Microsoft WPC Day 2: Mixed bag of copies..

Today was a mixed bag for Microsoft – in the areas in which Microsoft leads (Xbox, Messenger) it looks amazing. In the areas in which it’s following (virtually everything else in the consumer space) the future for Microsoft looks like the past of it’s competitors. To say that Windows Mobile doesn’t have a chance would be giving it a huge compliment.

Not really a business conversation at all, but as a Microsoft fan and junkie, here is a short summary:

Xbox – a-f’n-mazing. At first I thought this was going to be a poor man’s copy of Nintendo Wii but the demo of Halo and the little girl playing with the baby tiger made one thing clear – sell your coffee table and get a big cushy rug because you’ll be jumping all over the place and falling down a lot 🙂

Personal Cloud – Take on old Microsoft Mesh demo a few years ago, but a little less techy and a lot more appropriate for the mobile and devices. While the demo was quite cool and Microsoft has a chance here if it leverages ActiveSync, it has the iPhone problem – if it requires all of your friends to use all of the same stuff (like SkyDrive, Onenote) then write it off. Otherwise, it could be a game changer. It certainly will make your Microsoft devices far more friendlier and easier to use.

Windows Mobile Phone – Sad. The biggest applause was for the ability to edit PowerPoint. And that’s from 10,000 Microsoft salesmen and partner executives. It has all the stuff that made Zune a dud combined with what killed Windows Mobile. Oh, and HP was curiously absent from the mobile discussion as well.

To sum it up: When even your employees and your sales force can’t get excited abotu what you’re doing, you’re probably not doing it right.

I’m going to look on the positive side here: Microsoft Windows has a chance to stay around for a long. long time if it can link up the Personal Cloud and extend it beyond all-Microsoft sphere because it has no mobile chance.