Microsoft and the digital home

Submitted by: ilamont – Mon, 01/08/2007 – 13:12

Bill Gates had some interesting comments about Microsoft's hardware plans at his CES keynote in Las Vegas. Are products like the XBox 360/IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) device, and Windows Home Server destined for success, or will they go the route of the Tablet PC and other Microsoft-supported hardware products that had trouble gaining traction?

Comment: Haven't we learned anything?

A Microsoft success with hardware? Ignoring the fact tha the tablet is for offices, and those other products are aimed at home users, the only real success MS has had with hardware is the XBox/XBox 360 franchises ... and that's after losing billions on the consoles, and having Sony botch the PS3 launch.

IPTV programming: M$ is hoping to piggyback on the XBox 360's coattails. It'll never work unless it's free and easy to use, neither of which M$ is good at doing.

And putting a server in a closet at home? My closets don't have plugs for power or ethernet. And isn't that a fire hazard?

Anonymous (not verified) – Mon, 01/08/2007 – 15:53

Comment: You don't have to put the

You don't have to put the server in a closet, but if you want to, you could always go ahead and run power and ethernet cables.

cdegeare – Wed, 11/07/2007 – 15:05

Comment: Gates @ICES

Pay no attention to what the wizard is doing in front of the curtain. Be very wary and try and resolve accurately what is going on in the dark deep cages where the wild ones live. Why are they pushing tablets still? Aren't the HDtv folks pushing on without anything from wintel? And when is ucrosloth going to sabotage Yahoo! Go the mobile-cool page that should make TomTom look dumb-dumb.
Vista and the next Office diversion will be on us soon with all its hardware gluttony. Look for how this soft parade will descend like a nuke-winter.
Thanks Bill for the playhouse show-and-tell. Now what are you really up to?

loadster (not verified) – Tue, 01/09/2007 – 08:58

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