Opinion: 2004 Was the Year Everything Changed for Microsoft

Opinion: 2004 Was the Year Everything Changed for Microsoft: "Remember that software colossus called Microsoft? It was known as the 800-pound gorilla of the PC industry, a recalcitrant monopolist that could send competitors careening out of business simply by announcing that it was entering a particular market. Well, that Microsoft is dead. And its death has little to do with the company changing its ways to become a better corporate citizen and partner. Instead, Microsoft has grown lazy, complacent, and fat--arguably another IBM, a company Microsoft never intended to emulate. And rather than exit markets when Microsoft jumps in, the company's competitors are now watching Microsoft to see where it's heading, then jumping in with both feet. More often than not, Microsoft's tiny competitors get to market first and reap the rewards.
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Is Microsoft, like IBM before it, suddenly so large that it can no longer move quickly and deliver on new product opportunities? I think that's fairly obvious. What's less obvious is the way that Microsoft's competitors have started cherry-picking from Microsoft's product plans. Having a grand vision is one thing. But delivering on that vision is another thing entirely."

Surprisingly harsh, for Paul Thurrott