Steve Ballmer was interviewed by German newspaper “Die WELT” in an article published yesterday and some questions touched on Apple Computer, Inc. Martin Stein has provided an English translation on his weblog, “Martin Stein’s Publishing Weblog.”
Stein prefaces the Q&A section with, “After asking Steve if he has a ‘Apple Computer,’ he says that he does not have a Mac nor a iPod. ‘Of course, I have to know the devices. We have to know what the competitors do,’ [Ballmer said].”
Die WELT: But couldn’t you just buy a Mac without hesitation since Apple opened up their machines for Windows?
Ballmer: No, we prefer real PCs.
Die WELT: Was it a satisfaction that Apple had to give in?
Ballmer: Honestly, I don’t think that it is that important. Actually, it is relatively expensive if a user gets a separate Windows OS for his Mac. Not a lot of people will do this.
Die WELT: Apple is leading in the Music business as well. Does this bother you?
Ballmer: No question, it would have been better if the iPod would have been a Microsoft invention. The device is really popular. Apple didn’t invent anything new. They just combined existing technologies in a smart way. They succeeded to create a nice package which bundles Music services, devices and software.
Die WELT: Is Apple’s success reason enough to copy them?
Ballmer: This wasn’t the last word in this competition. Over the next years, a lot of things will happen in the market of portable devices. Who wants to carry different devices to listen to Music, to play games, to take pictures or to communicate with others? A small, integrated device will master many functions. We won’t be simply watching this development.
Die WELT: Is Apple unbeatable?
Ballmer: Which company would be able to compete with Apple at these days? It can only be Microsoft or Apple stays without any serious competitor. I think, everybody deserves some competition.
Stein’s full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “LinuxGuy” for the heads up.]
Die WELT’s full article in German here.
MacDailyNews Take: Yes, Die WELT, Apple “gave in.” Whatever. Embrace, then extinguish. In a head-to-head Mac OS X vs. Windows XP comparison — exactly what users will get with new Macs with “Boot Camp” and soon, Mac OS X Leopard, running Windows and/or Windows applications — even with people steeped in Windows’ upside-down and backwards “experience” for years, we’re quite confident that we know which platform most people will choose to use most often.
So, Ballmer prefers “real PCs?” What is that supposed to mean? Ballmer should just state, “I am pompous know-nothing asshat.” It achieves the same purpose with a bit more clarity.
Oh, now Microsoft’s going to compete with iPod+iTunes? Haven’t they been trying to do so for the nearly half a decade since Apple debuted the iPod? With what exactly will Microsoft compete? Vapor? Some also-ran third-party online music outfit; aren’t hundreds of Microsoft WMA-based failures enough? That piece of crap Origami that even the OEM’s CEOs can’t figure out how to operate? Microsoft can’t even copy correctly; they never could. Microsoft can’t even get the warmed over, slipping-for-years, stripped-down mess Windows XP SP3 that they’re going to try to sell as “Windows Vista” out the door, towel-less Microsoft employees are on the verge of mutiny, Microsoft shares tumbled 11.4% on Friday, their biggest one-day drop in 5 years, and Ballmer thinks he can compete with a lean, mean Apple that been firing on all cylinders for years now? Ballmer, along with the vast majority of the world and most of Wall Street, are in for quite a shock. The jig is almost up, Monkey Boy. Enjoy your golden parachute ride.
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I read the Asshat moniker and laughed out loud. It was very funny as a response to Ballmer saying he would prefer a “real PC”. It is just such a self-seriving and patently untrue perspective.
The asshat has billions to protect. I suppose one cannot expect unbiased assements from him. It is just very funny how tranparent he is about it.
Just keep the dummies dumb. That is what he would like.
Do we have to be PC (politically correct) all the time?
I still love the Google results that come up when you type in “Uncle Fester” for the search.
Try it.
IT2: “One guy made fun of his wife’s Mac for years and one day last week, she came home from work and he announced he had bought not one, but two Macs for himself. Said he’d “had it” with Windows. She said he’d watch her “just enjoying her computer” while he was wrestling with Windows problems. Funniest part of his switch–he bought G4’s off eBay and didn’t care if they ran Windows!”
Thanks for the info, but the people you reference did not buy the Macs because of beta Bootcamp (as the other person was claiming), they bought it because they hate Windows and won´t be putting it on their macs.
And buying old and slow G4s bought off eBay doesn´t help Apple any.
Al Jazzoo:
3 arrests? Not too smart, if you allowed yourself to get caught, asshole. Never been busted myself.
