Soapbox: Microsoft’s Poor Imitation YouTube

Microsoft has decided to keep up their policy of having a finger in every pie, and have launched a beta version of Soapbox, a new online video-sharing service.

The rapid rise of YouTube has turned a few heads, and seems to have unleashed the MS green-eyed monster.

The idea of anyone having a product or service that Microsoft doesn’t have a rival for is apparently an alien concept to the MS Boffins.

Identify a growth area 6 months after the competition, throw money at creating a poor imitation MS version or just buy the competition, seems to be the reoccurring theme.

YouTube may feel flattered at Microsoft deciding them worthy of it’s attention, but shouldn’t be too worried at the competition.

” Soapbox is exactly what you’d expect from a Microsoft service — late to market, imitative and uninspired. “

A sharing service is only ever as good as it’s content, so the crunch will be how many users Soapbox will be able to attract since it appears to not offer anything new.

Time will tell, but this could be another expensive MS misadventure, that will do little to the competition and even less for the hollow MSN empire.

~ TranceFixed

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