I'm afraid my perspective on Microsoft
In following, you also gain the benefit of the leaders' experience, without the costs of blazing a trail. The strategy is so successful that it's being emulated elsewhere. Consider the trend among pharmaceutical giants like Microsoft's fellow Motley Fool Inside Value selection Pfizer
Even "free" software like the OpenOffice project launched by Sun Microsystems
As for Microsoft losing money on Xbox, so what? Loss leaders have been a staple of the grocery industry for decades. Kroger
Microsoft is still doing what it does best, even if its fastest growth is behind it.
Want to find other beaten-down giants whose prices are simply too low to let pass? Other former rapid growth stories whose shares have been mistakenly left for dead? Click here to start your free trial to Inside Value and learn how you can profit from such a fall from grace. Subscribe today, and you'll receive Stocks 2006: The Fool's Guide to the Investing Year Ahead, free.
Wait! You're not done. This is just a quarter of the Duel! Don't miss the Bull and Bear opening arguments and the Bear rebuttal. Even when you're done, you're still not done. You can vote and let us know who you think won this Duel.
At the time of publication, Fool contributor and Inside Value team member Chuck Saletta owned shares of Microsoft. At the time of publication, his wife owned shares of Kroger. The Fool has a disclosure policy.