I would love to pummel the shit out of you, just for the fun of it. Unfortunately, it’s probably a crime to pound the crap out of the mentally disabled.
Al Jazzoo, maczealot….
Ahhh, yes, the high-classed, cultured Mac owners finally surface.
Al Jazzoo, are you still pooping out comments in here? Shouldn’t you be off beating your wife or something?
just had a thought, – microsoft prefer real pcs? ? ? please remind me what they use for xbox 360 dev, erm is it G5 power macs? ? ? duh
LOL
andy, good point. The xbox260 uses “Xenon” processors, which are triple core IBM PowerPC chips (complete with altivec units in each core). So much for normal PCs.
Pardon me for my ignorance, but according to UNEASYsilence, Bootcamp requires Windows XP PRO SP2 bought in a box at a store.
UNEASYsilence m4v video: DYI installing XP on a Mac mini
This is also available in the iTunes Podcast section.
“Pardon me for my ignorance, but according to UNEASYsilence, Bootcamp requires Windows XP PRO SP2 bought in a box at a store. “
You can definitely download Windows XP SP2 from a torrent site, burn the iso to a CD, use it to get boot camp running, and it will work great. Of course, that wouldn’t be legal, but you COULD do it. That’s probably why Microsoft recently started automatically installing their “Windows validation” crap if you have auto-update enabled. =)
Didn’t I read this on MacDailyNews’ sister site, DellDailyNews?
HO MAN! What a knee slapper that one was.
Steve Ballmer is one gelatinous entity.
Nick: “You can definitely download Windows XP SP2 from a torrent site..”
Or you can just shoplift a copy from CompUSA or how about just break into somebody´s car and steal their Windows laptop sitting on the floor?
If you are going to steal might as well put some excitement in it!
“Real PCs”
Other notable preferences:
Mayo by the shovelful
Cheap anti-perspirant or none at all
Breakaway office furniture (lawyers demanded this one)
Dance lessons from Bill
Spending time on the docks to learn persuasive language techniques
Knockoff MP3 players
90% of his employees
A deep simian connection
Sales by intimidation
Global domination
Two days ago I saw an interview with Steve Ballmer on german TV (I believe it was the interview that MDN is talking about). After watching the interview for about ten minutes, it really wasn’t surprising that Microsoft has so many problems nowadays. The man really is an idiot. If any other company had such a guy as CEO, they’d have been dead long ago.
You can tell the age of a Techie by his slang…
“No, we prefer real PCs.” is so 1997. Which explains their OS…
“Or you can just shoplift a copy from CompUSA or how about just break into somebody´s car and steal their Windows laptop sitting on the floor?
If you are going to steal might as well put some excitement in it!”
POOR MICROSOFT! Are people actually getting Windows without paying for it? The retail price is only $399 – I can’t imagine why anybody would have a problem paying for it.
You can’t have a monopoly AND whine about pirating. Well, you CAN, but nobody intelligent will take you seriously.
“The man really is an idiot. If any other company had such a guy as CEO, they’d have been dead long ago.”
I completely agree, and it reminds me of financial problems the USA is having lately.
“No, we prefer real PCs.”
What Ballmer means is that Microsoft prefers PCs that use cheaper parts so they die faster, thus forcing the user to buy a new PC because repairing or replacing the parts in the old one will cost as much or more than buying a new one.
Of course, the new PC has a new Windows license for it, and therefore Microsoft makes more $$.
He thought that Die Welt had something to do with spankings hence the expression in the photo. He wasn’t entirely disappointed with the actual translation. He’ll have to steal it eventually.
“the zealot behavior of the Mac (and Linux) fanatics hurts far more than it helps. Microshaft? M$? Microsucks? Please. I am firmly convinced that the attitudes and ranting of the anti-Microsoft crowd has slowed down people who may be on the fence looking at alternatives.”
I will confirm this for you. I’m comfortable on windows right now and I’m not looking for alternatives. I would not say I’m advanced user of computers but I’m above the intermediate level. I came to this blog (website?) browsing the internet.
I am anti-Apple (read: not for Microsoft but anti-Apple and Mac) because of people like this. I might have an Apple computer right now if I didn’t feel like an asshat or a douchebag having that logo on the back of my laptop. I’m going to get crucified for saying this on an Apple blog but really that’s how it comes across even if you people aren’t that way. I feel a sickening feeling of disgust every time I see that logo, every time someone calls it an iPod and not a music player or an mp3 player. I’m going to continually stay away from anything Apple until I can meet an educated person and computer literate person (in real life, I know some of you exist here on the internet) that can convince me to switch.