A Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates that Microsoft is seen as cooler than it was before.
The poll, which surveyed 853 people between the ages of 18 and 29, asked if the software company is cooler than it was a year or two ago. Half responded that it is.
Although 50 percent may seem a modest margin, Microsoft still outperformed Twitter and Facebook, whose coolness quotient also was questioned. Forty-seven percent said that Twitter is cooler than before, while 42 percent said the same of Facebook.
The poll comes as good news for Microsoft, which is often criticized for failing to be innovative in its approach to products that appeal to those who are most social media- and mobile-savvy. However, the poll has an ambiguous element that makes its findings difficult to assess.
The poll "definitely shows that Microsoft's efforts are paying off, but we'll have to see how cool translates into customers," Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg told Reuters. "It's also hard to compare 'cool' factor as a quantitative measure against Apple, a company, and Android, a platform."
This recent boost in Microsoft's perception might be attributed to heavy, strategic marketing of the company's surface tablets, as well as the success of Xbox "Kinect."
Twenty-four-year-old media arts student Josh Johnson says he is impressed with Microsoft's efforts to reach consumers through Windows 8. "It's more customizable, and not as rigid as an Apple phone, where you have to buy all the products from Apple," he says. "If you want a ringtone, you don't have to pay iTunes. I know Apple is the cool, hip brand right now, but if Microsoft keeps coming out with new tech I'm sure it'll be back soon."
Microsoft remains dominant in the PC market but seldom receives accolades for being cutting-edge. It has failed to do well with gadgets and trails behind Apple in the tablet market as well as behind Google and Apple in the smartphone market.
The poll nevertheless indicates consumers' views of Microsoft may be starting to change.
