Click image for full-sized version

Summary: Microsoft's rapid decline continues unabated now that few products appear and many gradually disappear

MICROSOFT FELL sharply in 2008 and in 2009 when it comes to ladders of brands. Many independent ladders showed the same thing and we covered them in this Web site at the time. The company of fake hype is doing pretty well at those, partly due to advertising. Here is how it's put in the Microsoft-obedient Seattle P-I:

The latest Apple commercials are great examples of a company that places itself and its reputation at the center of its communications. They present themselves and their chief competitor, Microsoft, literally as people. The Apple person is likeable and the sort of person you might want to hang out with; friendly, confident, cool and relaxed. The Microsoft person is less impressive. He's nervous, defensive and gives the impression he'd rather not be there at all.

Yes, and this is apparently what sells computers in some parts of the world. But anyway, the more important news is that Microsoft's brand continues diving down the ranks. From the Seattle P-I:

Other Seattle companies weren't so lucky. Microsoft dropped from No. 38 to 51 and Adobe Systems fell from No. 11 to No. 42. Starbucks nearly fell off the list, plummeting 69 spots to No. 93 due to layoffs that cut 30,000 employees worldwide.

It is not the only tumble that Microsoft took in the past fortnight. Other examples include:

• Microsoft Shares Briefly Sink After Hours On Erroneous Trade



• Wall Street Ends Mostly Higher On Economic Optimism, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Drops



• Wall Street Tumbles On Worries Over Obama Bank Plan, AMD (NYSE: AMD) Sinks

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) lost $2 or 3.90% to $49.29. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) slid $1.05 or 3.50% to $28.96.

Microsoft will report its results for the quarter late on Thursday (market close). What Microsoft will do is hide the troubling figures and put emphasis on an unrealistic comparison such as sales of Windows Vista on a quarter when people had already given up on it versus Vista 7 sales upon launch. The mainstream press, which is rarely curious or bold enough to actually investigate this, will just parrot the words of Microsoft. It will be so hilariously foolish. ⬆