back to article Burger me! Microsoft's chainsaw rampage through sacred cow herd

Microsoft sent so many sacred cows to the abattoir yesterday that April 29th 2015 may well go down in corporate folklore as “Sacred Cow Day”. Or will it be “Mad Cow Day”? [I see what you did there - ed.] Such is Microsoft’s anxiety to get developers writing for its trailing-in-the-distance mobile platforms, it did an …

  1. TeeCee Gold badge
    Facepalm

    Phones turning into proper PCs when you plug them into a monitor and keyboard.

    About bloody time too! They had the perfect shotgun to blow the industry apart in Win 8, with its schizophrenic conventional desktop / slidey touchy tiles duality. Typical that they didn't bother to do the obvious and instead applied the business end to their own foot and pulled both triggers as a first attempt at addressing the issue.

    1. dogged

      I agree. I foresee tablet and laptop docks as well as PC workstations with no PC.

      This, for enterprise, is quite possible the long-awaited "killer app". How much will a phone that can do this cost? $150 off contract like the 640? How tightly can you control a phone using MDM? Seriously tightly. With Office supplied (probably for free, the way MS are going at the moment) this is the single best reason to turn line of business applications into Universal Apps and push Lumias at your workforce.

      Which gets the numbers up. And if all those iOS and Android apps are now so easy to refactor and there's suddenly a big audience for them....

      It amazes me that this little announcement hasn't appeared to register (no pun intended) with the tech press at all.

    2. Bob Vistakin
      Linux

      Do these "sacred cows" include patents?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      And even the phone to pc tranformer is not original

      The first phone with a pc inside I can recall, I watched in the first Transformer movie (2007) or was it the second (2009)?.

      We must not forget our history: It wasn't Nadella the first to come up with the idea of phones that transform into full fledged desktop computers. It was Mark "космонавт" Shuttleworth and his Canonical Ltd., a good four (4) years ago and the thing was to be made by Motorola! See this article at Wired of all places:

      http://www.wired.com/2012/02/ubuntu-for-android-turns-your-phone-into-a-desktop-computer/

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I've been expecting Apple to do this for a couple years now

      All they need to do is compile the OS X runtime for ARM64. iOS uses a slightly cut down OS X kernel, so everything you need is already there. Then have the OS X dev tools output x64/ARM64 fat binaries which OS X tools already have support for. Plug your iPhone into a monitor, use a bluetooth keyboard/mouse, start the "OS X" app and there you go!

      1. Dave 126

        Re: I've been expecting Apple to do this for a couple years now

        >Plug your iPhone into a monitor, use a bluetooth keyboard/mouse, start the "OS X" app and there you go!

        There are lots of things Apple could do, but choose not to.

        1. Apple would rather you buy a second device from them, be it a Mac or an Apple TV, and continue your work session through their 'Continuity' framework.

        2. You've plugged your phone into your TV, settled back into your couch and .... somebody rings you up. Bugger.

        3. You've connected your device with wires?! That is not the Apple iOS way!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @Dave 126

          It might cannibalize Mac sales somewhat, but it would increase iPhone sales which Apple makes more money from, so I doubt they'd be bothered. They've had internal ARM ports of OS X for several years at least (probably the source of the rumors about Macs switching from x86 to ARM) so I'll bet this is being played with, even if it isn't a product ready to launch. The ability to continue your work on a different device is just another way to work, but supporting that doesn't mean they can't offer other options.

          One thing Apple believes is that they should cannibalize their own markets before someone else does it, and it won't stop people with more heavy duty needs (photo/video editing, etc.) from continuing to buy proper Macs. An iPhone could handle browsing, word processing and other Office related tasks, but wouldn't be suited to stuff that stresses even a high end x86.

          If someone rings you up, you click on the 'accept call' dialog that pops up using your mouse, and use the built in mic/speaker in the phone, or possibly in the keyboard/mouse. There isn't any requirement to stop the OS X interface to take a call, you can run any app while on a phone call (iOS supports full multitasking like OS X, they just don't expose that to third party apps presumably to prevent them from chugging away in the background and killing the battery)

          There are wireless HDMI standards but they are fairly power hungry, and running the OS X GUI and applications is likely to be pretty hard on the battery so a wired connection to the monitor that allows the iPhone to suck power from the monitor makes a lot more sense.

    5. Jason Hindle

      The phone? As one computing device to rule them all?

