The Xbox One For Small Businesses

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It looks like Microsoft is trying to pitch the Xbox One to small businesses. While I think the Xbox One will definitely appeal to adults that want more than a gaming machine, I'm not so sure on the small business angle. What do you think?

One of the Xbox One's most appealing corporate features is Skype integration, Lyons argues. He says that its Skype feature, combined with multiperson chatting and 1080p video through the Kinect, can be a good tool for companies looking to hold conferences. And because Xbox One supports SkyDrive, companies can access the files they save in the company's cloud-based storage directly from the console.
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Slap a Keyboard and Mouse on there, let me run Linux on it and then I would be all over a... Very... Expensive... Workstation...

Never mind.
 
I think MS would really like to push Windows PCs and the PC-like Xbone into new uses, but all of those things can be done on a standard PC, possibly for less money than it costs for the Xbone. Sub-$500 desktops aren't difficult to find.
 
I could see it... if it supports playing all sorts of junk and interface easily with computer presentations etc etc etc.

Though the marketing to make from personal games/entertainment device to small business use would be tough and MS isn't know for their excellent and successful marketing.
 
Actually, if they can effectively market this aspect it is not a bad proposition ... video conference rooms are currently fairly cumbersome to set up and maintain ... if the XBox is easy to configure and fairly reliable it might be a cheap and dirty way to set up video conference rooms ... since our office just reconfigured the cubicles so there are lots of people in very close proximity the noise levels prevent easy conferencing from the desk ... it will be interesting to see how this works for them
 
Another reason why people should keep a mile from the Xbox One.

Slower, more expensive and now for your mom's and dad's.

Oh, and new Xbox One games are now $79 each. This information will be announced soon.
 
SixFootDuo said:
Another reason why people should keep a mile from the Xbox One.

Slower, more expensive and now for your mom's and dad's.

Oh, and new Xbox One games are now $79 each. This information will be announced soon.
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Did you come up with that load of horseshit by yourself or did you have help? :rolleyes:
 
face2palm said:
Did you come up with that load of horseshit by yourself or did you have help? :rolleyes:
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I was thinking the same thing.... The only way Xbox One increases their prices is if Sony/MS agree via backdoor agreement to both increase the prices at the same time; ala price-fixing.
 
Yes, it's definitely doable. The Skype and other stuff. But, I wouldn't use that as a selling point to businesses. It's becoming less of a gaming machine these days. I WANT a gaming machine. The PS4 is a gaming machine with a few other things. It's MAIN USE it a gaming console. That's the #1 focus. The Xbox One isn't.

Small business, home office, I can see them being used. Anything larger than that, and they are using an Xbox for video conferencing? I wouldn't take them seriously if I saw that. But, if you have one at home, by all means use it for that purpose.

Good feature, but I sure wouldn't be pitching it to businesses.
 
After boning small businesses with Windows 8, MSFT is going to bone them with the xBox One? LOL.
 
pcjunkie said:
I think MS just went full retard.
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QFT. Skype alone does not make the Xbox One useful for small or large businesses. Nor does SkyDrive. You'd have to throw in Office 2k13, mouse and keyboard is some kind of 'Xbox One Business' package for ~$650? and then you'd have a fairly poor but still somewhat reasonable deal going.
 
Spidey329 said:
Yeah ... as opposed to a $150 PC with a $25 HD webcam?
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this is all i can think of. who would buy a $500 box that does very little of what you want when you can just get a thin client that does all the same stuff plus a lot more for way way way less money? skype is a selling point? skype works on windows, linux, osx, ios, and android, so how is that a selling point? that's like saying that it powering on is a selling point.
 
If they incorporated a cheap whiteboard (digital chalkboard) into it and had enough resolution to tell who is talking, maybe.

But here you are, trying to impress a big customer when the Red Ring of Death comes up. :D
 
Does common video conferencing equipment require active licensing or subscription fees to operate as would the Xbox One likely require?
 
If you want to fire the person to the left of you at the conference table:

UP
UP
DOWN
DOWN
UP
UP
L
R
LLL

(note, to fire the person on the right, it's RRR)
 
Maybe MS needs to push Windows 8 more and make that it selling point , small business needs it because it has windows 8 the best MS has to offer Operating System wise.
 
LOL.

I don't know to many business using skype. But I know lots that have polycom and lync. MS offers Lync online how come they didn't integrate that?
 
Pieter3dnow said:
Maybe MS needs to push Windows 8 more and make that it selling point , small business needs it because it has windows 8 the best MS has to offer Operating System wise.
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BAHAHAHA.. Windows 8 is the best they can offer.. No. No.. Windows 7 is the best they can offer to a SMB.
 
Productivity is where it's at.

The more work you get done per hour = the more successful the company is, and the more workers it will need to hire for the increased production.

Win8 offers nothing for productivity. IT'S A FOOKIN' OPERATING SYSTEM, not an application.
 
Jack of all trades - master of none.

I use to be a sucker for those convertable jackets. A shell over an insulated lining. Take out the lining and you winter jacket became a rain jacket. Never worked right. The winter mode was too tight or the rain mode was too loose. I had to make that mistake 3 times before I woke up. Fortunately I kept growing a bit and the winter jackets became rain jackets in later years so I still got some use out of them.
 
