There is something about being able to throw money at a problem until that problem goes away. I mean I’ve been told my entire life that success cannot be bought but then I look at Microsoft and say, hell yes it can. I remember growing up in the dawn of the Xbox. That device flopped horribly. For years the Xbox lost money for the company. The game support was dismal and the device itself was subject to more crashes than the average Windows install. Fortunately for Microsoft, people were (and are) still installing Windows on a global scale. Every college I’ve visited uses Windows as the primary OS. That OS remains the basis for most Comp Sci 101 classes. This is not a local phenomenon. When speaking with visiting faculty from China years ago, they said it was the same way over there. In fact, it wasn’t until last year that China even announced a plan to develop a homegrown OS. So, money helps. It covers up a lot of the BS people try to do until that BS eventually sticks and becomes the norm. It feels like the same process is happening with the new Surface tablet. Give it a few years–even a decade, and I’m guessing it will be the norm.
This is exactly how Xbox cracked into the Big 3. Once upon a time the players were Sega, Nintendo (going strong since 1888), and Sony’s Playstation brand. Sega was the suspect platform, relying on hit or miss games that were built in the same vein as Playstation releases. Nintendo had a brand and a market share all its own and wasn’t chasing Sony or Sega buys. Xbox came along as an alternative and, of course, threw money at the problem. After years of losing or at best slim profit margins, Xbox stands next to Playstation as the ‘must have’ platform while even Nintendo lags, leaning on a shrinking specialized market of consumers. Sega? They have gone the way of Atari.
That bring me to the Surface Tablet. Microsoft has already lost 1 billion dollars on the Surface Tablet. This is roughly equivalent to costing investors 9 cents a share on dividends. I recognize that said in that latter fashion it sounds like, well, pennies. That is because it is. Because of the raw size and strength of the company, Microsoft can afford to take a hit on the tablet and keep taking hits on the tablet until eventually people catch on and like what it is all about. This is the concept of throwing money at a problem.
I can’t throw money at the problems in my personal or even professional life. I live in a world where money is being snatched away. I can see how having more capital will create more freedom and options. Perhaps with a clearer head (and less empty wallet) I would be able to appreciate the nuance and difficulty of wealth more than I currently do. As is, I don’t quite believe Biggie Smalls anymore. More money ain’t always more problems. Just ask Microsoft.
Some Thoughts:
- Here is a situation where the officer was well within his rights to shoot the suspect and showed considerable (bordering on dangerous) restraint. Way to go, dude.
- The first US opera opened in 1810. The opera was named ‘Converse’ which I find hilarious as that name went on to become the penultimate American shoe for a time…
- Of course, that was also the year we annexed Florida from Spain–a decision we’ve come to regret.