There is something very peculiar that some big tech companies do.
M$ hasn’t come out into the open about it … yet!

Does it?
Doesn’t it?

Guess before you click …


Microsoft acquires Lookout Soft. ActiveViews. Virtual PC. Placeware. Rare. NCompass Labs. Great Plains. WebTV. (plus few others, read here and here)

The real milestones:

  • First company M$ acquired: Maker of this little program called powerpoint!!! 1987
  • Microsoft acquired Hotmail!!! 1997

So now the big questions is, like Lucent, Cisco and IBM, will it actually go on a huge acquiring spree in 2005 ?

My take:
It will NOT

Reasons:

  • If M$ was aiming for a shopping spree, it wouldn’t have used up it’s cash hoard to pay a dividend.
  • There are no real new technologies that affect M$ right now.
    Linux is an OS, as were *nix, Solaris, Mac, BeOS or OS/2. Why acquire, when it’s cheaper to design/develop.
  • It truly has a good grasp of technologies in the short to medium term.
    You don’t go on a shopping spree for long-term strategy. Too risky/messy.
    Though, you can always throw a few mobile software and gaming companies into the cart.
  • Unfortunately, Google’s IPO looks still-born. Too much hype. Too little activity.
    (Read wsj?! Today, page D1. Or Personal Journal, for ppl who can’t read the paper-paper.)
    Even if the IPO pace picks up, G! and Y! will take care of each other for now.
  • With a target of 3000 patents next year, looks like research.microsoft.com is really hot right now.

What M$ will look to acquire:
A decent mobile software house. To aid Pocket PC Smartphone sales.
Decent game developers. To brighten up the financials for this industry, and maintain XBox sales.
Something to aid MSN and Passport … too bad Paypal’s taken.

This list of “can-acquire” is too short to call it a buying spree … !

Am I missing any important technologies?

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