Another year and another keynote speech at CES tops the headlines on Techmeme. The team over a CrunchGear did a good job under the circumstances live blogging Bill Gates and others from Microsoft as they spoke on stage, but it’s a speech no one is yet seriously telling the truth about.
The Microsoft keynote at CES sucked.
Sucked is not a word I usually throw around with glee abandon, but after sitting through the live stream on the Microsoft site that insisted that I had to install Silverlight to watch it, my only reaction at the end was to yawn. And from what I can gather from the crowd, the CrunchGear chat room and Twitter, I wasn’t alone.
Was Bill Gates to blame? It’s always awe inspiring to see the second richest man alive on stage, a man that has created so much and who has literally shaped the digital history of the world, and yet the best presenter with an empty hat cant make rabbits magically appear.
There were some interesting announcements. Silverlight will get a big boost from the tie-in with NBC’s Olympics coverage, and the image recognition demonstration towards the end was cool tech wise, particularly with the tie-in to Windows Live 3D Maps (still the best product on the market), even if the demo unit looked like a radar gun, or a copy of War and Peace. The digital roast of Bill Gates with video of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama was probably the highlight in terms of fun, but that’s about it.
We saw a demonstration of Windows Live Events, a service that was launched last year; amazing, they all sync in together, just like most of Microsoft’s other competitors. Bill Gates demoed Surface, one very cool Microsoft product, but he showed how you can design a snow board with your hands….let me say that there were no shortages of WTF’s on Twitter and the CrunchGear Live chat room at that stage.
There was a demonstration of Microsoft’s Sink…sorry Sync product in Fords. Wow, an MP3 player that hardly anyone owns works in a car that most people wish they didn’t own once they buy one (and I’d note, the last comment is from experience.)
Apparently the XBox 360 made more in sales money wise than the Wii, but what they didn’t add is because the Wii is a whole lot cheaper.
It’s hard to cover the rest, it was as passionate as a dead wet fish, and about as interesting visually as a Podtech video.
The big question is how, in 2008, have we come to a point that Microsoft is so bereft of new ideas and innovation that what was once the most important keynote speech of the year turned out to be a complete dog? It’s not for a lack of good people, there are many in Microsoft doing a great job, and there’s even some good technology and products being created (Silverlight and Windows Live Maps being two examples) and to those people I say don’t take this personally, it’s not personal, it’s just that if people don’t have anything interesting to say, they’re better off not getting on stage and making us yawn. I’ll be in San Francisco for the Steve Jobs keynote at Macworld next week and I doubt that I’ll be writing a similar post.
For those who watched or listened to the keynote, what did you think?
*Yawn*
You think Microsoft would present after Apple, so they could get some ideas.
It did not suck at all.
Here is a more objective summary, readers can make up their own minds.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/0.....s-keynote/
@1 In response to questions on BBC website - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7174333.stm -
Bill Gates skirted over complaints about Vista ( just feedback apparently ) and when asked about his own computing habits stated he had 10 PC’s around his home but didnt have a Mac and didnt use his competitor’s products!
SearchEngines Web
I’m not pretending to be objective, go read CrunchGears coverage for that, but I’ve had guys who are hardcore MS fans tell me that was one of the most borings things they’ve ever sat through, a couple of them turned off half way through. Indeed, if you’ve got a copy listen to the crowd, the only big applause was for the roast, at other times it was awkwardly quiet, even when they were suppose to clap, complete with a pause on stage for that very purpose.
Well, Steve has always been a much better presenter and speaker than Bill, therefore you definitely will be hearing a different kind of speech. I don’t think Bill’s speech really sucked, but I am pretty sure Steve’s speech will be more attractive for the public.
Alexander
I agree in part: Steve Ballmer is a guy who can energize pretty much anything. It wasn’t Bill’s fault entirely either, he just had soo little to work with.
