Microsoft’s marketing people are overusing "X"

We all know “X” does well in a name but Microsoft’s lazy, uncreative marketing people are overdoing it to the point that it doesn’t make sense. At the same event, they revealed the Surface Pro X and also Windows 10X, which wouldn’t be too bad if the Pro X ran Windows 10X, but it does not. This is idiotic and embarrassing. They also named Scorpio “Xbox One X”, which is an awful and stupid name. They need to hire better marketing people that won’t just tack “X” on everything.

Conversation 29 comments

  • ngc224

    07 October, 2019 - 4:03 pm

    <p>I like Chris Capossela and everything, but this was embarrassing.</p>

  • Usman

    Premium Member
    07 October, 2019 - 5:10 pm

    <p>I think someone is a tesla fan, so they named the Xbox One S and X.</p><p><br></p><p>Then the same with Surface Hub 2, 2S and 2X</p><p><br></p><p>and now windows Windows 10, 10S and 10X (albeit being two completely different things)</p>

    • willr

      07 October, 2019 - 5:24 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#478425">In reply to Usman:</a></em></blockquote><p>Haha I forgot about the Surface Hub 2X, there are probably even more recent uses of "X", it's getting ridiculous. It's also very lazy</p>

    • Jackwagon

      Premium Member
      07 October, 2019 - 11:55 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#478425">In reply to Usman:</a></em></blockquote><p>They were into X's probably before Elon Musk got the idea for an electric car, though. At least with ActiveX, DirectX, and XBox. I guess there's a resurgence of it in recent years, but it's not exactly anything new.</p>

  • bill_russell

    07 October, 2019 - 9:50 pm

    <p>Maybe it was just me but I thought windows 10 should have been called Windows One, since it was going to be the last and "universal" or whatever and fit in with Xbox One theme. </p><p>But I have had it up to here with X's and "pro" and "max" and whatever, same with Apple. </p>

    • boots

      10 October, 2019 - 11:35 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#478491">In reply to Bill_Russell:</a></em></blockquote><p>So we would have had Windows 1.0 and Windows One? What would be the point of that?</p>

      • Greg Green

        15 October, 2019 - 9:15 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#479721">In reply to Boots:</a></em></blockquote><p>One is numerical and the other is spelled out. Updates would be Windows One Point One, or Windows For Workgroups One Point One One, then later <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Windows For Workgroups One Point Eleven, which is clearly different. Since nothing is boxed anymore titles can be as long as 260 characters. /s</span></p>

  • saint4eva

    08 October, 2019 - 2:32 am

    <p>Is that the only complaint you have?</p>

  • irfaanwahid

    08 October, 2019 - 3:21 am

    <p>What does X signify anyway, asking out of curiosity??</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      08 October, 2019 - 7:58 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#478599">In reply to irfaanwahid:</a></em></blockquote><p>It was cool in 2001. :)</p>

      • Greg Green

        15 October, 2019 - 9:33 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#478654">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p>LOL! This is not your grandfather’s OS. It’s your dad’s. That’s as modern as we’re going to get.</p>

    • jrswarr

      Premium Member
      15 October, 2019 - 9:28 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#478599">In reply to irfaanwahid:</a></em></blockquote><p>X marks the spot….</p>

    • Jackwagon

      Premium Member
      21 October, 2019 - 5:39 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#478599">In reply to irfaanwahid:</a></em></blockquote><p>Technically, it can mean anything. Of course, it could be argued that something that can mean anything is effectively meaningless.</p>

  • Greg Green

    08 October, 2019 - 8:02 am

    <p>They could use Super, if nvidia hasn’t trademarked that. </p><p><br></p><p>Maybe marketing everywhere has lost its magic.</p>

  • Lordbaal

    14 October, 2019 - 6:26 pm

    <p>Every company is overusing it. </p>

  • Hifihedgehog

    15 October, 2019 - 10:35 am

    <p>Is it so X-tremely X-traordinary, though! You can keep your nasty A through W and Y and Z.</p>

  • harmjr

    Premium Member
    15 October, 2019 - 12:03 pm

    <p>I blame this solely on Apple and Microsoft's trying to mimic their older cooler brother.</p>

  • willr

    12 December, 2019 - 9:25 pm

    <p>I had to come back to this because Microsoft just announced that Scarlett will be named Series X… Xbox Series X… It's not funny anymore, Microsoft needs better people.</p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      13 December, 2019 - 2:54 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#497855">In reply to willr:</a></em></blockquote><p>Better than Microsoft Xbox 5 Series 2019 Datacenter Edition with Enhanced Tools for Workgroups.</p>

      • willr

        13 December, 2019 - 3:50 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#498080">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p>Hahaha true! </p>

    • Bdsrev

      13 December, 2019 - 3:53 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#497855">In reply to willr:</a></em></blockquote><p>A few weeks ago, my brother joked they were going to call it the Xbox X. Methinks Microsoft needs some new people naming their products before everything has an X in it lol</p>

  • beckoningeagle

    Premium Member
    13 December, 2019 - 3:09 pm

    <p>And it all started in the 90' when everything was Active.</p><p><br></p><p>Maybe they should name it Xbox .NET ForeFront Edition</p>

  • Alastair Cooper

    13 December, 2019 - 4:47 pm

    <p>Next year they could release a Surface Pro XP.</p>

  • ngc224

    13 December, 2019 - 5:49 pm

    <p>I think Microsoft will rename the Surface Duo as Surface Dos Equis, or maybe just Surface XX.</p>

  • Matt Kelly

    14 December, 2019 - 3:23 am

    <p>I’m waiting for the surface pro X S Max ? </p>

  • ghostrider

    15 December, 2019 - 9:39 am

    <p>Agree. The naming is just terrible. It's almost like every device now has to have an X in the name, but 'Xbox One Series X' is just embarrassingly, comically awful. Was 'Xbox Two' such a difficult thing for MS to grasp?</p><p>One thing we can be sure of for naming is that Sony's next console will be the PS5. Simple, logical, to the point. It should win the next generation console wars on name alone.</p><p>I'm not liking this new Xbox design either – it's just a black brick. Weird.</p>

  • rahuldas1

    16 December, 2019 - 7:24 am

    <p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.elexifyindustries.com/&quot; target="_blank">Elexify Industries</a> in Kolkata.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

  • StevenLayton

    16 December, 2019 - 7:39 am

    <p>Xbox 2020 X SP1 for consumers.</p><p><br></p><p>can I have the job?</p>

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