      I like it. I've been wanting Microsoft to take this step for some time. They've already blurred the distinction between computing device and pointing device, so allowing users to plug their phone into a dock, and use it as a desktop PC, is the next logical step (IMHO).

    6. Longtemps, je me suis couche de bonne heure

      On the 6th of March 2011 Motorola Atrix phone was released

      The Motorola Atrix had a laptop-style dumb docking station which provided simply a mouse, keyboard and screen which connected to the phone's full-fat desktop operating system, giving a PC run by a smartphone.

      It was somewhat underpowered (2011 smartphone CPU, of course), so didn't take the world by storm, but the subsequent Atrix 2 ran adequately well, as did the Motorola Photon smartphone released a little while later.

      As it is April 2015 now, the article is about 4 years out of date really, though I have been waiting for Apple to do their magic and make a consumer-delighting equivallent to the Atrix 2, and make a lot of money. Though they may have an agreement with Microsoft that forbids them doing this...

      But it will come, sooner or later, though when it does, it will be very bad news for Microsoft.

      Some of the other commenters seem to be unaware of this precedent.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: On the 6th of March 2011 Motorola Atrix phone was released

        I knew of the precedent, and the rough timescale, and even the brand.

        Could I remember Atrix? No.

        So, have an anonymous pint on me.

        "it will come, sooner or later, though when it does, it will be very bad news for Microsoft."

        Is there anything that is likely to be good news for Microsoft in the foreseeable future?

        1. naive

          Re: On the 6th of March 2011 Motorola Atrix phone was released

          If Microsoft manages to launch such a product, it would be pure gold for them.

          Phones have much more power then they need for just being a phone with whatsapp and an email client.

          Unless google does not come soon with an android/chrome-OS phone, MS might indeed regain significant market share.

          From employers viewpoint, this would be ideal, one device to rule them all, enabling enormous cost reductions.

      2. dogged

        Re: On the 6th of March 2011 Motorola Atrix phone was released

        > Some of the other commenters seem to be unaware of this precedent.

        Some are, but I'm not. Some are unaware of the original HP Tablet PCs (running XP) that came out in 2001. Some are unaware that phones could be "smart" long before the iPad.

        However, the point about the Atrix (1 and 2 both) is that from an Enterprise point of view, it sucked donkey buttock. MDM wasn't there yet, it was stupidly expensive, it ran Android apps rather than as you claim, "a full-fat desktop OS" and those are better for productivity than they were but mostly dire on a bigger screen and _certainly_ not as Enterprise-friendly as Office and the like.

        Short version - MS have a history of making products too early before the tech can support them. Like the tablet PCs, like the SPOT watch, like many others. This time, they watched somebody else make all the mistakes first.

        That's encouraging.

        1. John Savard

          Re: On the 6th of March 2011 Motorola Atrix phone was released

          Apple also has a history of "making products early before the tech can support them" - like the Lisa. Which is how they got all those juicy GUI patents.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Atrix

            The problem with the Atrix, and Android in general, is that you get a Linux desktop. Not saying that is useless (I'm posting from one) but it is less attractive to the market than running OS X or certainly Windows would be. If you just want to browse or do basic word processing, it is fine, but the further you stray the less it will meet your needs.

            Plus doing it in 2011 would have left it ridiculously underpowered. I think only the iPhone 5S reached the minimum where they would be feasible (would require more than the 1 GB of RAM it came with)

            Maybe Apple should buy AMD, build a couple dormant x86 cores into the iPhone SoC, and fire those up when docked, along with some additional dormant RAM. Support this only in the 'Plus' version since this would raise the cost. Then they wouldn't need ARM builds of OS X apps and could also run Windows apps under Fusion.

  2. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      The risk would be destroying any project which threatens the Office on Desktop/Server business - and the previous managers already did that,

      The interesting bit will be whether he can get beyond the Gates era = "the Internet is new, it is a threat to Windows/Office we must dominate/destroy/own the Internet" to actually benefiting from new ways of using computers

      1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
        Paris Hilton

        Hold on, when did "Devil Bill Gates" icon make a comeback?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Windows

          oooooh! good spot!

          Demon Bill, the gentleman commentard's "microsux! M$$$$". Perhaps Eadon has escaped too?

      2. Vector

        "The interesting bit will be whether he can get beyond the Gates era"

        He, and Microsoft, don't have any choice. It's fast becoming sink or swim time.