It seems like it’s just so hard for big companies to stay innovative. The structures that these companies have historically adopted (i.e. command and control, hierarchical bureaucracy, etc.) have been designed to discourage, rather than encourage, true innovation. Google seems to be bucking that trend nicely in large part due to small teams and a much more democratic mindset (go to WorldBlu for more background on organizational democracy). In the end if MSFT doesn’t pull through and re-invent itself I wonder how much will be due simply to its organizational structure?
Wow: even one of the biggest Microsoft fanboys (well girl) Mary Jo points out the negatives
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1081
Absolutely completely agree with you Duncan. My only issue is that from what I saw of the image recognition/maps tie in (my silverlight, err..video was borking at that point), I’d be willing to bet that Microsoft will never actually get to market with any device or technology that bears the slightest resemblance too what was demoed.
Like I said my video borked around that part, but it just seemed the Microsoft guys sat around in a room and tried to come up with some blue-sky idea that everyone would think was kickass and would distract from the pastel sweaters and pink latex dress.
It sounds like you might be a fanboy of another related company?
No huge announcements in the keynote, but it was ok. They bring updates and new products throughout the year. This keynote was a progress report on their latest releases. I guess people have the right to hate on them, because they’re soo damn successful.
Bill Gates will always be a software engineer first and a salesman second, Steve Jobs will always be a salesman first and..well he’s not an engineer.
I’m is sales and software and can always recognize a good pitch,MSFT is a software company first and is constantly releasing products over the course of the year, but yeah to the uninstantiated it seems like they aren’t as exciting.
I thought Gates presented well and the slides were not as dull as usual. But the actual announcements were boring.
Sad truth: I’ve owned Windows-based machines for almost 20 years, I’ve owned only one or two Macs, and I qualify as a Windows “Fanboy”. This thing was a drag. I’m actually looking forward to MacWorld, or whatever big Steve Jobs announcement is next. Jobs definitely puts on a better show (who cares) but actually announces real new product at his conferences (that’s the good stuff).
Microsoft, don’t give me Surface again unless I can buy it. Don’t give me Sync, I’ve already seen that in Ford commercials! This is a trade show, I already knew how well the gaming platform was doing. Give me some more details on the BT Xbox IPTV stuff, don’t just gloss over it. Come on!
I slept for a considerable time during the keynote. I was occasionally awaken because of the energetic voice of the Entertainment guy, and I thought I was dreaming when I saw a car on stage. I thought “If this is real, where the heck is Gates?”
The retirement video also had 1-2 frames of fun, let’s be fair.
The Bill Gates last day at ms was funny.
I think I have spotted something. Your need to watch Robbie Bach to see it but I do believe Robbie Bach is ASk the Ninja…. Watch the movements he makes :p
Correction. Sync works with iPods and most non-MS phones. Please check the facts first.
Agree though. It was a boring keynote.
I totally agree and I think everyone is thinking the same thing. What was that? A very boring performance and nothing new and innovating. What are the marketing guys at Microsoft doing?
What really annoys me about this is how Microsoft-focused the Keynote was; or in fact any company for that matter.
Surely the CES Keynote should be something broad and visionary, or perhaps even reflective of the year and forward looking at 2008 and not an opportunity for Bill (or Steve, Larry, Mark, whoever) to wave their big marketing banner around.
Why doesn’t someone like Neal Stephenson or William Gibson do the next Keynote? Basically anyone without a hidden (or not so!) agenda.
Perhaps not a big year for consumer hardware from Microsoft, but a massive year for Microsoft software. Windows Server 2008 (think Server Core and Virtualisation), Visual Studio 2008 (easy .NET 3.5 web services) and IIS 7 (think lightweight easy deployment) could reignite interest in using .NET and Microsoft products as the technology stack for Web 2.0. They’re doing great work with their community to build an MVC framework far more extensible than Ruby on Rails. 2008 could really be a good year for Microsoft.
Totally agree with Andy, tech wize they are having a great year. I also think that maybe they left a lot out for ozzies first keynote speech whereever that might be.
