Microsoft campaign to target aging workforce
[2 February 2004 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer] Has the print on your computer screen gotten too small? Is that auto-alert you've set up too faint? Can't find your cursor? Hey there, Microsoft says, maybe it's not the technology troubling you, but the inevitable signs of aging. Today, Microsoft will unveil a marketing campaign aimed at older workers. The technology it's touting, such as text magnification, speech recognition and filter keys, already exist in Microsoft products, and was developed mainly for disabled users. But with the U.S. work force getting older, Microsoft figures more people are finding their computer has become 'awkward.' Matt Rosoff, an analyst with the independent research firm Directions on Microsoft, said the campaign is a good way for the company to try to get more use out of products it's already spent money developing. Other software companies, such as ScanSoft and DataHand, also offer products aimed at making computers more accessible. But in general, there aren't many companies focusing on computing and the aging workforce yet, said Jim Emerman, chief operating officer with the American Society on Aging in San Francisco. For the most part, Rosoff said Microsoft -- like most technology companies -- gears its products toward people in their 20s, 30s and 40s.