Good times, bad times

Who had a cracker, and who was just cream-crackered, in the channel last week

GOOD TIMES

Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 may have reached its end-of-life date last week, but it was still good times for the outgoing software, as Microsoft partner Databarracks tried to give it a stellar send-off.

The VAR marked the occasion by sending a copy of the product into space by attaching it to a balloon and launching it into the stratosphere. Working alongside the company was the University of Surrey's Electronics and Amateur Radio Society, which helped to film the intrepid disk's journey to 100,000 feet.

"There's almost a feeling of nostalgia when we think about Server 2003 reaching end of life," sniffed Databarracks MD Peter Groucutt.
This has made us a bit sentimental about 2003, too. Has it really been 12 years since t.A.T.u. topped the charts with All The Things She Said?

Apple Pay

Apple Pay's UK launch may have divided opinion (mostly between ‘meh' and ‘Apple what?'), but the good news for the fruity vendor is that one analyst has predicted it will become the "de facto standard in payments".

Ernest Doku, full-time techspert at comparison site uSwitch, concludes that Apple Pay is much safer for consumers than "using cards and cash in your wallet".

Presumably because no one ever invited the attention of thieves by blithely waggling around their shiny new tablet or smartphone.

IBM

Big Blue garnered a rare nugget of praise from one of its partners last week as it was singled out for doing the best job of supporting resellers as they transform into MSPs.

According to Neil Cross, managing director of Advanced 365, hardware vendors have struggled to adjust their mindset for a world where partners are increasingly buying kit to install in their own datacentres, rather than selling it to end users.

"IBM have done the best job to date of getting this right and that is borne out in how they have re-invented themselves in the past 12 months," Cross said.

Soothing words indeed for a vendor that has been roundly savaged by employees, shareholders, resellers and analysts alike in recent years.

BAD TIMES

Yellowfin

BI vendor Yellowfin suffered the non-tennis equivalent of a double bagel last week after its analytics engine selected the wrong Wimbledon winner.

Perhaps swept up by the hysteria of men's semi-finals day, Yellowfin issued a press release on the final Friday of Wimbledon predicting a Roger Federer victory. "All indicators" pointed to an eighth title for the Swiss racquet swisher, Yellowfin said, citing the tennis legend's lesser time on court, lower ratio of winners to unforced errors and point-win ratio.

Alas, the vendor double-faulted with its prediction as Novak Djokovic comfortably beat its man in the final. Which goes to show that maybe BI vendors should stick to business - and leave the tennis punditry to John McEnroe.

The tech sector

Gorgeous George's sixth Budget was branded a Marmite one for the channel, with some labelling it the "most non-tech ever".
Productivity was one of many buzzwords as the chancellor unveiled plans to help businesses employ more staff and invest in the next generation.
But UKFast chief executive Lawrence Jones argued it "steered clear of all things tech and digital today".

"It's all well and good talking about improving transport, but we're increasingly depending on the internet for business communication," he roared.

CRN tried to reach Jones for further comment, but our internet connection was down.

Surface Hub

Anyone desperate to get their mitts on Microsoft's new videoconferencing product received bad news this week, as the vendor admitted it will not begin shipping the kit on the scheduled 1 September start date.

In a blog post, Microsoft Surface queso grande Brian Hall indicated that the vendor had received more interest than anticipated after it began taking pre-orders on 1 July.

"We are adjusting our product rollout schedule to ensure we deliver a great customer experience and set our partners up for success," he muttered.
Sure thing, Bri - nothing says ‘great customer experience' like telling people you've no idea when they'll get something they ordered weeks ago.