Microsoft Vista emails refer to ecosystem (which appears to be a jungle)

If you’ve got a few spare days, there’s some enjoyment to be had in plowing though the Microsoft Vista emails (large file) recently unsealed by a court as part of a class action suit against the company for labeling computers “Vista capable” when they could only run, but clearly couldn’t provide full functionality for, the new operating system.

I’m sure the Harvard Business Review is salivating over this rare glimpse into corporate silliness. Microsoft created a superior product (security, interface) that completely ignored many of the real needs of its users (such as the ability to use their existing peripheral devices!). And then they foisted their half-baked product on the market, screwing their distributors in the process.

On the bright side, Vista’s awfulness has probably helped Apple.

With 39% year-over-year growth in their PC business, Apple (though tiny) is starting to eat up market share. It’s hard for me to fathom how they continue to lose out to HP and Dell, which produce ugly, overpriced and inferior computers.

One thought: Apple ads are probably too clever for their own good. They still target the artsy market (artists and creative wannabees) when they might consider ads playing up the strength of their photo software and other broadly consumer-friendly aspects of the product. Get some old people in those ads!

I’d like to see a commercial where they show an old man trying to use his new windows box and he has to recruit his 8-year-old grandson to set it up with him (tagline: windows is so hard to use, it brings families together). Then show an old man take a mac out of the box, plug the damned thing in and begin typing an email to his grandson in less than 5 minutes! (tagline: sometimes its nice to do things for yourself). I think a campaign like that would really appeal to baby boomers who are getting older and are very scared of being dependent on their children.