Better late than never?

Have you ever sat back and wondered about the corporate decisions made by the executives at Microsoft? Well, I certainly have. It never ceases to amaze me how utterly clueless these people are. The blogosphere has been ablaze this week, with the news that Microsoft is entering the portable MP3 player market. One pundit or another is claiming that the new Microsoft Zune will be the ultimate iPod killer. On the other hand, there are a number of us that have serious doubts about Microsoft’s ability to penetrate a market that is already saturated with their competitor’s products.

However, one cannot help but wonder why they have waited this long. Apple has been playing in this space for years now, as have dozens of other companies in the consumer electronics industry. I can see the logic behind a wait-and-see approach, but this is a sad case of too little, too late for Microsoft. With the intellectual resources and working capital that Microsoft possesses, I am continually astounded by their lack of initiative in certain market spaces.

So why is a company that is an obvious titan in their chosen industry, so afraid to take chances? Is Bill Gates...