TechCrunch, coming down on this keynote so negatively is a very poor reflection on TechCrunch. Bill has always been boring to watch. I agree that the Keynote was mainly a hash over of stuff we already know.
It was not a keynote that TechCrunch can drive a lot of traffic from. Not like the Godly Steve with the hype and traffic that follows. Making TechCrunch advertising dollars.
But really, I feel this keynote is of SUPER importance for those who can understand Microsoft business models and what it’s trying to do.
The reason it’s a major keynote to me information wise is because;
Microsoft plan for world domination looks like its on track.
This is a battle for the entertainment SYSTEM of our future. And what software is running it and ultimately who is controlling it. The ultimate gatekeeper to what we get to see.
XBOX360 and Xbox-live are doing amazingly well.
They are selling videos/rentals of HD movies and have been doing it for a long time.
It Apple announced stuff like this, you guys would be making a HUGE deal about it.
Sometimes I think the tech alumni in the U.S. need to get in touch with the real world and take of the Apple coloured glasses off.
I personally dislike Microsoft and there business methodology. However, this does not mean they don’t have the best digital media solution for the living room that is currently available. It sickens me to admit they do. I analyse this (See my blog for more in depth discussions on these topics) evey day.
And right now, Microsoft may not have a lot of NEW tricks to show us, but the tricks they introduced a few years ago have been refined and adapted to what is potentially going to become the defacto standard for the living room. They are getting close.
Personally I am a little scared. I don’t want Microsoft in my living room. I want a open platform like, for example, Android-TV OS, which I expect will be announced this year. Most likely 1st half. (This space is heating up very quickly)
But really, right now, the best games console is the Xbox360
Best online gaming, Xbox360
Best social gaming platform, Xbox360
Best modern Games, Xbox360
Good of the shelf DivX/Xvid network player, Xbox360
Very good system for getting access to HD rentals/Sales, Xbox360
Best End-to-end DRM based system for selling content to consumers (Not that I agree with DRM. However, the studios do)
It has got a lot of the formula correct.
Sony PS3 has lost the console wars. They do not lead in any area apart from having superior hardware. “Game Over” They have no chance of becoming dominent over the Xbox360.
And Apple. The whole industry hates Apple. Why do you think we have DRM free music on Amazon of which Apple cannot sell DRM free. The current players are sticking it up Apple for being so arrogant early on. They will ensure Apple never becomes too prominent and powerful. They will make sure NO SINGLE Company does or they will try.
And finally the AppleTV. As I have predicted before Christmas. This MacWorld will be all about the AppleTV and content deals. This is a very important time for Apple and bringing Itunes from the centre of Music content to the centre of ALL content. They have to kick some serious goals this MacWorld. The competition is stiff.
James
This headline could have been written before the keynote.
THis blog is famously anti-Microsoft. That’s fine — and Duncan admits he isn’t objective.
Readers here are generally anti-Microsoft so they like what they read here.
However, the danger lies when folks with certain beliefs surround themselves with similar believers. Generally, you get a small but vocal crowd who prefers hype (positive/negative) to reality. This pheonmenon repeats itself in many areas of our national life (e.g. politics).
Dinosaur company + Dinosaur business model = boring keynote. The “funny video” of Mr. Gates leaving is a metaphor for Microsoft as a whole, waning into irrelevance.
“They (Apple) have to kick some serious goals this MacWorld. The competition is stiff”
I couldn’t disagree with you more, the m$ stuff is boring and derivative, as for xbox, well you’ve obviously drunk bill’s kool aid. The xbox 360 is a financial disaster - they’ve spent $20 billion to make $6billion and although it’s ok for games, it’s very noisy and not appropriate for movies etc - sure, if you’ve got a 360, you might as well make use of the non-games features, but no one in their right mind would buy one for it’s media abilities.
Apple has NO serious competition, when it comes to their core competencies, it’s all half assed derivative me too products, which are initially trumpeted as “killers”, iPod killer, iTunes killer whatever.
