Let’s Talk About Tech Enthusiasm (Premium)

Surface Hub 2 has reignited a feeling of tech enthusiasm that I rarely feel these days. But any lack of enthusiasm I normally feel isn’t age: Most personal technology products and services just aren’t that exciting.

Unless you write for one of those tech enthusiast blogs, I guess. You know the ones. Where every release, no matter how minor, fanciful, or pointless, is treated like a royal wedding or the arrival of a new pope.

I don’t do that, of course. I have what I feel to be a far more mature relationship with the companies whose products I cover and with the readers whom I respect rather than pander to. This attitude is often misunderstood to be “negativity” or “complaining.” I just think of it as honest.

But in the wake of my recent Surface Hub 2 briefing, I felt something I’ve only felt rarely over the years: A true sense of excitement, that the world was about to change for the better. Actually, this happened during my Surface Hub 2 briefing. I found myself unable to concentrate as questions burbled to the (ahem) surface. I could feel the past slipping away. The change coming.

Naturally, I’ve received questions about this excitement. When was the last time I felt this? What were the other Microsoft products that ignited such feelings?

These are good questions, in part because the answers can be instructive. When I look back on over 20 years of covering Windows and other Microsoft products and services, a number of highs and lows do stick out. And if I really think about it, I can place the highs in various categories: The truly life-changing A-list moments. And then some lesser but still exciting B-level moments.

The A-list is short, and each of the following products was surrounded by, and followed-up by, some lesser related products and services. Or, in some cases, by disaster.

Windows 95. Previous to Windows 95, I was not a fan of Microsoft in any way, shape, or form, and was, in fact, quite dismissive of the company and its products. I did test Windows for Workgroups 3.1x previously, and I was aware of its improved networking, and 32-bit memory and disk capabilities. But it was Windows 95 and its excellent, Mac-beating user interface that triggered my interest in Microsoft. It was clear to me that Windows 95 was going to change the world. And it did.

Related but not A-list: Windows 95 OSR updates and subsequent releases like Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and even Windows Millennium Edition (Me), which was unfairly criticized. Plus! 95 and Plus! 98. Office 95 and Office 97. Windows CE “Pegasus.” MSN. Many others.

Windows NT 5.0 Beta 2. This one excited me so much, I started the SuperSite for Windows, for which I wrote about “the future of Windows, today” for over 15 years. The reason for this excitement was that it was supposed to combine the compatibility of Windows 9x with the security and stability of Windows NT. But that didn’t happen, and Windows NT 5.0 became Windows 2000. Eh.

Related but not A-list: Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the various XP derivatives like Tablet PC Edition.

“Freestyle”. When I first saw Freestyle, Microsoft wasn’t sure how they were going to package it. Then they blew it by making it part of a dedicated operating system, Windows XP Media Center Edition, which only shipped with new PCs that people were supposed to put in the living room. And never did. Media Center limped along for several years before Microsoft finally gave up.

Related but not A-list: Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Portable Media Center, Smart Display (“Mira”), many others. Xbox, too, since that was the other route that Microsoft could have taken with Freestyle, as a dedicated living room set-top box.

“Longhorn” This was both the apex and the nadir of my Microsoft experiences over the years. As originally introduced, Longhorn was going to change the world, and it was the most exciting time for me covering Microsoft. Then, Longhorn collapsed and disappeared into nothing. Which was the worst.

Related but not A-list: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 10 (as originally envisioned). Windows 8 was a mess.

Windows Home Server. A good idea for the time, Windows Home Server (“Project Q”, “Quantum”) brought Microsoft’s expertise with small- and medium-sized businesses to the home, giving consumers a way to centrally organize media, PC backups, and more. It never took off with consumers, though, and a major bug in its file replication technology sunk the product.

Related but not A-list: Windows Server Essentials.

Xbox 360/Xbox One. While each of these gaming consoles has/had its issues, there is such a great continuum of excellence here that they cannot be ignored. The Xbox One S is one of the prettiest hardware devices I’ve ever owned. And Xbox One X is simply the best. Microsoft’s Xbox strategy today is excellent.

Related but not A-list: Original Xbox. I just never got into it, and it wasn’t strong enough to make me quit PC gaming.

Windows Phone. Microsoft’s original vision for Windows Phone was breathtaking: It didn’t just copy the iPhone like Android did, it was a thorough reconsideration of a what a smartphone could be, and it centered on users, not on apps. It was also a monumental failure that I supported for years longer than I should have. And this represents the one time I feel that I misrepresented the interests of readers, if inadvertently. I still feel bad about this.

Related but not A-list: Zune, a product that still gets far too much love from fans despite its me-too functionality, terrible software, and lack of support from Microsoft. (Microsoft had disbanded the Zune team before the Zune HD hit store shelves.) And Kin, which was much better than critics believe and was killed because of Verizon’s too-high data plan pricing.

Surface Hub 2. Just announced, this product is nothing less than a total justification for Microsoft’s hardware efforts over the years.

Related but not A-list: Surface PCs, the original Surface “table” PC, the first Surface Hubs. Xbox, too, really.

So there you go. These are the Microsoft products that have really raised the hair on my arms over the years. And some that came close. And not-so-close.