If Microsoft Spends $7bn on R&D, Why Am I Not Using More New Microsoft Stuff?

The DSBPI tech analyst emptied his pockets at the airport the other day before going through security. Out came: a Blackberry, an iPod and an M-Systems 512kb Disk-On-Key. No windows-based laptop. He was flying to New York to meet some friends, 90% of whom have iPods. One hundred percent of whom have digital cameras, and use tools like Google's Picasa or Kodak's Ofoto to organize their photos. None has a Microsoft smart phone, but Treos and Nokias abound. They all use Gmail. They use LinkedIn. None run PocketPC anymore although many tried it. Some have TiVo.

It's not that Microsoft">Microsoft needs to own every piece of consumer technology, but with $7bn in R&D spend, why - outside of the desktop - doesn't new Microsoft tech show up at all among DSBPI subscribers?

We know that Microsoft has amazing things in the works: we read Channel 9 and we love the idea of the Tablet PC. But we simply wonder: why aren't we using more new Microsoft stuff? We hope the answer isn't: "Just wait."