I’m not suggesting that Apple rest on their laurels, they have to keep delivering and innovating - but I don’t see any other company getting close anytime soon.
Deja Vu Mike! This is exactly what I felt last year as well and said in so many words:
http://www.tech2.com/india/new.....ote/3628/0
For a first timer at CES it was underwhelming
Sounds a bit apple fanboyish to me.
It was Bills last day, let it be known for that and stop expecting to see the new version of the PC on every Microsoft announcement. Plenty of announcements in there, just got to tone down your expectations a bit whenever MS or Apple have a conference.
“I’ll be in San Francisco for the Steve Jobs keynote at Macworld next week and I doubt that I’ll be writing a similar post.”
I doubt you’d write a similar post, also. I’m guessing because your one sided anti-microsoft opinion would praise the Jobs speech even if it falls short of Gates. You can’t honestly tell me that your opinion about the keynote was already determined before Gates took the stage.
“I’m not pretending to be objective”
Ok, so this was a rant then I guess. Go have a beer with Zed.
Gates has always been a dreadful presenter, so I’m not sure it’s news that the keynote was underwhelming…even though people are making excuses for him being an engineer, many engineers I’ve worked with exhibit a lot more dynamism than Bill does. I’ve had front row seats at a couple of his talks and it’s even worse the closer you are to him.
But even by those diminished standards, the “announcements” during his talk were really underwhelming.
To all those MS fanboys, I’m a very, very long time MS user, probably before half of you were born. I can remember the early CES keynotes with Gates, where he announced amazing new products which captured the imagination of those listening in (in the early days they streamed the audio). Today was like a poorly executed marketing pitch, and it was as boring as hell. Watch it before knocking me, the least I can ask
I agree completely, it saddened me to read over the live blog and see that Microsoft, quite literally, had nothing new to show for itself. What happened? I just don’t quite understand why Microsoft can’t spend money getting in some extremely high quality talent to get some innovation going. Apple frustrate the hell out of me with their adverts which attack Vista/Microsoft, but it saddens me to see that Microsoft are doing nothing to try and fight back. Microsoft need to get new talent, people who can think up new ideas, not people who can take other ideas and mould them into something similar.
I suppose we’ll just have to see what Jobs has to say for himself at Macworld. Hopefully not too much about the iPhone, ay?
Correction. Sync works with iPod. It is not limited to Zune.
I’m with you Duncan. The speech was a sleeper as in Zzzzz… However, to be honest and open here, I too was an avid user of M/$ products (as in operating systems and such) until I found my way to Linux. Haven’t looked back at anything M/$ related to date up until this “epic speech” of Bill’s. Nothing new and same ‘ol, same ‘ol.
Feel free to flame away M/$ fanboys!
Boooooring!
Thank god it was his last.
Leave the stage already mr gates, your time is over!
Bill who?
Let’s start by considering the writer. His writing is consistently weak and filled with grammatical errors, his technical knowledge has shown to be basic and his head is almost as big as Mike’s. So considering the source, what kind of credibility does this Apple fanboy have?
I neither love nor hate MS or their products, but one thing I know for sure is that the folks behind this site have created nothing of technological worth and are merely armchair quarterbacks who rarely do their homework and like to get up on their soapbox.
This site is becoming a place for these brats to pontificate. I do believe that Erik often provides thoughtful and valuable analysis and the rest of the fratpack would be well served to learn some journalistic integrity.
I actually don’t know how anyone can’t sit through any of these things. They are all boring to me. One difference with MacWorld is that you can get fanbois ooh and awwing over piffles like Spaces - a 20 year old feature on regular Unix. MS doesn’t have that luxury.
@35, This is a blog remember and is always about the writers personal appoinon.
as for the grammatical errors who care’s its a blog remember…
I didn’t notice any fanboy stuff, it was a boring speech, go dig out last years and you will soon see the point.
I just don’t think MS had a consumer stuff to go on about this year. Most of what was shown had already had an outing at other events.
