Subtraction

The taste-deficit you mention reminds me of the over-the-top ad for Internet Explorer Microsoft pulled after a deluge of complaints last month.

Well, in fairness, I have to say that I thought all of those ads, including the one that got pulled, were pretty good. They were certainly leagues more sophisticated than this movie. Yes, the one you mentioned was “tasteless” in the traditional sense of the word. But I think what I meant was that this Office 2010 movie is almost entirely without originality, wit, or original wit.

If the new Office is anything like its prior versions, it will be a bloated monster that really sucks. The ad attempts to make it look cool to be an Excel/PowerPoint drone. Cringeworthy.

Oh boy! Microsoft bashing! When do I get my turn?

I think this piece actually makes a very strong and positive statement: Creativity still cannot be bought nor owned, but sought after, and borrowed. Keep searching, MicroSoft.

Quite bad.

They have some other videos that are more in the “infomercial” direction. A lot better than this “trailer”, or most other commercial videos I’ve seen from Microsoft.

Link

This is another example to reinforce your last point “Microsoft does: they have more money than they have sense. Or rather, they have more money than they have taste.”

Frankly, I got a kick out of the ad and was pleased to see Microsoft lightening up.

But your remark reminds me of something almost exactly the same by Steve Jobs, in an old PBS documentary, “Revenge of the Nerds.”

Asked what he didn’t like about Microsoft, he said: “They have no taste.”

I’m pretty sure that’s verbatim but don’t quote me!

OK, so maybe it’s a little bit over the top, and it’s sort of a teaser, more than an informative piece, but I must admit it’s funny.