        As you can see reading up this thread, people are starting to realize that their mobile device could become their only computing device. More properly, folks in first world countries are coming to this conclusion since it's been the primary choice in emerging markets for a while now.

        Since Microsoft doesn't have a strong presence in this new market, they can no longer expect the industry to camp out on their doorstep. They still have a bit of time since they haven't been dislodged from the enterprise yet, but I believe Nadella can see the writing on the wall.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      They literally have no choice

      Their whole business is a vertical stack. The whole thing revolves around funneling business into Windows and Office. All of It lives or dies together. This is as much about risk management as long-term strategy; the platform lock-in might otherwise be the coffin their business is buried in.

      1. a_yank_lurker

        Re: They literally have no choice

        They have a choice: either become consumer oriented or ignore the consumer area. Consumers need only one PC/laptop per household in many cases with everyone having a tablet/phone as their primary device. Content consumption does not require much more than a few apps and standards compliant browser and a web connection. Consumers are less likely to be buying new PCs in the near future if the old one is adequate for school work and a few miscellaneous chores such as taxes. Businesses require employees often to be content creators even if a text document, spreadsheet, or presentation. They will want the flexibility of a PC but they have gotten was to the upgrade treadmill MS is relying on. Again if the current devices, OS, and software is doing the job upgrading is not going to happen quickly.

  3. phil dude
    Linux

    separation of factions...

    If Microsoft had been broken up into Apps and OS sometime back, perhaps this move would have occured already.

    But in the current climate and with the M$ sociopathic tendencies well documented, if you value your freedom you will stay well away from anything that emerges from M$ unless it is FOSS with a license that cannot be revoked.

    Otherwise this is simply a trojan, and not the fun sort...

    P.

  4. Stevie

    Bah!

    Sacré Vache!

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: Bah!

      Fetchez la!

      1. Ilsa Loving

        Re: Bah!

        Quoi?

  5. Luther Blissett

    The ems in Micro$oft

    Would this be Embrace? With Extend and Extinguish to follow?

  6. FuzzyTheBear
    Happy

    " Ballmer would be spinning in his grave. If he was dead, that is .. "

    A familiar couple of IT workers we know can certainly arrange it to our satisfaction .. :)

    A simple workplace accident like the BOFH and the PYF have the knack for, at a reasonable price ..

    You know .. a mislabeled Halon cylinder , an elevator shaft ..

  7. Ashton Black

    Interesting times.

    Indeed, there is a part of me which likes this, as I own a Surface 3. I will keep an eye on this development. ('scuse the pun.)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Interesting times.

      @ Ashton Black - "I own a Surface 3" - wow, I wondered who the customer was!

      1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

        Re: Interesting times.

        Had to do a 'collect' from Dixons-PC-World-Whateveritiscalledtoday today. While the staff struggled to find the order I had a wander around. The Apple counter was busy but Surface display was blowing tumbleweed. None of the devices were actually turned on.

        After deciding that I really didn't want to spend more than a grand on a 4K TV with crappy colour rendition I collected the order and left.

        1. graeme leggett Silver badge

          Re: Interesting times.

          "Dixons-PC-World-Whateveritiscalledtoday "

          and there's the problem. A desolate hall - about 50% empty space - compared to the days when there was actually stuff on the shelves.

    2. DuTchie

      Re: Interesting times.

      Actually they should concentrate on the hardware to attract people. I'm usually pretty dismissive of what Microsoft does, but have recently moved to using a Surface Pro 3 for all my development work, and it works nicely. Plugin in a 34UW monitor and a keyboard and it's great in the office and unplugged it's perfect when on the move.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Interesting times.

        Great apps, too!

  8. W. Anderson

    Dubious (and unlikely) change of character

    It would be ludicrous for any ernest professional developers  - not already loyal Microsofties - to take Microsoft seriously regarding "universality" of their new App development program when the company has always, repeat always had a "for Windows only" hard line, draconian policy for software development, and even punished any Windows developers defectors - attempting such platform agnostic development.

    Now they "love" every App platform? Nonsense.   Not even desperation will persuade the company to think clearly and act sensibly. A snake will never become a vegetarian.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Looks like MS are cross dressers these day's.

    Hmmm that's a thought, Steve Ballmer playing pantomime dame; I'd pay money to see that.

    1. Borg.King

      "Steve Ballmer playing pantomime dame"

      "Cinderella! Cinderella! Cinderella!"

