Disenchanted with Microsoft's offerings despite my fondness for their goods, I opt for a fresh start with the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Disenchanted with Microsoft's offerings despite my fondness for their goods, I opt for a fresh start with the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

In a move that signifies a change in allegiance, the author is swapping their trusty Microsoft phone for a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7. This decision comes amidst a growing disillusionment with Microsoft's approach to consumer technology.

Microsoft's history is peppered with half-baked first attempts, lack of continued investment, and constant backtracking and overhauling. From the discontinuation of the Windows phone to the shuttering of the Movies & TV service, Microsoft's consumer product portfolio has been marked by a pattern of inconsistency.

The tech giant's reputation for abandoning consumer-facing products is well-earned. Microsoft's decisions often lead to lost jobs and frustrated users, who expect longer product lifecycles. The author, who has had a love-hate relationship with Microsoft's software products, has decided to part ways with Microsoft Launcher, SwiftKey keyboard, OneNote, To Do, Microsoft Teams, and other unnecessary experiments.

Microsoft's strategic pivots and refocusing, product discontinuations, and enterprise vs. consumer focus have all contributed to this perception. The company often reshapes its strategy to focus on more profitable or strategically important sectors, such as enterprise and cloud services. This shift reduces investment priority in consumer products, leading to their abandonment.

Moreover, Microsoft is known for its massive size and for putting a lot of eggs into a lot of baskets. This shameless trend-chasing and failure to learn from its mistakes have further tarnished its reputation. The author's first smartphone was the Nokia Lumia 520, a Microsoft-backed device, but even this relationship has soured.

Despite Microsoft's consumer offerings, such as Outlook, Microsoft 365, Windows phones, Surface Pro, and Xbox One S, the author feels that the company has a poor track record of committing to its software products. Microsoft is infamous for being terrible at following through on anything that isn't an immediate success.

The author's family owned an original Xbox and an Xbox 360 S, but even these consumer successes have not been enough to regain the author's trust. Microsoft's communication regarding product changes is unreliable, and its poor track record of committing to consumer-facing products has left the author with little faith in its ability to change course in the future.

In light of these concerns, the author is turning to Samsung, Google, and other third-party solutions for their software needs moving forward. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is already shaping up as a significant upgrade over the author's current phone, and the author looks forward to exploring what these new platforms have to offer.

References:

1. Microsoft's Xbox strategy is shifting to cross-platform games
2. Microsoft is scaling back Cortana for enterprise use
3. Microsoft's revenue growth comes from cloud, AI, and enterprise productivity
4. Microsoft's recent layoffs and studio closures in the gaming division
5. The author has chosen to switch from a Microsoft phone to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, reflecting a growing dissatisfaction with Microsoft's approach to consumer technology.
6. Microsoft's history is marred by half-baked attempts, lack of sustained investment, and repeated overhauls, from the demise of the Windows phone to the closure of the Movies & TV service.
7. The tech giant's reputation for abandoning consumer-facing products is well-deserved, as its decisions usually lead to job losses and user frustration.
8. The author has decided to abandon Microsoft Launcher, SwiftKey keyboard, OneNote, To Do, Microsoft Teams, and other such experiments by Microsoft.
9. Microsoft's strategic shifts, product discontinuations, and enterprise-focus have all contributed to a perception of inconsistency and a lack of commitment to consumers.
10. Microsoft is notorious for its large size and spreading resources thinly, which has resulted in questionable trend-chasing and failure to learn from its mistakes.
11. The author's first smartphone was the Nokia Lumia 520, a Microsoft-backed device, but even this relationship has turned sour.
12. Despite Microsoft's consumer offerings like Outlook, Microsoft 365, Windows phones, Surface Pro, and Xbox One S, the author feels that the company has a poor track record of committing to its software products.
13. Microsoft is often criticized for being poor at following through on anything that doesn't immediately succeed.
14. The author's family owned an original Xbox and an Xbox 360 S, but even these consumer successes have not been enough to restore the author's trust in Microsoft.
15. Microsoft's communication regarding product changes is unreliable, and its poor track record of consumer product commitment leaves the author doubtful about its ability to change course.
16. As an alternative, the author is exploring Samsung, Google, and other third-party solutions for their software needs in the future.
17. Referencing Microsoft's strategic focus on cross-platform games (1), scaling back Cortana for enterprise use (2), growing revenue from cloud, AI, and enterprise productivity (3), recent layoffs and studio closures in the gaming division (4), the author is cautiously optimistic about Microsoft's future, particularly in the areas of gaming and enterprise services, while maintaining skepticism about its commitment to the consumer market.

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