I started this series a year ago, and a number of things have changed since then. However, my last analysis on Microsoft that I published on VentureBeat sums up the series pretty well.

Here are previous parts and their respective scores. (more…)

Microsoft is on a roll: Its newly launched Windows Phone 7 is gaining momentum, and Kinect, its motion controller response to the Wii, could very well sell out before the end of the year. If there was ever a time for Microsoft to get back on its feet and stand shoulder to shoulder with Apple and Google, this would be it. (more…)

Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg met a couple of weeks ago, and rumor has it that Apple is still trying to convince Facebook to allow iTunes Ping, its recently launched music-oriented social network, to work with Facebook Connect. If negotiations succeed, the partnership could be a stepping stone towards a solid partnership. Apple and Facebook could (and should) do a lot more together. (more…)

Tired of all the buzz surrounding iPad, iPhone, and iPod events? Relieved to hear that next week’s event takes a nostalgic leap “back to the Mac” from the rampantly discussed iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system? Well, prepare to be disappointed, because “Lion”, the new version of OS X, might actually take the OS X closer to the iOS — the operating system for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. (more…)

Apple’s much anticipated press event is only less than 24 hours from now, and I’m looking forward to several potential announcements: iTunes in the cloud, TV show rentals, a redone Apple TV (renamed iTV), and a revamped iPod Touch.  However, I’m eyeing two markets in particular where Apple can make significant inroads: Video calling and console gaming. (more…)

There’s little doubt that TV and the internet world will eventually merge, and Google and Apple are both making efforts in that direction. Devices based on Google TV are launching this fall, and Apple is expected to launch a new, stronger version of its Apple TV (now dubbed iTV) sometime next year… (more…)

Apple likes to control the end-to-end user experience by integrating hardware and software. A good example is the iPhone (contrast this with Android-powered phones, for which Google only makes the operating system but third-party manufacturers such as Motorola and HTC make the devices). The home entertainment space poses a potential problem for Apple because in order to integrate vertically, Apple needs to make the TV itself. Techcrunch has even suggested that Apple would launch its own TV (as opposed to a set-top box) at some point and thus bypass the problem of fragmentation altogether… (more…)

In the last few years, Mac OS and Linux have gained popularity; Firefox (and Chrome) has eaten up Internet Explorer’s market share, and Windows Mobile has struggled against the new mobile operating systems iPhone and Android. To top it off, Apple recently launched iPad to leverage its existing lead in mobile apps, and Google is launching Chrome OS (a web-based operating system) based netbooks and tablets. Will Microsoft again survive the challenges and come back strong the way it did in the 90’s (when Netscape threatened to topple Microsoft’s dominance)? (more…)

Pundits are declaring mobile the new PC. The number of mobile phones far outstrips the number of desktops. Mobile phones are available to people in the developing world who never had an opportunity to buy or even use a PC. With phones becoming smarter, there will be even less need for people to own PCs. Microsoft has dominated the PC-based world ever since it drove Apple close to extinction in the mid ’90s. But with… (more…)

(This is part 4 of 6 of “Microsoft: Can Elephants Really Dance?” series. For earlier parts, please follow the links below the post)

It’s been a while since Microsoft’s heyday as the monopolistic king of technology.  Called “too big to innovate”, “inefficient”, and “crippled [by redundancy]”, the bearish outlook on Microsoft’s once glorious future seems pervasive.  But with the highly anticipated Project Natal arriving this year, a healthy 32.5 million Xbox 360 consoles sold, and a blossoming Xbox LIVE community of over 20 million users, Microsoft’s console gaming division has shown everyone that Microsoft can still come up with some cool new tricks. Let’s take a look at how the Xbox 360 is faring against its two fiercest competitors (*cue battle music*). (more…)