Newsletter #383 Preview: Despite Everything I Still Like Microsoft
April 2nd, 2007In recent weeks, with my various “Fear-Factor†commentaries, I’ve given Microsoft some well-deserved lumps, and you readers have joined in the fun in our Comments section. Surprisingly, no Microsoft supporters have chimed in to disagree, and I know for certain that you readers are not strictly Mac users.
So I figured it was time to put my cards on the table. You see, as much as I might object to all those outrageous statements from Bill Gates and his old buddy Steve Ballmer, Microsoft has lots and lots of brilliant people working for them. They can, in fact, provide great products, or at least pretty good ones, if they are just allowed to create. And that’s not always so easy in Microsoft’s elaborate corporate hierarchy
Take, for example, Microsoft’s keyboards. Maybe you didn’t know, but one of the most prolific Mac authors on the planet, Bob “Dr. Mac†LeVitus, uses one of their “Comfort†keyboards, which orients the main keypad in a slightly curved fashion, for greater ergonomic support. Take it from me, since I have one as well, it works extremely well, and the learning curve is very, very brief, since it’s not quite as drastic as the models where the keyboard is divided into separate parts.
Microsoft also makes a terrific wireless mouse too, which accompanies its Comfort keyboard as part of its Wireless Laser Desktop for Mac, and it is nearly as good as the excellent Logitech MX Revolution in many respects. Yes, we’re talking about world-class products here.
Story continued in this week’s Tech Night Owl Newsletter.
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Oh come on Gene, Microsoft doesn’t actually make any hardware and probably doesn’t even do the detailed design themselves. They simply buy good hardware from other companies and have their name put on it. Comparing that to Microsoft’s various software divisions is ridiculous. A more realistic comparison is Microsoft hardware to their software acquisitions and partnerships. They have a good eye for other people’s products: their hardware peripherals, game software and some of their business software is of high quality.
I really don’t care who designed the products that I have. The fact that they work well is all I care about.
Peace,
Gene