In a way, the company is conducting a fascinating experiment in human psychology: will the masses reflexively buy the upgrade just for the sake of owning the latest?Į-mail fans (or slaves) will be delighted to learn that Microsoft Outlook has received a sensational and far-reaching overhaul. Let's see how you like it when we add none at all.'' The message seems to be: ''You people didn't like it when we piled on features? O.K., fine.
In Office 2003, Microsoft has made shockingly few changes to Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Today's Microsoft Word builds Web pages, queries databases and whitens teeth it stopped being just a word processor sometime in the Eisenhower administration. Inevitably, the critics say, this philosophy ruins what started out as promising software, eventually saddling programs with bloat, sluggishness and complexity. 21, a better slogan might be, ''Be careful what you wish for you might get it.''įor years, Mac and PC fans have faulted Microsoft for its core business model: pile on more features with each software version in hopes of making customers feel that they're no longer current. WHAT would be a good motto for Microsoft? ''Winning is everything''? ''Might makes right''? ''Money can't buy you love''?įor the new version of Microsoft Office, which arrives in stores Oct.
