I am not sure if I have the term right for what I think Microsoft is doing – floating an idea that isn’t that good, to gain favor for a changed decision in the future.  It is sort of guerrilla marketing but maybe it is just a strong form of psychological marketing manipulation.

Here is the theory … Microsoft pre-announces (nothing really confirmed) their pre-Vista product marketing plan with 9 or so versions.  Nobody likes it, especially folks like John Dvorak.

Actually, you weren’t suppose to like it.  You are suppose to think it is stupid and a bad idea. That is part of the plan.

Come next Fall 2006 when Vista ships, Microsoft makes a "BIG" splash and says "we listened to everyone complaining about all the versions" so we just made one (with two/three vertical solutions).

It is either that (they are brilliant), or their marketing/sales team with 9 product SKUs are really in the need of some reality juice, because that currently floated idea stinks IMHO.

Only time will tell … speaking of predictions … my Apple video iPod prediction from 8/3/05 based on Engadget data was correct.  Not a hard prediction though, and that probably makes me 1/100. 🙂