{"id":6817,"date":"2011-04-18T20:05:06","date_gmt":"2011-04-19T00:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbach.net\/blog\/?p=6817"},"modified":"2022-12-30T16:03:40","modified_gmt":"2022-12-30T21:03:40","slug":"microsoft-struggles-exchange-next-cash-cow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/microsoft-struggles-exchange-next-cash-cow\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Struggles – Exchange Next Cash Cow?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Microsoft<\/a>The Royal Pingdom <\/em>reports<\/a> that Microsoft’s Windows 7 has just overtaken Windows XP<\/a> as the top operating system in the US. The article cites stats<\/a> from StatCounter<\/a> that say as of April 7, Microsoft Windows 7<\/a> reached a 31.71% of share, while Windows XP<\/a> held a 31.56% share.<\/p>\n

On a global scale, StatCounter reports that Windows XP still enjoys a significant advantage of 16.1% over Windows 7.\"Windows<\/a><\/p>\n

The Business Insider<\/a><\/em> noted<\/a> that investor Roger McNamee<\/a> a man who Bill Gates<\/a> credited as a sounding board for his 1994 book “The Road Ahead<\/a>” told CNBC<\/a> that Microsoft’s Windows is a dying business.<\/p>\n

I think Microsoft Windows, this is the cycle where it stops growing… The availability of iPads<\/a> and smartphones is allowing corporations to trade down and eliminate the thousand dollars per year of supporting a Windows desktop. And this is the year where Windows has fallen below 50% of internet connected device down from 97% a few years ago.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Despite this, Mr. McNamee would still buy Microsoft<\/a> (MSFT<\/a>) because of the company’s strong position in an email.<\/p>\n

When you’re a monopolist in an important category — and they are for sure a monopolist relative to email with Exchange — they’re going to be able to crank prices on Exchange. I actually think Microsoft is a buy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mr. McNamee is a smart guy who took an early huge stake in Facebook<\/a> for Elevation Partners<\/a>. However, the Business Insider<\/em> thinks that Exchange<\/a> as a replacement for the Microsoft Windows business is bizarre for a bunch of reasons:<\/p>\n