Microsoft surprised mobile-phone software developers last week by reversing its plan to charge them for minor updates and fixes in the programs they submit to its upcoming Windows Mobile application store.
But maybe the switch shouldn’t have been such a surprise.
Microsoft seems increasingly willing to reverse course on policies and practices large and small — including software usage rules, worker perks, Windows 7 user account controls, gay rights legislation, and its decision not to require some two dozen laid-off employees to return those accidental overpayments, after all.
In many cases, the decisions are applauded as open-minded responses to feedback from partners and customers. But there’s a fine line between flexibility and chronic flip-flopping. Some industry analysts wonder if the company is too often putting itself in positions that require it to publicly change its mind.
“The good side is that it does demonstrate that Microsoft is listening. It’s paying attention, it’s open to feedback and it’s open to responding, too,” said industry analyst Michael Gartenberg, vice president of strategy and analysis at Interpret LLC in New York. “On the other hand, when you do that too much, it does raise the question of why you didn’t think of these things in the first place, before you went public with them.”
more
No comments:
Post a Comment