Microsoft’s Vision of the Future–and the Inevitable Spoof
by Kara Swisher
Posted on August 14, 2009 at 12:09 AM PT
One of my favorite “world-of-the-future” videos recently has been one done by Microsoft Office Labs, because it does not seem ridiculously fanciful or impossible to imagine actually happening sooner than much later.
Part of an “Envisioning” series, the “Productivity Future Vision” video below sketches out a world of smartphones, touchscreens everywhere and a whole lot of innovative interacting.
The look is sleek and smooth–which is unusual for Microsoft (MSFT)–with a bit of “Harry Potter” whimsy, and all without falling into the trap of a lot of such imaginings and making the way we live someday seem like “The Jetsons.”
But, of course, the folks at IGN.com’s Sarcastic Gamer managed to find the perfect way to poke fun at the video from the software giant in a spoof that hit the target deftly.
Watch each and enjoy:
Comments
Here’s something a tiny bit more interesting that a spoof
Posted by John Turner at August 14th, 2009 at 6:52 amMicrosoft’s Research into Interface Technology :
http://www.mobiletechworld.com.....echnology/
The problem is that when Microsoft describes their vision of the future it’s like talking to a drunk about all the stuff he’s going to do someday. No matter how interesting it sounds, the fact that you already know it’s not going to happen takes all the fun out of it.
What I would like to know is: where is Microsoft’s vision for today?
When you boot up Windows XP it says (c) 1985-2001 and that is still what’s being sold today. That is 20th century computing. Only 20% of Windows systems have Vista and neither Vista or Windows 7 can update a Windows XP machine in-place. These systems have to be wiped, all the app installations destroyed, and essentially rebuilt. That is so much work that it’s not happening. Even when people get new machines they get a new one with XP.
When you use MS Office that is even older, from 1984. The same 1980’s Mac office workflow for laser printer (which Apple invented) is what Microsoft will still sell you today, when the Web is about to turn 20. File, Save, Print, but no Publish (to Web), no Collaborate (with any other user).
None of their other products make any money or ship any significant units. For example, the iPod touch (which is self-supporting) outsells the XBox (which loses billions of dollars per year).
So I would recommend to the people at Microsoft who make these videos that they stop doing these and start thinking about how to upgrade all the XP machines to something that doesn’t spawn botnets that use up half the Internet’s traffic and cost everyone billions of dollars, even if you don’t use Microsoft products. XP is like a tire fire and Microsoft pretends it is someone else’s problem.
Microsoft spends something like 10 times as much of their resources on R&D than Apple. Microsoft Research may be proud of that, but they shouldn’t be. Look at the products they ship! Microsoft Research is like Military Intelligence.
Posted by Fred Hamranhansenhansen at August 14th, 2009 at 8:29 pm@John Turner
Looking at MS past (surprisingly similar) commercials about how they are building the future and that its just around the corner and comparing with where they really are today, makes the spoof very valid.
And, in all honesty, Johnny Chung Lee just recently started at MS and almost all the things he presented on that seminar was done at other companies and research labs of various universities totally independently of MS… not much by MS at all… But kudos to them for at least employing him… maybe they actually _will_ do something thanks to that.
But here is an old Windows add you simply _cant_ spoof…
Just sit back and enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGvHNNOLnCk
@ Fred Hamranhansenhansen
Posted by Per Dennis at August 16th, 2009 at 2:41 pmAmen to that! Very well put!!