Another Rant About the Microsoft Paper Tiger
August 15th, 2007You know, when movie and TV producers want to depict the quintessential computer nerd, they usually present a character that bears more than a passing resemblance to Bill Gates. However, in the real world, Gates is more of a marketing genius than a programming genius. While he has certainly written some software in his time, his largest successes have come from supremely clever marketing. First, of course, to sell IBM an operating system, and then going out and buying it from another company at a much lower price.
You might call that the most famous shell game in recent history, although I’m sure the financial mavens in our audience will find others of similar or greater significance.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being a good salesman. Certainly, Apple does quite well on that score, particularly in recent years. In fact, some have suggested that Apple these days is less about innovation and more about packaging and marketing.