    2. Mark 85

      Thanks.. not enough mind bleach in the world to erase that image.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Can't help feeing

    that the Reg's creeping habit of mixing technical jargon and company brands with obscure metaphors stretched to breaking point for the sake of a surreal headline has now completely jumped the shark and we're just wallowing in emboldened drivel for the most part.

    Basically, if you can't be arsed or it's too late on a Friday to work a decent pun into a headline, can you please just go with the facts?

    1. gazthejourno (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Can't help feeing

      a) today's Thursday

      b) burger off.

  11. DoctorNine

    "Hey! Look over here! We have stuff happening! And it's IMPORTANT!!!"

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    apt-get install windows

    These ideas, as radical and ridiculous as they sound, are the kind of thinking Microsoft needs to be doing to survive in this new world.

    When Apple switched to Intel, and then Parallels wrote their OS X hypervisor, as a Windows developer at the time, I immediately and enthusiastically bought a Macbook and ran Windows as a legacy plugin. From that point on I had entered an Alice in Wonderland realm where my development environment, with all of its unixy and open-source goodness underneath, was having to reduce its functionality in order to do the work I was being paid to do.

    In OS X and containerized Linux I could pull in all sorts of crazy and cool functionality effortlessly, but very little of that was useful when I was doing 'real work' inside Windows. As we were in factory automation, we were tied to Windows because of some third-party hardware, so even though we hated it, we had no choice. We had to purchase Win2K licenses on the gray market because our hardware didn't have drivers for what was Vista at the time.

    Containerization

    Eventually we ended up deploying a Mac Mini running a J2EE application and MySQL, with the 3rd party stuff running in a VM. It was ridiculous, an engineering abortion, but it worked, and now this kind of thing is commonplace, I'm told it's called 'containerization' now.

    Wake up, Microsoft

    You do not add value to anyone's technology solutions anymore. The best you can do in the current space is to maintain value by stopping development of Windows and just stabilize the damn thing. Use your giant cash pile to support some awesome open-source projects, if you want to stay relevant. Promote the use of quality programming languages like Haskell, which has been developed by Microsoft Research. Many of us open-source developers would jump at the chance of working with our arch-nemesis if it would start acting sane for once - maybe Gnutella is finally the CEO that can make it happen.

  13. SVV

    cloudobile?

    Cloud O' Bile : def : what Nadella's horrific jargonistic mangling of the English language results in when you hear it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: cloudobile?

      Very apt description of MS behaviour and attitudes down the years...

  14. BobChip
    Linux

    Overtaken by irrelevance

    Clearly MS have lost their way, and are jumping around like a cat on a hot tin roof looking for solutions to their problems. Trouble is, developers and customers are now looking elsewhere for their future technologies and income, and MS no longer even figures in their thinking. Analysts and the financial press seem to be agreed that MS is in serious decline, with the only real debating point being how long will it take.

    Could have been so different, but hubris and deliberate deafness are a lethal combination.

    1. Innocent-Bystander*

      Re: Overtaken by irrelevance

      "Analysts and the financial press seem to be agreed that MS is in serious decline,"

      Took me 15 seconds of research to have some financial analysts' backing when I call your bullshit.

      http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/msft/recommendations

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Overtaken by irrelevance

        Share price <> company value or income. I think you may want to look at their income. It's considerable so MS can still afford to blow a lot on this new approach (and it's sufficiently different and diverse that some may actually work), but there is no real upwards trend.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Overtaken by irrelevance

        You realize a lot of companies in that list of analysts probably own positions on that stock.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Plus win10 on Raspberry Pi's is finally out for preview, and some new windows/arduino interfacing as well!

    Oh and hololens...... poor old balmer.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Ours hololens?

      Microsoft say it's ours hololens

      Not Google's glasses

      We never copy anyone else's ideas, precious...

      Ours hololens!

      Ours hololens!

      Ours hololens!

      1. dogged
        FAIL

        Re: Ours hololens?

        Hololens is a copy of Glass in the same way that Fireblade is a copy of a Segway.

  16. Ian 55

    "What might Steve be thinking?"

    "If I'd have done something like this years ago, I wouldn't have pissed away so many billions of shareholder value..."

  17. Jim Preis

    I take issue with being referred to as, "granola-eating".

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      > I take issue with being referred to as, "granola-eating".

      Pulls short curly hair out from between teeth,,,

  18. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Do I ??

    Smell the deep, pungent smell of...

    DESPERATION !!??

