“When Microsoft went public in 1986, there was no 3-D videogaming, no enterprise software, and no Google. Two decades and $285 billion in market cap later, CEO Steve Ballmer is facing a stagnant stock price and more competition than ever. His strategy? Take the offensive,” Telis Demos reports for Fortune. “Microsoft is about to roll out new versions of Windows and Office.”
Demos spoke to Ballmer, whom he inexplicably describes as “affable” about what Sony’s troubles mean for the Xbox 360 game system, the future of advertising and why his kids shun iPods. Here are two choice snippets:
Demos: Do you have an iPod?
Ballmer: No, I do not. Nor do my children. My children–in many dimensions they’re as poorly behaved as many other children, but at least on this dimension I’ve got my kids brainwashed: You don’t use Google, and you don’t use an iPod.
Demos: Think you can you crack the iPod market?
Ballmer: It’s going to take an innovative proposition. In five years are people really going to carry two devices? One device that is their communication device, one device that is music? There’s going to be a lot of opportunities to get back in that game. We want to be in that game. Expect to see announcements from us in that area in the next 12 months.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: So, Ballmer has to brainwash his own kids not to use the best choices in favor of Microsoft’s “solutions” and once again promises “announcements” that conveniently always seem to be 12 months off. Microsoft is “about” to roll out new versions of Windows and Office? It depends on your definition of the word “about,” we guess. Is this guy really CEO material?
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This is not rocket science ladies and gentlemen; how else do you get people to exclusively buy into a product like MS Windows.
And no, Ballmer is not CEO material – of course, duh – but he’s definitely on the band wagon.
Oh they will have the announcements in the next 12 months. Announcements they have plenty of. Actual products is a whole other story.
Microsoft losing Ballmer would be BAD for all of us.
It would the same as if the Allies actually got to Hitler during WWII and took him out.
The fact that he’s still there and running things is sooooooooo, sooooooooo, sweet.
Let the enemy destroy and kill itself.
P.S. I swear to you, Steve Jobs must be laughing his fricking ASS off at this guy!
His kids have a video iPod. They watch daddy do the monkey dance on their iPod.
Headline:
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, is offensive.
Proves that Microsoft really sees other companies as big threats and has to treat them as mortal enemies.
Just like Dick Cheney sees other countries.
Exactly! Ballmer doesn’t seems to know the difference between
“going on the offensive” and just “being offensive”. The latter of the two he does very well!
LOL Elmer F.U.D.
It reminds me that deodorant/anti-perspirant (i won’t put the name, i don’t want to be called sales assistant or something) advertisement with Chuck Norris that said “The best defense is not to offend”
Maybe his children are tone-deaf? So they can’t tell if the music that their Daddy’s company makes is non-existant.
MDN word “learned” as in “When will microsoft employees stop lying to children?”.
MS will be better off once they shed him.
” In five years are people really going to carry two devices? One device that is their communication device, one device that is music?”
The funny thing is that nearly every party involved have intentionally tried to keep this from happening. Apple will allow iTunes on a phone, but want to cap it at 100 songs to avoid hurting iPod sales. Service providers will allow iTunes on a phone, but won’t let you buy from iTMS wirelessly because they want to sell their own music for 2-3x as much. Phone makers will put iTunes on a phone, but they won’t put enough memory on the phone to store much, even if Apple would allow more than 100 songs.
Let’s say Apple does make an iPod/phone hybrid. They still need a carrier. I suspect it won’t be on a major carrier such as Sprint. It would be interesting if the could go via an MVNO.
Ballmer needs a good proctologist, you know… to clear the MS innovations out his pipeline.
Repeat after me, kids: “I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… I… LOVE… THIS… COMPANY… “
There’s going to be a lot of opportunities to get back in that game. We want to be in that game.
God, this man is an idiot. He sounds like a used car salesman, which I guess shouldn’t be surprising.
Do a search for “Uncle Fester” on Google….
Says “Image results for Uncle Fester”
Ballmer’s pic is #1
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Uncle+Fester&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Google Rocks!
Bwhahahahah.
This is good too…
http://www.networkworld.com/weblogs/layer8/011218.html
…too bad we all missed the contest deadline!
Why oh why does Microsoft have to compete in every market category? Why can’t someone else make a successful technology product without Ballmer and Gates screaming “Oh my God we have to do that too!! Kill it! Kill that company!!”
Can’t they just make xBoxes, Windows and Office? Why do they have to make a web browser? Why do they need to kill off Google, exactly? Why do they think they need to make an MP3 player? Can’t anyone else exist in the same world as Microsoft?
Ballmer=Asshat.
“Balmer quote at time of picture “I use my right hand like this when looking at porn””
LOL! I love it!
Jooop:
MS has an integrated inferiority complex. Considering that their money was made ripping off Apple, they will always be in denial about their ability to innovate
<asbestos jock on>
Say what you want about him as a CEO (it’s all probably true
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” /> but in person with family, Steve’s actually a nice normal guy – you wouldn’t guess in a million years that he is who he is. His wife is friendly and his kids are sweet, however musically impaired they may be. Jeez, do the people you all work with know about who you really are at home? I’m a total Mac-head, I’ve had only Apples since my //e and Mac SE, I LMAO at the monkey-boy video, and I think MS is a big nasty monopoly, but that doesn’t make him fair game for all this personal bashing.
<ok, do your worst…>
Hey, it’s just smack talk. Don’t get all sensitive on his behalf. He’s a multi BILLIONair. What does he care what we think? If he gets his feelings hurt, he can hire a good shrink.
Hey Balmer: try some freakin’ rightguard already! LOL
KIDS! I LOVE THIS FAMILY!!!!
No iPods and NO GOOGLE!
*chair whistles overhead*
And NO TOWELS! No matter HOW SWEATY I GET!!!
Now I truly know this man is a effing asshole.
He brings his kids into the picture.