June 14th, 2005
Siemen's tosses pebble in front of Microsoft's media juggernaut
News.com has a story about how Siemens is looking to derail Microsoft’s chances of dominating the IPTV business. The story refers to some implementation issues that Microsoft is running into and implies that the window may have been propped open for a competitor like Siemens to dive in with something that works. As the acronym implies, IPTV is about the delivery of broadcast quality television like programming over IP-based networks such as the Internet. Microsoft’s IPTV plans make up a small part of the company’s larger, all encompassing digital media strategy that I’ve been writing about. Despite Siemens’ plans, at least one analyst agrees that the Microsoft media juggernaut will be difficult if not impossible to stop. Said Adi Kishore, an analyst with The Yankee Group, "It’s Microsoft’s game to lose. It would be difficult for Siemens to break into the North American market, but if Microsoft really screws up, it could allow someone else in the door."
