The hype meter is almost off the scale regarding the still mysterious Origami Project. So much so that Scoble, who let the cat out of the bag in the first place, is trying to ratchet back expectations. I have to agree that nothing ever lives up to the hype, which is the problem with any sort of viral marketing campaign approach. They quickly get out of control, no matter how much they spread.
But that's somewhat tangential to this post. The other problem is it allows naysayers to take pot shots from the sidelines. While the rule of thumb is that all PR is good PR, when the pot-shotters start aiming off-center, it can get a little silly, if not wrong. Microsoft Watch maven, Mary Jo Foley not only missed the target with her recent post on the subject, but dishes out confusing, and thus bad ,info.
"With Microsoft expected to kill the Tablet edition of Windows, as of Vista, it's an odd time for Redmond to be touting the Tablet, yet again. Maybe Microsoft will christen the new device the "UnTablet"?
She's right to a degree. There won't be a separate Tablet PC Edition SKU. Let's see, that's been news for about a small eternity now, as she so diligently points out in this post trumpeting the new versions of Vista. It won't be needed when Tablet PC functionality becomes intertwined with the OS, like Media Center, once Vista debuts. But the post I quoted above, just points up her anti-Tablet PC bias and proves that she's missing the boat yet again. We're headed to a day when Tablet PCs, whatever they will be called, will be more integrated than ever into the Mobile lifestyle. That's the story, but I don't think you'll find it anywhere on Microsoft Watch. Mary Jo's potshot is just silly and uninformed and diminishes her credibility. She would have missed Harry Whittington and the bird.
If she wants to take pot shots, aim them in the right direction at the hype-hoppers and the marketers. They're the ones who continually muddy the picture and leave openings for this kind of nonsense.
By the way, if you want to read some real reporting on the viral Origami thing, check out Mr. Bishop's article in the Seattle PI.
