• October 22, 2009

How Microsoft Will Try to Kiss You in 2010

Hitch was on TV the other night. I didn’t watch it because I’ve already seen it, but the part I flipped past showed the “first kiss” technique. The technique being, you lean in 90% of the way, and if she is ready for the kiss, she’ll lean in the remaining 10% to seal the deal. (If you haven’t seen it, you can watch it here.)

This is analogous with what Microsoft will be doing next year with Office 2010. I think Microsoft will come to market with Office 2010, aka lean in to kiss the business market, but most businesses won’t kiss back. Here’s why.

Microsoft isn’t leaning in far enough.
1. The business market is going to need to put significant effort into it if they want some lip. From what I’ve gathered, Microsoft Online Services or SharePoint will be required in order to collaborate online with Office 2010. If you have ever tried to setup any of those services, you’ll know it’s not simple and there are many moving parts. The market needs a simple document collaboration solution that anyone can start using right away and change on the fly without having to engage IT.

2. Office Web Apps will also compromise features for browser compatibility. In their own words, Microsoft claims the new Web version of Office will have “high” fidelity. From where I sit, that’s another way of saying that in order to make Office work in all browsers, they had to make it a Javascript application and drop some functionality. From a development standpoint, it is an awesome accomplishment. From the user perspective, it just won’t be the same as using Office in the desktop environment.

3. We have learned that users want 120% of Office. In other words, people want more than what they are getting today. It’s not just about putting Office online. Businesses want the added collaborative benefits that only a cloud-based service can provide. Google Docs has proven there is more to document editing, but Google has failed to provide an adequate solution for the business world, who primarily uses Office and has billions of legacy Office files that lose almost all fidelity when imported into Google Docs.

In summary, what businesses have asked for is pretty simple. They want the ability to share editing responsibility of Office files quickly and easily. They want to use what they already have, know, trust. They want to keep their files intact and how they expect them to look. They want to open one file, any time, to view the most recent version and edit it for the benefit of others… but they don’t want to worry about coordinating real-time edits of the same file.

Given Microsoft’s massive marketing resources, I’m sure they’ll be able to seduce enough users to keep their “B.M.O.C.” reputation, but Microsoft will need more than a breath mint to knock the market off its feet. That’s why I encourage you to try eXpresso. You’ll see we deliver the familiar desktop experience through the browser and modify that experience just enough to support real-time collaboration without affecting the fidelity of your files.

• By Gus