Sidekick Disaster: A Sign of Things to Come?
By Harry McCracken | Monday, October 12, 2009 at 9:19 am
There’s no new news this Monday morning on Microsoft’s apparent loss of vast quantities of data belonging to users of T-Mobile Sidekick phones–T-Mobile’s most recent missive to customers is still the apologetic forum message telling them not to power down their Sidekicks if they can possibly avoid it. You gotta think there’s more pain to come–for Sidekick owners who have lost photos, address books, and other data, and for T-Mobile and Sidekick, who may end up with permanently tarnished reputations.
I’m still scratching my head and trying to think of any remotely comparable examples of large companies simply losing huge amounts of essential customer information, and I’m coming up short. (The closest parallel–instances of companies leaving customers in the lurch by intentionally shutting down services-isn’t really comparable.)
This incident may be unique, at least for the moment. But do you think it’s an early warning sign of danger to come as we all live more and more of our lives on the Web?
2 Comments
Read more:
2 Comments For This Post
October 12th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
The excusifying for Microsoft is PATHETIC. The people who took this poll are not technologically savvy at all. Backing up data is JOB #1. Danger was able to do this for years when they were a small independent company. Their user’s data was Microsoft’s #1 responsibility when they bought Danger.
This is NOT an indictment of cloud data storage per se, which is successful when Google and Apple and others do it, and which is typically safer than most user’s local storage, it is an example of the ongoing technical crisis at Microsoft. Count the firsts in the 21st century alone: first user data loss, first botnets, first failed-to-ship OS with Windows 2004, first failed to be adopted OS in Windows Vista, the first OS ever released that cannot in-place upgrade 80% of it’s own platform in Windows 7, requiring billions of extra I-T hours, and the price of Windows Vista and 7 is 80% of the average price of a retail PC. Not to mention Windows Mobile which after over 10 years of development is unarguably 3-5 years behind even Palm’s brand-new mobile OS. IE6 from 2001 is still their most popular browser, and IE8 is literally half the speed of any other browser, and IE8 can’t run the modern Web. The IE in Windows Mobile 7 and Zune HD cannot run the millions of mobile-oriented websites made for iPhone over the past few years even though those sites are built to open standards, not iPhone API’s. In fact, IE Mobile cannot view the majority of the Web.
In this atmosphere, to say that a Microsoft failure in cloud computing is an indictment of cloud computing is just more excusifying. Hold Microsoft to the same standard as everyone else. Harry cannot find another company who has been this inept with user data. The pattern is Microsoft failures and ignorant Microsoft users who continue to rationalize whatever falls out of the hind end of Bill Gates’ company.
January 10th, 2011 at 1:22 am
I loved what exactly youve done below. a layout is elegant, your articles material classy. Yet, youve obtained an edginess to what youre providing the adhering to. Ill definitely arrive spine for additional should everyone preserve this up. Dont clear away wish if not as well a good number of men and women see your vision, know youve gained a fan right right here who values what youve obtained to speak about plus the way youve presented yourself. Fine on anyone!