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Why Is Microsoft So Bad At Naming Products?

xsynergyx | August 01, 2007 | News | Company 
What do you think of Microsoft product names? Microsoft and Xbox weren't so bad. Even Zune was okay, but are the rest horrible? Zune was suppose to be Argo. More bad named products range from Silverlight, Windows Presentation Foundation/Everywhere and it's new service, Avalanche. David Webster, the manager, is to blame. He is suppose to come up with these nifty names.
Nobody knows. It has managed to come up with a couple of good ones down the years - "Windows" ain't bad, nor "Xbox" and you could even tip your hat a little towards "Zune", though that started out as "Argo", which at least has the benefit of being at the start of the alphabet. But we know that the product it likes to call "Silverlight" (its Flash killer) is really known inside the company as "Windows Presentation Foundation/Everywhere" - make sure you include that slash, now - and last week it affirmed its clunkiness by announcing that its bittorrent-alike sort-of peer-to-peer service, known as "Avalanche" while being developed in Cambridge, would be released as "Microsoft Secure Content Distribution".

Yet it has a manager whose task for the past two years, and those forthcoming, is to make its product names snappier: David Webster, the "general manager of brand strategy".
20 comments | go to source (www.guardian.co.uk) | send to friend
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  • -1 thumbs!
    Chronic Apathy | August 02, 2007
    This isn't really what GameGrep is for....
    However, to answer your question, I think they do a good job.
  • 1 thumbs!
    iLLmatic | August 02, 2007
    Actually I always thought XBOX was a wack name.
  • 0 thumbs!
    neto_360 | August 02, 2007
    Why is it called Xbox when the logo has the X on a circle (like in Hammerbursts avatar)? I always found that odd. XD
    • 0 thumbs!
      Supernouva | August 02, 2007
      Err, that's originally the logo for the Xbox "360," hence the X in the sphere.

      • 1 thumbs!
        tidus04 | August 02, 2007
        Going by that image you could take it means the "X Xbox 360"

        I do not mind the name. It is atleast a little different from others.
        • -1 thumbs!
          Xenctuary | August 02, 2007
          Not really. Did you ever think the PlayStation was called the "P PlayStation" from its logo?
  • 0 thumbs!
    Subzer0 | August 02, 2007
    Xbox is a neat name tbh. Zune however is the only name that sounds meh IMO. Same with Avalanche.
  • 0 thumbs!
    KingX2 | August 02, 2007
    Xbox is a great name for a system.

  • It's a box
  • It has an X on the front

    Microsoft comes up with some smokin' names tbh.
  • -1 thumbs!
    Cdemon | August 02, 2007
    The examples given in the summary sound like code-names.
  • 0 thumbs!
    xsynergyx | August 02, 2007
    Microsoft Secure Content Distribution is an awewsome service name. Windows Presentation Foundation/Everywhere is also brilliant. /sarcastic
    • -1 thumbs!
      Anime | August 02, 2007
      [sarcasm]I totally agree with you their xsynergyx[/sarcasm] xD

      คภเ๓є
    • -1 thumbs!
      Cdemon | August 02, 2007
      You think they were trying to be creative with those names? C'mon.
  • 0 thumbs!
    volacide | August 02, 2007
    I think XBOX is a shit name, and if the XBOX sucked it would be recognized as such. Just like the Wii, but they don't suck, hence everyone thinking the names are great.
  • 0 thumbs!
    Tom | August 02, 2007
    Yeah Microsoft come up with some weird things... I mean what kind of a name is Bill Gates? Oh right... Yeah. Windows and Xbox are probably the best names that Microsot have ever come up with.
  • 0 thumbs!
    JJBDude | August 02, 2007
    I quite like the names Mircrosoft has come up with. Windows is weird but it works, Xbox is good and I really like the name of the Zune. I don't find it a big deal to be honest, but remember when the Gamecube was going to be called the Dolphin? Take that Nintendo!
  • -4 thumbs!
    Evanster 69 | August 02, 2007
    Microsoft can't do anything right can they? Not even make an XBOX 360 with a correct cooling system until monetary losses are at $1 billion.
  • 0 thumbs!
    Gary15 | August 02, 2007
    Those names aren't too bad if not totally original, the playstation 2 and 3 are hardly totally original names either. Nintendo seem to be the only ones coming up with original console names at the moment.
  • 0 thumbs!
    BANDITO ATTACK | August 02, 2007
    because 'wii' is such a better name. =l
  • 0 thumbs!
    Final Blade | August 03, 2007
    Well the xbox name is kinda weird, but i guess its ok. The Playstation is a name is ok too. The Wii name is a kiddy name imo.
  • 0 thumbs!
    Tainted | August 03, 2007
    Microsoft isn't too bad at naming their stuff... at least they are original. I would say that about Nintendo, but no their names are just crazy. Wii? Revolution was a thousand times better.

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