[Console Edition] Satya Nadella: "We are going to make some difficult decisions"

This entire thread sucks. It was spawned by an internal email from the head of MS to all MS employees (IE: Not a press released or PR speak) discussing MS's future and framing the context of multiple firings of division leads at MS and preparing employees for future reorganizations such as selling off their Bing Maps to Uber.

It has nothing at all to do with Xbox, except the fact that the email also stated how MS decided that gaming was a focal point for them going forward and that they were going to devote a great deal of resources towards making sure they own the majority of gamers.

Instead of looking at it critically and in context, we get a thread full of a bunch of messages from MS Haters that leap to the conclusion that "difficult decisions" somehow means getting rid of Xbox, despite the fact that while the message is from the head of MS and speaks to the entire MS business plan, it still spends 1/4 or so talking about gaming! Of all the things MS does, Nadella broke it down to a few major initiatives and one of them was gaming!

I mentioned before that this wasn't the appropriate forum for Windows Phone, etc.. unless there was some sort of nexus to consoles, which there isn't. So now we have a thread about Apple/Samsung market share. It's the whole slippery slope thing, you know? It should have been ended or moved long ago.

 

I don't see that anywhere in this thread. The only obvious suggestion that MS is getting rid of XB1 is Cyan's intro, who is an XB fan and not a hater. The rest of the posts seem to be about why getting rid of XB1 is a bad idea but how Windows 10 may be a sensible replacement, spiralling into the further Windows 10 ecosystem and digressed into mobile by Joker's question about MS becoming Android only.

If there's a clear record of MS haters saying 'difficult decisions == get rid of XB', please quote them. If there is no such record, maybe you should recognise that you're being overly defensive and misreading the content of a little open speculation on some choices MS might consider?

 

Perhaps you are correct and I am being overly defensive. However, if you go back and start reading all 8 pages of this thread it is clear that this thread is about two things. 1) That MS going to abandon the Xbox - which is not supported by the source documentation and is actually contradictory to what the memo actually says and 2) Windows phone and comparisons to Android and iOS, in which case it has nothing to do with consoles and should be moved out of the console discussion forum.

 

This is the console thread so the statement being is being discussed in this context. And the statement mentions gaming, which is an area Microsoft have pursued before the Xbox existed. It would be presumptuous to assume Microsoft's gaming ambitions are centred on, or limited too, Xbox.

 

Eh. You know what? You're right.

How can B3D really segregate Xbox from W10 from Windows Phones into different discussion forums when MS is making their entire purpose to integrate them all together?

Carry on, I was being overly defensive.

 

Let's pretend that never happened.

 

For the record, most of what didn't directly stay on topic was split off into the following thread, so those just reading through this thread won't have a feel for everything that was in here until you also read through: https://forum.beyond3d.com/threads/...r-microsofts-difficult-decisions-spawn.57058/

It started off simple enough, but then spiraled into a topic all it's own, Market Ownership by Samsung/Apple in the mobile spaces.

 

Well, "difficult decisions" is broad and vague. Even though this is a gaming site, people know about Microsoft's recent history, including some activist shareholders pushing for the company to sell off some non-core businesses like Xbox and possibly mobile, where they haven't had much traction.

So organically the thread meandered towards the mobile business a bit.

If there can be a thread about Sony's overall business prospects, why not something similar about some of the marginal business units at MS?

 

There already are plenty of threads discussing "What should MS do next?" (console related) and other threads for the non-console area that hit on the business topics. I don't know why posters don't post in them, perhaps it's because the topic(s) have been beaten to death or everyone has arrived at the conclusion of "lets agree to disagree".

 

Cyan, every time I see a link from you on this forum I think of this article: "You're not going to read this... but you'll probably share it anyway". Keep up the good fight, but please digest the articles a wee bit before blessing us with them. Thanks!

As for Satya, I think he could have meant anything. Personally I think it's a little early to think it has much to do with console gaming at the moment, but after this holiday? Who knows?

Tommy McClain

 

Indeed, it could be general cross-company layoffs.

Cheers

 

Xbox Music has been rebranded. I do get it says nothing about what or what not is going on with the XB1 but is shows MSFT attachment to the brand name. Imho owning a Windows Phone, a pc and an XBox, Microsoft should rebrand a lot of "xbox" services as it can't be clear to anybody but geeks why some mobile games are xbox some are not.
Branding services available on multiple environment XBox is a bad practice, it is nice seeing MSFT change that.

Other than that as Gubbi said it could very well be layoffs ahead of troubled times...

 

MS want a uniform brand for uniform services/experiences. And I don't think Windows is the name for that because it comes with so much legacy.

 

That is why they choose Groove . As for Windows it is a strong brand name if it is really Windows, MSFT choice to name mobile OS windows something is a bad one, it can tarnish Windows brand and it confuses customers.
Anyway I think we completely agree on the matter, the XBOX branding get in the way, it would be the same if replaced by Windows.

 

Groove only works for music though. I don't associate it with the MS platform, and would expect to see Groove on other devices. Which is probably actually its purpose as Groove is platform independent. But it does mean MS aren't pushing their lifestyle brand on other platforms. Let's say MS introduce a new brand, "Beelzebub". If I see Beelzebub Music on my devices and love it, that encourages me to try out Beelzebub Movies and then Beelzebub Phones. Apple's 'i' prefix was very smart in that respect. The reason I think 'Windows' won't work is because it's 100% associated with the PC, so Windows Music on my Android would be a confusing app as I'd (being an ignorant consumer) assume it is associated with my PC and not an independent music platform. It appears MS were using XBox as that brand, but that doesn't scan well and is strongly tied to their gaming console. I think they need something new and hip. Sony have used PlayStation for this in fits and spurts without much success, but (to me) PlayStation means more media and entertainment than just games, so it kinda worked. But still not great. Currently they are playing around with Sony Entertainment Network which really trips off the tongue. Maybe MS should go with "The Microsoft Advanced Amusement Platform"? TMAAP Music and TMAAP Games all running on TMAAP devices.

 

The NY Times speculate he was referring to more job cuts:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/09/t...expected-at-microsoft.html?smid=re-share&_r=0

 

7800 Jobs cut

Mobile impairment charges seem the fashion in big business...

Good.