- Finally, a conspiracy theory I can believe in. Lee Gomes speculates in Forbes that the whole Vista fiasco was a marketing ploy by Microsoft to drive sales of well-received Windows 7. After all, says Gomes, the biggest selling point of many Microsoft releases is that they fix the flaws of the previous release. (Ba-da-Bing!)
- Meanwhile, Microsoft is establishing a cloud presence. It has spent $500 million for a data center near Chicago, where 400,000 servers will run on Microsoft’s Azure operating system. But to compete in the cloud, Microsoft will have to build a new business model as well, in place of those software upgrades that have served it so well.
- And nuclear power struggles to make a comeback. In a section devoted to energy, Technology Review looks at nuclear’s prospects 30 years after Three Mile Island. (No full free access.) The industry’s challenges now are mainly financial. Only large plants are economical, but their high front end price is a barrier, given the uncertain future cost of other power sources.
Tags: Cloud Computing, Microsoft, Nuclear Power
Windows 7…because “New Coke” worked so well…changing a coropate mindset is about as easy as building a skyscraper from the top down…Neclear power plants don’t scale very well, so it makes sense that big power means big investment.
New Coke – now there was a marketing blunder for the ages. Vista’s distinction may turn out to be as the last Microsoft product that everyone loved to hate.