people standing in line at Apple stores. But yeah, the Seth Rogen / Paul Rudd Superbowl ad was great.

Reply Joebin says: Apr 29, 2013 at 9:36 pm - 1 day ago

It is definitely a chuckler of a commercial, and I agree that it doesn't help Microsofts cause at all. It's a head scratcher how bad MS fumbles with mobile technology even in their ads with all the resources they have.

Reply draztikrhymez says: Apr 29, 2013 at 10:53 pm - 1 day ago

The wife and I with our non expert marketing backgrounds thought it was hilarious and a great commercial for Windows Phone

Reply ernbrdn says: Apr 29, 2013 at 11:15 pm - 1 day ago

I think it's brilliant. I showed this ad to my dad (who still uses a flip phone, and has no idea what siri or Bluetooth is) and he was horrified buy the behavior. He and I and I'm sure each of you work with or know people exactly like that. To him it portrayed fanboys in a bad light, like the windows phone user was the only sane one in the crowd. He was outnumbered but sane. To the tech savvy crowd we are debating and posting about how "our" phone was pictured more, and how Microsoft needs to work on advertising. HELLO!!! We are all giving them far more PR than they could have achieved with this ad alone. On a competing platforms fan site no less. If you ask me "Mission Accomplished"

Reply ScottAB says: Apr 30, 2013 at 12:49 pm - 18 hours ago

+1

Reply anthonyjpv says: Apr 30, 2013 at 1:32 am - 1 day ago

You're probably reading too much into it. Its clearly a windows phone advert.
But, it'd have been better if they omit the names of the phones they were "bashing" like Samsung has done. Just not show them, strongly elude to them though. They'd have been better subtle "burns" this way.

Reply sharedbyme says: Apr 30, 2013 at 3:30 am - 1 day ago

I think its just the worst marketing when you feature another company in your advert. Windows and Samsung should have more original ideas.

Reply Goodbye_blackberry says: Apr 30, 2013 at 3:33 am - 1 day ago

It's not an iPhone commercial so you have to give it a negative review.

Reply ScottAB says: Apr 30, 2013 at 12:49 pm - 18 hours ago

+1

Reply Mo007 says: Apr 30, 2013 at 4:57 pm - 14 hours ago

+1

Reply sanc333 says: Apr 30, 2013 at 5:39 am - 1 day ago

did Microsoft just made a fool of themselves..
proud to be isheep !

Reply west3man says: Apr 30, 2013 at 9:28 am - 21 hours ago

*takes out my red pen and rolls up my sleeves*

Reply squirble says: Apr 30, 2013 at 9:17 am - 21 hours ago

Every time I've seen this commercial, it's been after one of the other commercials (Grant Hill, Gwen Stefani, etc.) I think this is a great marketing strategy. You may not be able to tell from the beginning that it's a Windows phone commercial but you know for sure that it is not an iPhone or Samsung commercial.

Reply west3man says: Apr 30, 2013 at 9:31 am - 21 hours ago

I didn't think that the branding for Nokia was strong enough but I did think that it was a Lumia commercial. In other words, it may not have been a Windows phone commercial but it certainly was one for the Lumia, specifically. I'm just not sure that the Lumia name was as prominent as, say, the Apple logo on the dude's chest.

Reply jpf22467#IM says: Apr 30, 2013 at 10:44 am - 20 hours ago

I have had an iphone since the 3G was introduced. I am not bashing iphones or iphone users. But this is why so many people make fun of Apple fans. The ad was bashing iphones. the only feature that is showed was a man trying to get Siri to work (with no luck). But somehow, many people on here think the ad was positive for Apple? Did you really see a positive view on the features of the iphone in that ad?

Reply Ces1ne says: Apr 30, 2013 at 3:27 pm - 15 hours ago

Keep reaching bruh bruh.....trying to get Siri to magically teach him karate and it didn't work, how will Apple ever live that down!!??!!??
A better & more relevant swipe at Apple would have been if they had the guy asking Siri for directions out of the fight to safety and it gave him the wrong ones or something along those lines. Meaning, most average users know about Apples (overblown IMHO) shortcomings with their Maps app, but not that Siri has network/parsing errors.

The only thing that part of the commercial did was make me think of the ending of "Meteor Man" when they touched the books during the fight scene. METEOR MAN FTW!!!!!!!!

Reply bluefish266 says: Apr 30, 2013 at 1:50 pm - 17 hours ago

First off I'm an iphone user and probably will be for the foreseeable future, but this ad was made for the Superbowl. Microsoft doesn't really care about features at this point. They're just trying to get people to realize that there's another really good phone out there while taking shots at the IOS and Android users. This is just one ad. They'll spend millions in other ads down the road promoting features. This one did exactly what it was supposed to do. Make people laugh and remember the Windows Phone 8. Ha ha ha ha. So funny :)

Reply asuperstarr says: Apr 30, 2013 at 6:43 pm - 12 hours ago

This is a good commercial. Now if Microsoft could just make products just as good.

Reply kidkb1 says: May 1, 2013 at 12:00 am - 7 hours ago

Major fail. Hilarious but I didn't learn anything of substance about the phone.

Reply TekNiKal says: May 1, 2013 at 6:35 am - 28 min ago

Some of you apparently missed the point of the commercial. Humor. "Don't fight. Switch."

"Search karate! Karate!" LOL!

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