Pieter3dnow said:
Maybe MS needs to push Windows 8 more and make that it selling point , small business needs it because it has windows 8 the best MS has to offer Operating System wise.
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No, for small business (enterprise), Windows 7 is by far the best.
Windows 8 is so not ready for any enterprise that it hurts.

It'll be years before Win 8 is finally adopted en mass in that type of environment.
Whatever, Microsoft is doing what Apple did in 2009, moving completely away from enterprise and going for consumer/home-based media consumption products and devices.

The Surface and Windows 8 are evidence enough of that.
As for the XBone as a potential enterprise device, yeah, no, that will never happen.

Would be great to be in the middle of a critical video conference and have a RROD.
XBone doesn't feature any hardware designed for embedded or industrial use, and for $400, that price is ridiculous for just Skype when a system running similar components for a 1/4 of the cost could do the exact same.

Keep trying Microsoft, because this is pure entertainment! :D
 
One of the Xbox One's most appealing corporate features is Skype integration, Lyons argues. He says that its Skype feature, combined with multiperson chatting and 1080p video through the Kinect, can be a good tool for companies looking to hold conferences. And because Xbox One supports SkyDrive, companies can access the files they save in the company's cloud-based storage directly from the console.
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You mean the same SkyDrive and Skype that MS gave the NSA access to on a whim? Yeah, I can see companies jumping in for that!


http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/11/microsoft-reportedly-eased-nsa-access-to-outlook/
 
Would be nice if they sold Kinect and all its software for a decent price for these uses. At first it seems crazy but do most of you have any idea how outrageously expensive a lot of the video conferencing junk companies and universities buy is? And the there is no way Xbone could work worse than that cisco junk.
 
rudy said:
Would be nice if they sold Kinect and all its software for a decent price for these uses. At first it seems crazy but do most of you have any idea how outrageously expensive a lot of the video conferencing junk companies and universities buy is? And the there is no way Xbone could work worse than that cisco junk.
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I guess you never used pure software teleconferencing. Cisco ain't junk its just really overpriced hardware.. Polycom is ten times worse.
 
I...what? No. Never. I would never deploy an xbox one, even if I had an unlimited budget. The article mentions nothing of Surface->xbone integration (like iPad->Apple TV airplay integration)...I'm sure it's there, but the Apple TV is ~$99. iPads are basically on par/cheaper than a Surface.

Go home, Microsoft. You're drunk.
 
Maybe they never heard of a cheap laptop for 250.00 dollars or so with built in webcam and is a actual computer ! This is about as stupid as what NVidia did making that hand held game console.
 
A laptop would suck, you'd have to put it at the front of the meeting room, make sure the camera can pick up everyone, get a wireless KB and Mouse etc. So being able to use hand gestures and voice doesn't sound so bad for that.

I'm talking actual meeting rooms, not some guy sitting up close with a camera aimed from below to just his face, I'd block that so fast.
 
rudy said:
Would be nice if they sold Kinect and all its software for a decent price for these uses. At first it seems crazy but do most of you have any idea how outrageously expensive a lot of the video conferencing junk companies and universities buy is? And the there is no way Xbone could work worse than that cisco junk.
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They sell the current kinect by itself and said the new one will be sold for the computer as well.

yelsewshane said:
Maybe they never heard of a cheap laptop for 250.00 dollars or so with built in webcam and is a actual computer ! This is about as stupid as what NVidia did making that hand held game console.
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Businesses want a plug in device that works in most cases. Not some cheap laptop that has to be delt with. They want a quality system that sits on top of the tv in the conference room. Generally they tie into the voip system but still. Understand though that business grade stuff is expensive. It can cost thousands per system for the hardware.

With this in mind the xbox one could be a cost effective option, even with the services cost on it. If you look at the license cost for adding video to many voip systems it can add up quick.

The other thing to remember is that business products generally can be sold with better margins as business' want support contracts on gear. If MS can repurpose stuff for another market why not?
 
pxc said:
Sub-$500 desktops aren't difficult to find.
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Not to mention quite good. Given the choice between a business buying an Xbox One and, say, an Intel NUC, for significantly less money...that's a total no-brainer.
 
Brilliant, just what every company needs. Microsoft's new consumer advertising platform in the boardroom too with the mandatory spycam collecting engagement and usage metrics.. "Lets see , people didn't like when the power point slideshow was interrupted by the mandatory Bing or Ford ad, let's get this over to the ribbon lady at HQ and await further instruction"
 
Well, it's official: the console is the PC and the PC is the console. If Microsoft markets it this way then it is so. They are now creating a product that is competing with their own Windows. This is a way for them to cut their losses on the shitty closed system Windows RT OS and replace it with an even more closed ecosystem - the XBOX one. Now that the XBox One OS is competing with Windows 8 it harks the beginning for the desktop OS for the masses.
 
I'd like to see the IT director's proposal that gets approval for the purchase of game consoles. :)
 
Ehren8879 said:
I'd like to see the IT director's proposal that gets approval for the purchase of game consoles. :)
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Anything with a metro interface I won't approve it period. Our business isn't a vehicle for MS to pursue its Apple and Google envy.
 
DPI said:
Anything with a metro interface I won't approve it period. Our business isn't a vehicle for MS to pursue its Apple and Google envy.
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This race for control of your data through control is going to turn around and bit MS in the ass.
 
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