Thursday, April 29, 2010

Is Microsoft Becoming Irrelevent?

Say it isn't so!



Microsoft (MS) is becoming irrelevant - calcified to accelerating change in the tech market, reacting to yesterday's news, not actively participating in defining or divining markets for tomorrow's services and products. I have even read reports of the best and brightest college graduates spurning MS for Google and facebook.



How did that happen? Perhaps I am over reacting to just a slight lull in the marketing prowess of a tech giant. Or maybe not. In this era of the 24 hour news cycle, a BlackBerry tethered United States President, on-air correspondents Tweeting while cameras roll, and facebook eclipsing Google as the most popular web site, something is different.



I just read an interesting article on CNNMoney.com (a co-sponsored feature with Fortune) describing the state of the mobile computing world. (See the link.)

MS, while tarnishing the upgrade of Windows XP with the ill-fated Vista, ceded market leadership in search to Google, and then began ceding market leadership in mobile computing to Apple. Windows 7 has rescued the MS brand in desktop computing. Bing is making inroads in search. Will Windows Phone 7 be the next Vista or Windows 7? Windows Phone 7 is scheduled to be released, according to PC Magazine, during the 2010 holiday season. MS is promising a new experience, Hubs and Apps. Apple, meanwhile, is 75 million iPhones and 4 billion apps down the road. Android is gaining share. Palm had to seek shelter in the arms of HP. And Nokia's Symbian, what is the new release date, again? As of today, the stock market capitalization of Apple is $241 Billion, versus Microsoft's $270 billion and ExxonMobil's $325 billion. Something has changed.

What does this have to do with commercial real estate?

Has the cataclysmic shock experienced by commercial real estate in the Great Recession changed the course of business as usual? If so, how? Many suspect things have changed. We hear the terms "deleveraged," "falling valuations," "distressed assets," "workouts," "record high vacancies," and "bank failures." How has your commercial real estate business adapted to this new reality? What is the new reality? Who will be the next generation of winners, loosers, or has-beens? Has your service delivery platform migrated from desktop to mobile and then into the cloud?

Stay tuned.