I just came across some photos by Niall Kennedy, taken at the introduction of Microsoft’s latest money-making monstrosity, Microsoft Live. Just what I want, ads in my word processor. I don’t want to waste any more breath commenting on the product; it’s the presentation that interests me. Or appalls me, to be more accurate.
How can the most successful technology company in history, run by the richest man in the universe, stand in front of the world with such incredibly lame slides in their presentation? They look like something put together by a high school kid who just discovered clip art and shaded backgrounds.
Is it just me? You be the judge
Here’s one of Bill’s slides…
and another…
Makes me want to scream! Geez…the two headings aren’t even lined up vertically!
And what the hell are those four double-headed-arrow things?
For contrast, here’s one of Steve’s slides from a few years back (his current images are even better, but couldn’t find any good shots of those)
Here’s a link to all of Niall’s photos. Be warned, they are not for the faint of heart (or anyone with any aesthetic sense.)
I know I’m a few months late but…
Apple slides are text book great slides. Very simple, clean, good colour etc. A brilliant example would be a sales figures pie chart (i.e. iPod market share). I don’t have one, but they are fantastic. The MS slides I have seen are just awful. Far too cluttered and loaded.
As for the 3rd world angle, wow! I would say that MS have prevented cheap PCs rather that helping, of coures Apple computers are more expensive. That’s their market.
p.s. great site!
nobodysir – there are differnt kinds of genius! You’re right about geek-genius not being the ones who should be desinging slides; to them it’s actually ABOUT getting as much functionality into as small a box as possible. The more my box (phone, PDA, computer, whatever) does the better.
But a presentation isn’t a gadget. A presentation should be designed by a genius at designing presentations… like whoever designs the Apple ones.
We’re a presentation skills training company and we design for people who really (REALLY) shouldn’t be designing for themselves. The downside is that it takes longer to design the presentation, of course, because we need to work on the style/presentation AND know about the product. However, one rule of thumb we use is that if the geek can’t explain to us what he’s trying to put into the presentation well enough for us to understand him it’s an absolute cinch that it’s the right thing to do for him not to be presenting….
…. and I’m only half joking here!
Simon