This weekend, The Times ran a long and less-than-optimistic story on Microsoft and its head, Steve Ballmer. "While it still commands a prominent and profitable position in computing, brand experts say
consumers stumble when trying to define what the company stands for and whether it can create a grander technological future," the paper says of Microsoft. "It remains too fixated on its old-line,
desktop-based franchises, (critics) say -- too slow, too predictable and too, well, Microsoft." Still, with this week's launch of Windows 7 and a host of complementary, "slick" computers, Microsoft is
trying to undermine its far sexier rival, Apple. Meanwhile, in a digital world increasingly dominated by cloud computing, Microsoft is planning to release a software platform, Windows Azure, next
month that represents its bid to lure businesses with online services.
Read the whole story at New York Times »
