Cusumano said Microsoft should focus more on improving the Windows operating system itself than on adding extra programs. If Microsoft could fix Windows’ security problems and make it “the best in class — no questions asked,” the company would have people lining up to buy the operating system and upgrade to the improved version, he said.
Considering that Microsoft makes most of its money on Windows and loses money in many other areas, such a strategy makes even more sense, Cusumano said.
But do the risks of losing share loom large enough to make the investment? This is a case of the best being the enemy of the good: the cost of fixing it all, even if they can, may outweigh any new revenue, either from upgrades, new purchases, or switchers.