  19. Fungus Bob

    No, that was me, went to Taco Bell for lunch.

    Guess I should open the Windows...

  20. Captain DaFt

    And Lo!

    When the Prophet Ballmer was excommunicated by the faithful, a cry went out across the boardroom, "Who will save our profits now?!"

    And Nadella did stride among them, and spake:

    "Ballmer was forgetful of the old ways and wasted much following the tail lights, for lo, they were shiny!"

    "But I have studied the old ways, and know the invocations of the Sacred Trinity of Redmond, and following their creeds in turn, I shall bring us to the one True path!"

    And turning to the sacred bed of cash, he did begin his invocation:

    "Oh Embrace, first of the Sacred Trinity, Guide our fortunes to the true path, and lead us to your brothers, and much profit!"

    And across the boardroom, there was much rejoicing!

  21. Dan 55 Silver badge

    What about Play Services/Core libraries and frameworks?

    I doubt MS can copy them wholesale without an almighty legal battle, so all they're going to achieve is Google moving even more out of AOSP and into Play Services and a huge sueball from Apple.

  22. wobbly1

    It's the same with IoT

    Also announced yesterday, "Microsoft And Arduino Partnership Announced At Build 2015" ( http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/microsoft-and-arduino-partnership-announced-at-build-2015-30-04-2015/ )

    Left me wondering why. If i want a user interface to a network linked Arduino device, i use HTML and Curl. Then any browser can access the device regardless of platform. If i need a machine based app for a serial connected arduino , Python would be the language of choice. I fail to see the what interjecting Windows into the process would offer a developer or user.

    I can see the advantages to Microsoft, attempting to gain peripheral relevance by opening up to other platforms and their developers, but it looks like the advantages are all for Microsoft,The market has squirreled away from the lumbering behemoth. the fact that with little change your Android app can run on windows a declining platform is a great big "Meh". Time to do an IB'M,' flog of the divisions that can work autonomously, Xbox stands as good chance as any other in the declining dedicated games machine market. Microsofts declining share in many markets , is a lagging indicator to their relevance

  23. Rik Myslewski

    Great article, but ...

    "Ballmer would be spinning in his grave. If he was dead, that is"

    Shouldn't that be "Ballmer would be spinning in his grave. If he were dead, that is."

    Back in high school, I was the cofounder of the quite sniffling "Save the Subjunctive Society" — yes, I'm an insufferable nerd and grammar Nazi <grin>.

    1. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

      Re: Great article, but ...

      I would prefer the more economical "[...] spinning in his grave – were he dead, that is", but yes, indeed.

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    the Surface PHONE. the phone that can replace your Desktop...Tablet... Laptop....desk phone..

    Im waiting for the Asus Padfone (Windows 10 version re-branded The Surface Phone) 4.3" - 4.7" Max screen size as with a tablet 10"+ or larger screen. why do you need a bigger screen on the phone when you can just change to a tablet so easily. plus the tablet dock NEEDS a keyboard case.

    USB 3.1 connectors so data power and video out of one connector depending on what you need at the time.

    Full windows 10 with a phone dialler interface. Intel 64 bit chip with 4+GB ram + 128 / 256 GB ssd. IF they can put Windows on a crash diet.!!

    extra storage ssd / hdd for syncing and backup as well as just more storage in the desktop dock for those who still dont buy in to the "cloud" - Onedrive for everyone else.

    desktop dock, wired connectivity for monitors, keyboard, mouse, RJ45 network, Phone handset (for using mobile connection when at the desk working with the "Phone" docked or connecting through the network to the office sip trunks and pabx to be your office desk phone).

    For connecting the phone to the dock going forward wireless options for charging, USB, HDMI/display port, WIFI(802.11ac), Bluetooth etc. you should be able to use any wireless dock the connector would no longer be a device or manufacturer issue / limiting factor.

    Something like this would cover most of my personal (non work) use cases and if i need a more powerful processor I can just connect to a VDI / VM supplier or to one of my own servers, this would allow Microsoft to sell more paas and compute as a service or just plain VDI's for users. multiple charging models possible. more power more $$, more software more $$, More memory more $$, More storage more $$. the list goes on.

    The Phone Needs a powerful battery i dont want the thinnest lightest thing if it wont hold a charge of anything less than 2 days when being used moderately. current phone Motorola Razr Maxx has a good battery that lasts a few days and can fit in a lapdock, currently running Android 4.4.4. so close but not there YET.....

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like