“Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer was unperturbed a day after rival Apple Inc. shot past his firm as the world’s biggest tech company by market value and said his aim was to develop a good product line and earn more profits,” Devidutta Tripathy reports for Reuters.
“Microsoft stock is down 20 percent from 10 years ago, while shares of Apple are worth more than 10 times what they were 10 years ago, as it has profited from revolutionizing consumer electronics with its stylish, easy to use products such as the iPod, iPhone and MacBook laptops,” Tripathy reports. “Ballmer, on an Asian visit, told reporters in the Indian capital that Microsoft is the most profitable technology firm and a fierce competitor to anyone.”
MacDailyNews Take: For how much longer he can claim to be “most profitable,” Ballmer didn’t say, of course. Of course, anyone who can do basic math can see that it won’t be much longer at all.
Tripathy continues, “‘My focus is on … what we should be doing to our product line, where do we go, how do we make products more innovative,’ he said in response to a question on Apple racing past it in market value.”
MacDailyNews Take: How can Microsoft become more innovative when they’ve never been innovative? They take or buy other firms’ ideas, dump them into a festering, moribund, stifling bureaucracy, then shit them out scrambled onto ignorant or trapped customers. We now return to Ballmer’s Fantasyland, already in progress…
Tripathy continues, “Ballmer said. ‘We are executing very well and that is going to lead to great products and great success.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Is Steve Ballmer, a) stupid; b) delusional; c) insane; d) the recipient of the luckiest dorm assignment in history; or e) all of the above?
Tripathy continues, “‘I am optimistic,’ Ballmer said.”
MacDailyNews Take: The answer is “e.”
iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users, to watch the video, tap: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer laughs at Apple iPhone
Tripathy continues, “Robbie Bach, head of Microsoft’s video games and mobile phones unit, is retiring in a management shuffle, as Ballmer tightens his grip over a division steadily ceding ground to rivals. The departure of the 22-year veteran, credited with launching the Xbox in 2001, comes as Microsoft’s mobile efforts are being brushed aside by Apple’s iPhone…”
MacDailyNews Take: Never mind the iPhone, Xbox is a money pit that has never been profitable for Microsoft. Bach was a spectacular and consistent failure. That he lasted two decades in his job speaks volumes about Microsoft’s management or, rather, lack thereof.
Tripathy continues, “From July 1, the two senior vice presidents in charge of games and phones will report to Ballmer. ‘I won’t predict some massive change,’ Ballmer said. ‘I don’t sort of foreshadow any change in direction. We just have to accelerate plans.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Absolutely clueless.
Full article here.
Jai Krishna, Romit Guha, and Dhanya Ann Thoppil report for The Wall Street Journal, “Since Mr. Ballmer took over from Bill Gates as CEO in January 2000, Microsoft’s market value has more than halved from $556 billion to Wednesday’s close of $219 billion. Rival Apple’s market value has surged from $15.6 billion to $221 billion over the same period.”
Krishna, Guha, and Thoppil report, “Mr. Ballmer said he remains unfazed despite Apple assuming the position of the technology king. ‘I will make more profits and certainly there is no technology company in the planet which is as profitable as we are,’ he said. ‘Stock markets will take care of the rest,’ he added… Analysts attribute the value-decline at Microsoft to its inability to capitalize on new technologies such as wireless and digital music at its entertainment division. Apple’s success with its iPod and the iPhone came at the expense of Microsoft’s efforts in those areas… Despite being an early entrant into mobile devices such as smartphones, with its Windows Mobile operating system for handsets, it is now lagging behind cutting-edge technologies of Apple’s iPhone…”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Please, please, please, may Microsoft shareholders remain unconscious (chances are good as they seem to like a return on their investment that amounts to little more than a rounding error) so that Steve Ballmer can remain Microsoft CEO for as long as it takes!
Dance monkey boy dance
As we all know, a crap plan is always made good by executing it faster.
Mind numbing STUPIDITY!
From what I heard, Ballmer is a spy for aapl working hard to stop any innovation from MSFT.
He is brainless
of Ecclesiastica! May King Balmer continue to rule the kingdom for as long as it takes!
M$’s claim to fame is that they duped IBM into thinking that they were an operating system company. Somewhere along the line they started to believe their own press…
just my $0.02
And that article is wrong about the value of Microsoft stock. it’s down more like 60% from 10 years ago. Look at the chart yourself!
Paul
MXNT41, well said.
All in all M$ is probably a decent investment at this point in time. The stock is low and they have a constant income stream from Windows 7 and Word. They have no R & D costs to speak of, just copier expense. I still won’t buy though.
What are you guys talking about? He has a good job earning a good salary. If he says much of anything else, he’ll get fired. The world of delusion he seems trapped in is the delusion he is spreading about how well the company is doing. Seeing how many believe his story, I’d have to say he is doing remarkably well. At deluding people, at least. Oh, and at providing amusement for the Mac faithful! Can’t forget that !
Ballmer is talking as a salesman who owns most of the OS in the whole technology world.
@ Ray,
You got that right.
As I posted on an earlier thread, well done Steve Ballmer, and thank you. It doesn’t matter if he really is a mole for Apple or not; the effect has been the same. And well done, Steve Jobs, for having the foresight & understanding of your “competitor”, and the vision to overcome his strengths & attack his weaknesses.
I especially like MDN’s take about hoping Microsoft shareholders remain unconscious. Sleep, MS shareholders & IT professionals, sleep.
So funny that he making precisely the same predictions and deluded assessments that he has made for years and which patently have failed to materialise. He can’t even be innovative with language.
If by “executing” he means “firing” then yes, I believe they are doing well…
Microsoft does pay dividends. If they didn’t they’d have way more cash on hand than Apple and they’d still have a bigger market cap than Apple.
Ballmer: “I will make more profits and certainly there is no technology company in the planet which is as profitable as we are.”
Monopoly profits (“rents” as they’re referred to by economists) are not forever.
Apropos, in the days leading to the dot com meltdown, I joked to a colleague that I was considering buying one share of Microsoft, and hoping to lose money. Guess I saved myself the cost of that share.
I LOVE Ballmer’s strategy!
I freaking love you Ballmy, keep to your strategy. Remember, you like it, you like it a lot right?
*chorus*
…for as long as it takes!
“Microsoft does pay dividends. If they didn’t they’d have way more cash on hand than Apple and they’d still have a bigger market cap than Apple.”
Oh . . . so it’s the DIVIDENDS that have halved the value of the company since Ballmer took over! WOW.
Those are SOME dividends! $238 BILLION in dividends since Ballmer grabbed the MS reins. Dang! Wish I had owned MSFT instead of AAPL all that time: I’d be rich now! Wait, I already am, thanks to the latter equity–and most certainly NOT the former.
Sure glad you’re not directing my portfolio, Big Al.
@Big Als MBP, so you’re saying the figures are fudged?
@Big Als MBP – “Microsoft does pay dividends. If they didn’t they’d have way more cash on hand than Apple and they’d still have a bigger market cap than Apple.”
Not true. The fact Microsoft pays dividends is factored into the price of the stock. Investors valuate Microsoft based on dividends plus stock gains (losses!); on Apple just on stock appreciation as it is well known Apple doesn’t pay dividends.
In the end, Apple is valued higher because shareholders believe it’s total return vs. risk is better than MS.
I spotted on a chart that Microsoft designed a tablet several years ago. It never caught on with consumers or big business. However, Apple can’t make the iPad fast enough to keep up with just the limited USA release.
Are you as shocked as I am?