2010 Web 2.0 Recap Part 4: Microsoft

2010 Web 2.0 recap rolls on with a look at Microsoft.

Microsoft took some big steps in 2010 and proved that it's still a heavy weight in the tech, IT, and gaming space. Not only did the company succeed (before failing miserably) with a new phone, the development of a new operating system, and innovations in search and cloud computing, but it reestablished its position in the market by turning impressive profits throughout the year. Although Apple, Facebook, and Google may be trendier and on the rise, Microsoft is still a giant who can enter just about any web 2.0 market at will. With a lot to prove and competition looming large on the horizons, Microsoft stepped up in 2010.

New Releases

The biggest news from the Redmond based company came in the form of the highly anticipated Windows Phone 7. Windows Phone 7 had to be a success and Microsoft didn't disappoint. With Apple's iPhone already the dominant favorite and Android gaining traction, Microsoft attempted to play catch up in 2010. Their first attempt at a social smart phone came in the form of the Microsoft Kin. For those not aware, the Kin was by in large a disaster. After months of marketing push and years in development, the Kin was shelved after poor sales numbers. It didn't resonate with consumers and fell in the "too little too late" category of phones. Fortunately, Microsoft learned from its huge public mistake and came back strong with the Windows Phone 7.

Serious about the Cloud

Microsoft began pushing cloud computing heavily in 2010. In February Azure was released, a serious cloud computing application platform for enterprise level businesses. Azure gives the ability for it's users to store data and run applications outside the regular Windows 7 framework.

Search, IE, and Office


2010 marked growth for Microsoft's search platform Bing. In the United States Bing sits only behind Google and Yahoo. Internet Explorer, Microsoft's long standing browser, was released for public Beta in it's 9th variation in September. Microsoft also pushed it's latest version of Office, which coincided with the continued growth of the Windows 7 operating software. Powerpoint, Excel, Word, and Outlook received minor changes.

Gaming

Microsoft continued to grow it's gaming arm by overtaking the Nintentdo Wii in sales with it's Xbox 360 console. In November the company released Kinect, it's motion capture gaming device. Preliminary 4th quarter sales numbers for Kinect look promising when stacked against the Nintendo Wii and Playstation Move. Kinect sales alone were over one million in the first ten days of release and continued strong throughout the holidays.

Microsoft had an impressive 2010 and may have a better 2011. New Microsoft stores, Windows 8, and Windows Phone updates are predicted within the coming year. The company will continue to be a major web 2.0 force in business and consumer products.