Ballmer Reminds Us Of The Difference Between Apple & Microsoft. Again.
Monday, August 2, 2010 at 6:04AM 
Photo: APSure, we've been harumpfing over the iPhone 4 issues, and we still hear about app approval issues from time to time, but leave to it to Steve Ballmer to remind us what makes Apple different.
Last week, Ballmer speaking to analysts, left his thoughts be known on the success of the iPad. Addressing the number of iPads sold, Ballmer said Apple had “sold certainly more than I’d like them to have sold.” Additionally, he added a jab at the inability to print from the iPad natively.
Let's remember he's speaking of a hypothetical iPad killer, as there's no shipping Windows 7 pad, despite Ballmer touting essentially the same strategy at CES back in January. Ballmer reiterated Microsoft's vision for the future, and that vision is simply trying to take down Apple.
Sure back in the day, Apple staked its future on "beating" Microsoft, but they did it by laying out a compelling alternative. That alternative was something consumers and employees could get behind. I doubt the talented people in the trenches at Microsoft came to Redmond to work day in and day out to simply find a way to copy Apple.
As Apple has laid out a their version of the future, Microsoft hasn't kept pace. If they want to copy anything from Apple, maybe they could start with creating some sort of coherent vision; something those loyal to their platform can rally behind, and see as an alternative to Apple. There's certainly enough room for two competing philosophies in technology, and for Microsoft to roll over, and focus solely on Apple, is distracting for the company and doesn't serve consumers.
Reader Comments (5)
You nailed it, except for one thing: Microsoft has never had a vision beyond gaining market share, leveraging their franchise, and depriving their competitors of oxygen. That's where they've been innovative: in various business practices. Technology-wise, not so much. Ballmer is no different from Gates in that realm: Gates was just smarter and more philosophical. So Microsoft is not "not keeping pace", they're simply still being Microsoft in an era when Apple is busy rolling out piece after piece of a larger "insanely great" vision.
They've never been about delivering something "insanely great" (as Apple would say) that consumers would love. They've been about covering feature checklists, gaining mindshare, pre-empting competitors, pushing "choice" (meaning hardware as a commodity, and their software on all of it), embracing and extending, and all of that business-school stuff.
I totally agree with both comments. I would like to add the two companies are left and right brain of the tech world one more concerned about market share the other concerned about creating compelling products to gain market share. The companies have two different paths to the option same goal. Personally I prefer the more imaginative compelling product path
Ballmer is a big fat perspiring, monkey jumping buffoon that steals ideas from other companies and could not possibly have the mental capacity to match ANYTHING Apple puts out. He is an absolute clueless joke.
Steve Balmer is anything but a joke, he is one of the most effective business leaders in technology. His strategy is clear, Microsoft will bring Windows to tablets or slates. This is what his tech audience wants to hear, and it is what he will do. Don't be surprised if Microsoft comes up with a $200-350 tablet of their own incorporating some of the ideas they have learned from Zune, XBox and the now failed KIN. These investments were hindered by being late but in particular the KIN experiment failed more do to the hegemony of the US telecom industry than Microsoft's own failure.
Look for a Microsoft Slate with touch/pen input that incorporates much if not all of the Zune/Xbox functionality, a version of word/excel and a client for outlook. It will also have USB to allow cameras to be connected for displaying video/photos and uploading to the web from digital cameras. This will be out in time for Christmas, so October seems probable.
Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Nordeng. Reading your reply reminded me that I needed to upload today's photos for tomorrow's meeting.
So I got out my iPad, connected my camera via USB and uploaded the photos. I could also have checked email and documents via "a version of word/excel and a client for outlook" (known in this case as Pages, Numbers and Mail).
I'm not sure how many people in the US Telecom industry would agree that they contributed to the failure of the Kin, but surely this is greater than the numbers who would recognise Steve Balmer as "one of the most effective business leaders in technology" .......
Come on, this is a wind-up ................