Will Microsoft Survive the Next 10 Years?

Since Windows Vista is on the shelves I see more and more negative touches that Microsoft gets from users and from experts in the news and on blogs. I am not really an expert in this but when I read all the negative headlines and articles I ask myself if Microsoft really will survive the next 10 years.

I have been a Windows user for years but I also have used an Apple Macintosh all the years.

This year I switched fully to my iMac and OSX and I don't miss a thing.
In my circle of friends I see a lot of them - more than 50% - that will switch to a Mac this year. They are only waiting for Leopard but they have already made their decision.

For me Microsoft lost a lot of it's innovative factors - that I saw in this company some years before and I think there are lot of consumers that don't need a Windows Vista. Also I think that the early geeks that started with Windows are now in an age on which they think if they really want to "use" a computer or if they want to be still a developer or technical geek to understand why a piece of software is not installing or how to manipulate the registry to get things running. I think the time is over where computers are machines that don't work - we are ready for something that really works and we are not interested in something that don't work or make an odd feeling when you try to work with it. I want a computer that understand my needs - we are in the 21 century and I can't believe why Microsoft worked five years on Vista when they even not changed error messages like "Please make sure you use Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 4 or above".

I am pretty sure that the Open Source Community, the new Ubuntu, Google and of course Apple are those companies that are ready for our century and they will get more and more people that know what they really want.

Simple software and services that works! Just like a TV.