Because they're Microsoft products and the stigma around them is that MS products have no future and become abandoned quickly or go nowhere fast.
I really, really don't believe that. What consumer-facing product was abandoned quickly in the Zune era? The Kin was an unmitigated disaster, sure, but when people think of MS they think of Windows, Office and (perhaps) Xbox- none of which have been abandoned.
After Vista, PlaysForSure, Silverlight, Windows Live all killed their brand/device/service? I think the lesson for consumers is that Microsoft has not been able to expand beyond its cash cows (Xbox/Kinect the notable exception).
If you google [microsoft flop] you will get many overlapping examples. Kin shows up, of course. As does Vista, as does Zune. And that latter day tablet product that never was. And the other products of MSR that never quite make it to stores. Consumers are not dumb. They are aware of these high profile collapses.
And there is a general trend of lagging the market, then failing to catch up. This more than anything explains the performance of Windows Phone in the market.
Windows Live isn't dead, by any stretch. It's been rebranded as "Microsoft Account", and actually extended a ton in Windows 8. Vista wasn't "killed" any more than Snow Leopard was "killed" by Lion.
PlaysForSure and Silverlight are actually great examples of what I'm talking about- consumers have zero idea what they are. Developers are angry that MS dropped Silverlight because they spent a lot of time learning it and creating stuff with it, but beyond an initial install screen (which they've already forgotten about) consumers have no idea whether they are using HTML5, Flash or Silverlight. This is a good thing.
Consumers do not regard the MS Courier tablet as a flop. They have never heard of it.
I agree with you. Here in Turkmenistan mp3 market is taken almost entirely by iPod. In contrast, pc market is almost entirely (99.9%) windows. I can't show you official statistics, but I am sure the deviation from my estimations is insignificant.
People love windows in here, they are very eager to try new versions of windows (Majority of them don't even know that something else exists). Many companies with annual revenue above 1$mln usd use Excell as a primary work station. Nobody heard about Silverlight, MS Courier tablet (even me) and other "failed" MS products. Microsoft is regarded as a safe-bet. Thats what keeps many people from buying macbooks.
Thats said, I believe that majority of the world (those who don't follow tech news) think of Microsoft as they think of Windows- stable, reliable, familiar, indispensable product (company in case of Microsoft itself).
Fine, they are "undead" products. I reiterate that the consumer is aware of them as failed experiments, not as "subtle redirections forming the core of a new flagship product".
I don't know how many google searches you want me to provide you with. Here is the top result for [Microsoft brand]. Admittedly it is from 2010. However, it is not an isolated example.
Consumers have turned their backs on Microsoft. A company that once symbolized the future is now living in the past.
Microsoft has been late to the game in crucial modern technologies like mobile, search, media, gaming and tablets. It has even fallen behind in Web browsing, a market it once ruled with an iron fist.
Here's something from a few days ago reinforcing my position.
The articles you link to state that MS has brand problem. I agree with that. It isn't "cool", and people don't identify with it. As your quotes say, they are behind the times.
What I am disgreeing with is the original suggestion that these brand problems are the result of products that are abandoned quickly and/or have no future. I do not think that consumers regard Silverlight as a failed experiment, I don't think they know what it is, or that it even exists.
I think Microsoft's brand problem is that they are not seen as interesting or innovative, not that they ditch their products too quickly.
The ZuneHD released September 2009, pronounced dead October 2011. Then there is the aforementioned Kin. WP7 devices will be shortly. No WP7 device is capable of running WP8(or at least that is the rumor.)
The ZuneHD released September 2009, pronounced dead October 2011.
I don't know what you mean by that exactly- have all the ZuneHD devices out there stopped working? No. Is the Zune desktop software still being updated? Yes.
And 'Zune' wasn't killed, it was integrated into Windows Phone. MS are just responding to the market in that regard- no-one wants to carry around a dedicated media player any more- they use their smartphone.
Kin was a giant mess, yes. But MS practically killed it before launch, and it has next to no advertising- I very much doubt it affected the average consumer's perception of Microsoft, because they probably never heard about it.
Is the Zune desktop software still being updated? Yes.
That is rather like saying the iPod mini wasn't killed off because iTunes is still updated. You are unable to build software with the current sdk that will run on a Zune. Zune device software hasn't been updated since before it was discontinued. So no Zune devices were not integrated into windows phone, they were dropped in the dust bin.
Considering the Zune never had an app store or any official way to distribute Zune apps, I don't see it as a net loss. Microsoft even said that the only officially distributed Zune apps would be from Microsoft themselves.
You're talking about the Zune as though it were a single product, like the iPod Mini. It's not. Zune is a product line. Windows Phone is a continuation of the Zune product line.
By your reasoning, Apple must have killed the iPod line because the older iPods are not being made. You ignore that they're making new iPod (Zune) hardware. The only thing that has changed is Microsoft is not making Zune-branded hardware anymore, rather hardware that runs the Zune software.
Only if you miss characterize what I said. I was specifically talking about the ZuneHD. Much like if I had an iPod classic focus on new hardware (wp7 or iPod touch) does me no good I am not invited to play in those reindeer games.
>The ZuneHD released September 2009, pronounced dead October 2011.
So they had a product that was made and sold for two years. At the end of its life they stopped making them and started making the replacement. How long did the iPod Mini last? (hint: less than two years)
>or at least that is the rumor.
Let's save that discussion for when it becomes fact. Even if it's true, Windows Phone 7 has had many significant updates. Every mobile device has its support dropped within years of its release.
If anything, Microsoft has a history of holding on to old things for far too long. The rest of the industry changes far more rapidly and far more drastically.
I really, really don't believe that. What consumer-facing product was abandoned quickly in the Zune era? The Kin was an unmitigated disaster, sure, but when people think of MS they think of Windows, Office and (perhaps) Xbox- none of which have been abandoned.