yum!
“I’d assume that Buffet’s thought process - correct in my opinion - is that having a fancy website won’t get him anything, and will only cost him money to create and maintain.
Unlike most companies, Warren Buffet doesn’t care if you buy his stock. The last close of BRK.A is at $99,000 and has an average volume of about 800 - meaning that if you hold that stock, you’re almost certainly an institutional investor who’s in it for the long run, and who know perfectly well what the company is like. For similar reasons, he doesn’t need to project any images of modernity or customer-friendliness, if for no other reason than BRK has no real customers.
Most companies make fancy web pages to appeal to customers and inform them, to project a positive image for investors, or to provide a service. All Berkshire’s web page is there for is to distribute some documents, most of which are updated annually or so. Hence no need for something fancy.”
“This is what capitalism is supposed to be about.
Profits, not mountains of debt. secure jobs, no govt. bailouts, etc. etc. old school.
Buffet will be studied for generations to come.”
“I don’t think it’s anything to do with being frugal. Buffet said many times during the dot-com boom that he wouldn’t touch a tech stock with a 10 ft. pole owing to the fact that he had no clue what any of them did. When the bubble burst he had one of his best years ever by investing in brick and paint companies, IIRC.
So, it’s not that he won’t spring for a post-1992 web site because he’s cheap. It’s because he couldn’t care less about the internet. He doesn’t even have a computer. In a way I’m shocked that berkshirehathaway.com even exists. I assume they bought it to keep some idiot from hocking Viagra under that name.
To me, the world’s richest man completely ignoring something to which many of us here devote our lives is a great reminder of the whole other physical world out there which will always be equally, if not more, as important as tech. Microblogging, blah blah will come and go, but people will always need to build brick walls and paint them.”
“The page gives all the information they want to share. Adding fancy stuff or Warren’s pictures do not add any value. They follow similar philosophy at Berkshire’s world headquarters where they have just about 20 odd people and Warren doesn’t use a computer or even a calculator. World would be so different if we all could get by with only stuff that adds value to our lives.”
Original thread here.
yum!
Progressive presentation
Recently I’ve been interested in Microsoft’s foray into the retail world. Having a place where one can go and check out all of Microsoft’s products sounded pretty neat. I’ve previously written about recent Microsoft and I believe that retail stores are a step in the right direction. Showcasing the spectrum of devices and services that are under the Microsoft umbrella, while allowing consumers to have a hands on experience is just that thing Microsoft needs as they go forward in todays consumer marketplace.
When I read that they are opening one of their new stores in Mission Viejo, I decided to go check it out. My first impression was that Microsoft basically picked the perfect mall and a great spot for their first retail store. If Microsoft is setting up this store as an experiment (which they are), they certainly did their homework. Demographically and geographically, southern Orange County (where I currently live) is a great area for a Microsoft store.
I also got to chat with a lady that works at the kiosk thats 7 feet from where Microsoft is opening the store and she filled me in on some details.
From the looks of it, there is a lot of curiosity surrounding the opening of this store. People would stop and check out the logos they are familiar with. About eight stores down was an Apple store with quite a bit of activity happening, so it will be interesting to see how this works out, as it will certainly provide shoppers with a technological contrast. Right now, I’m more into the Microsoft store because I’m pretty stoked about the Zune HD and the Xbox 360.
The timing of the opening of this store is fairly on key. Windows 7 is dropping in October, the Zune HD supposedly in September, so I would expect the store to have Windows 7 and the Zune HD on full blast.
Looking at that logo kinda reminds me of that Windows 95 throwback ad.
What about Bing and Office 2010? Well, I’m not too sure about Bing (maybe computers set up with bing.com on them and Bing specialists on deck?), but It will be interesting to see how they integrate Office into the retail experience and leverage the Office online functionality, possibly in a ground level attempt to fight back the Google app attack.
Ultimately, I think the Microsoft store will offer a unique and compelling retail experience. Currently, the buzz is considerable and having seen things first hand, I can assure you that the Mission Viejo store will be hit.
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