Fine, they are "undead" products. I reiterate that the consumer is aware of them as failed experiments, not as "subtle redirections forming the core of a new flagship product".

I don't know how many google searches you want me to provide you with. Here is the top result for [Microsoft brand]. Admittedly it is from 2010. However, it is not an isolated example.

"Microsoft is a dying consumer brand"

http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/27/technology/microsoft_pdc/ind...

Consumers have turned their backs on Microsoft. A company that once symbolized the future is now living in the past.

Microsoft has been late to the game in crucial modern technologies like mobile, search, media, gaming and tablets. It has even fallen behind in Web browsing, a market it once ruled with an iron fist.

Here's something from a few days ago reinforcing my position.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/microsofts-branding-crisi...