The promise of Windows Live
Microsoft would like us to believe that its launch of Windows Live will be a watershed event in the IT industry on a scale not seen since since the launch of Windows 95. Windows Live is a fusion of software and services. What this means is that the user, rather than the application, is put at the centre of the world and the data follows him around. More importantly, it marks a change in Microsoft's revenue philosophy from selling software licences to revenue from advertisements, subscriptions and revenue share of sales.
The Asian press preview of Windows Live took place in Hong Kong. Presiding over the event, Bill Shaughnessy, MSN's newly-appointed general manager, said that Live was an ecosystem that "plays the role of the platform just like Windows has played the role of the platform."
