Updated

We all have our pet peeves.

Mine is being late. I hate being late. I hate people who are late. I think it's rude.

It's so bad, I've gotten to lie about movie times with my wife, because she doesn't share this obsession. Quite the opposite, she thinks I'm nuts.

My big issue with this issue is this: if you're late, you miss the boat.  If you miss the boat, you miss the ride.  If you miss the ride, you miss your chance.  And, I'm not talking quiet chat time over buttered popcorn before a movie starts.

That's why I think Microsoft's in some trouble. The company admitted today that it's going to be late releasing its much vaulted Windows XP product. About two months late, to be exact.

No big deal, the company says.  Very big deal, I say and here's why.

The company is going to miss a lot of back-to-school buyers, who might have been waiting to buy PC's pre-loaded with the software.  And it's going to have a hard time seeing holiday shoppers getting it in time as well.

And all because Microsoft's a little late.  Trust me, it's not a little problem.

And not for a company that has done better than most technology companies this year, precisely because people were upbeat on what it had to offer.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm sure the finished product might even be worth the wait.  The only problem is that the wait, might not be worth the gain.

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