Microsoft exec sets of the hypocrisy alarm regarding iPhone and Windows Phone gaming
Now the snappily named Windows Phone Series 7 has been revealed, it’s fisticuffs at dawn between Microsoft and Apple. Well, between Microsoft and a cardboard cut-out of Apple, because no words are coming from Cupertino (bar Steve Jobs bitching about Flash every few minutes), but Microsoft’s taking swipes at iPhone at every opportunity.
The latest snipe regarding gaming comes from Oded Ran, head of consumer marketing for Windows phone in the UK. “It’s not about whether you have 6,000 different arcade puzzle games in a specific category on your app store,” he says. “It’s about how good they are—it’s not about the number, it’s about the quality.” (Source: Mobile Entertainment.)
To be fair, I agree. Quality over quantity is always the best way to go (although I’d argue the App Store offers both to gamers), but here’s the thing: for years, Microsoft has taken the exact opposite stance regarding Apple. Windows, it’s said, is better than Mac OS because it has more apps, more devs, more support (and more exciting viruses—oho!), but now Microsoft’s in the minority, it’s playing the ‘we only care about quality’ game. Right. And I’m sure Microsoft wouldn’t change its tune at all if someone could somehow magic 10,000 games for its upcoming platform out of thin air while simultaneously deleting 99% of Apple’s App Store content.
What a strange post and choice of title.
You actually say that “To be fair, I agree” – so what’s hypocrete about Microsoft says? Cellphones and PCs are a completely different business. And we all know that no-one cares about the millions of apps in the app store because actually it makes it harder to find good apps. I don’t get your point other than wanting to have a dig at Microsoft.
Hi Craig,
I agree with you that quality of games is more important than quantity of games and that Apple has both.
You say in the second paragraph that it was a ‘dumb comment’, yet you agree with it in the third paragraph. If you agree with a dumb comment then that either makes you dumb too (which I do not believe to be the case) or it is indeed a valid comment and not a dumb one.
Stuart
@Paul: The hypocrisy is, as stated, in Microsoft contradicting itself. It keeps going on about Windows is great because of ‘choice’ (something it mentions for many of its other products also), whereas for Windows Phone it’s taken another path specifically because its rival offers that choice. If you start playing the quality vs quantity game, you can’t then turn around and say “but that’s not the case on the desktop – there, you really need 60,000 crappy apps that do ‘x'”.
@Stuart: I did edit that earlier, but you were right to point out the error.
” no words are coming from Cupertino (bar Steve Jobs bitching about Flash every few minutes), but Microsoft’s taking swipes at iPhone at every opportunity.”
Well of course, the challenger always bitches at the market leader. It’s why Apple has the pathetically childish approach of giving windows machines “BSOD” icons in OS-X but you won’t find a mac mention in Windows 7. It’s also why Apple had FUD styled “I’m a mac” ads for years before MS felt they even needed to comment.
In this field, Apple are the Microsoft, so it’s playing out much the same way in reverse.
Duds: I mostly agree, although it’s interesting that Microsoft’s spent most of its advertising dollars riffing off that Apple campaign. (Even more interesting that they’re also running it here, despite the UK’s “I’m a Mac” thing being almost non-existent, awful, and online only.)