Where is the Crunchgear chat room?
It’s not even controversial to say that Microsoft sucks any more so why be so lame. Objective news please.
“Bill Gates will always be a software engineer first and a salesman second, Steve Jobs will always be a salesman first and..well he’s not an engineer.”
True about both men, but really, how much code has Gates contributed to the history of Microsoft? When was the last time he rolled up his sleeves and made a DLL or patched something? Windows 1.0? MS-DOS 3? Yes, he knows how to program and he did at one time, but like his vision, it is only partial. Microsoft has the faster (to market), and cheaper. Now, if only it was better. They are lowest-common-denominator products done years after the original concept is released and then only a half-assed implementation.
I thought it was fine. Certainly it was better than most. If Steve Jobs got on a stage and showed off a voice controlled car messaging and entertainment system, prototype camera phone with HUD, and dozens of new PCs whild also announcing deals to host the largest VOD service in the world, offer IPTV via game console and broadcast the Olympics online the fanboys would be twitching in pools of drool.
wow, MSFT required Silerlight download to watch the video? I’m sure Apple never requires QuickTime for their videos!
Perhaps Bill Gates should read Garr Reynolds’ book, Presentation Zen. There’s more to a good presentation than being famous and knowing your stuff.
How about the real truth that TechCrunch.com is the most boring tech site on the web.
And looks like the Big M has succeed in a lot of places that Apple Inc has failed. Apple TV has yet to really take off.
The keynote was so unbearable I had to stop watching and just read the summaries. I cannot wait until January 15th, I could use some new stuff not just videos about Bill…
I am an exMSFTee, recently left. My own view of this problem for MS is that CES becomes an amalgam of all sorts of different product teams working to jam stuff into the keynote, and thus gain high ground politically within the company. This tends to show a vast scope of innovation, some cool, some (much) less so.
In MSFT’s defense, there are some interesting things coming that are useful–PopFly, SilverLight, and MSN Earth. I’m also relatively bullish on the long-term opportunity around IPTV.
But certainly there’s also a lot that I can totally appreciate as coming online and looking lame. With internet startups able to get created on so little cash and drive with real focus and dedication to one small area, I expect this trend with MS to continue. It’s still obviously a huge giant, with impact and global reach, which will remain undiminished for a long time. The challenge though will be where’s the biting innovation that really makes an impact? This challenge will rise as global networks and globalization will make it cheaper/easier/quicker for the 2 person garage startup to put the next innovation into the hands of everyone while the release teams at MSFT figure out when/how to post the competitive thing.
What would I do if I were running MSFT, particularly wrt consumer / web stuff? Fewer people (a lot fewer). 1 day a week for pet projects (a la goog). More skunky-works. A break-up would also be a strong consideration–too many people, too many meetings, too little stuff getting out.
Nevertheless, an interesting post, and interesting commentary.
LOL… Yes it was dry. MS is the ‘White Bread’ of the compting world, while Apple is the ‘Gilded Asiago Cheese Demi’.
Overall I thought it was a good presentation. MS has never kept its plans secret so they really never have and big announcements like Apple does.
Personally I prefer Microsoft’s semi-dry presentations over Apple’s over the top orgies and the suing of their own fans that is required to produce them.
Take a tour of the MSDN blogs and the Microsoft Research sites and you cand find out what MS is doing every day without waiting for Jobs to put on his turtleneck to tell you about it.
I was “live” blogging last night during the keynote and I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought it sucked.
http://www.counteragent.com/20.....th-a-bang/
It was disjointed and uninspiring…People have gotten used to a big flash.
Why do all of my favorite sites (Joel on Software, TechCrunch) feel the need to stay “hip” by becoming absurdly anti-Microsoft that I could predict the content of the post CES article without even reading the title? I thought the keynote was like any other demonstration, some cool stuff mixed in with some not so cool stuff, but it’s Microsoft so we better post that it sucked.