I hadn't ever watched the launch party videos. I managed to sit through it all, but wow, what a train wreck. This has it all. First, does this really look like a group of people that are excited enough about an OS release to host a party?? Maybe "socially awkward guy" on the left. How about grandma there? No, I don't think so. She might offer to feed you if you come over and fix her computer, though. That's close.
I would expect to see a group of young tech enthusiasts huddled around a coffee table covered in laptops, pizza boxes, and liters of Mountain Dew. Sorry to draw on a stereotype, but having been to computer-oriented get-togethers, that's more what they're like. This isn't Thanksgiving, it's reformat-and-install day, with fellow geeks. No one else is going to do this. No one. Everyone else you invite.. uh.. has "plans that day, sorry."
Also, it sounds like a homework assignment where they're trying to make it sound fun. "You don't *have* to do it this way, but you will need to plan your activities in advance..." Are they really getting excited over snapping windows to the sides of the screen? "Oh yeah I did the same thing!" Woo! What a hoot!
Seriously. Who let this out on the Internet? It's just embarrassing. How can a company the size of Microsoft not have a top-flight marketing dept / agency?
Then Windows 8 .... Well, alright, this is an OK blog post. Except not really a blog post. It should be, and let people run with it if they're intrigued, but I wonder if it's even enough for that. The copyright notice on the end is part of what really turns me off. That says to me, this isn't actually just a quick behind-the-scenes glimpse. That at least would be cool -- if it had more of a personal touch, like actual video of the team brainstorming ideas or testing features that may or may not be working right yet. "Whoops, back to the drawing board!" Charming, with a touch of voyeurism. Let's see what they tried that didn't work so well. A little bit of blooper reel.
Instead, this is half blog, half "there's an app for that" commercial. Which means it falls short on both, and is totally lacking in personality, despite the little half-grin and inspirational piano theme.
Maybe the Vista development cycle wiped out MS' marketing fund, and the result is the film class from the local community college stepping in and trying to run an ad campaign. There's nothing exciting, nothing recognizable or clever (ala, "Hi, I'm a Mac"), nothing people will talk about later -- except how painful it is to watch.
Last thing -- "It's gonna run on PCs, on tablets, on smart phones..." No. Nononono. "It *RUNS* on PCs, on tablets ...." No one cares about what you're "going" to do. Some day I'm going to be rich and live in ten-story treehouse. Look, the world is full of broken promises. Tell us what you've *done*.
