“After watching the opening keynote of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Wednesday night, I sat at a casino bar considering what I’d seen. When a friendly bartender asked me what I’d been up to, I explained I had just watched the CEO of Microsoft give a speech,” David M. Ewalt writes for Forbes.
“‘Bill Gates?’ he asked. ‘Wow,'” Ewalt writes. “It’s an easy mistake to make. Bill Gates gave the opening keynote at CES 12 times, including his swan song last year, after which he handed over the spot to long-time colleague–and CEO since 2000–Steve Ballmer.”
Ewalt writes, “In some ways, Ballmer didn’t have a lot to live up to. Gates may be a legend, but he’s got his intellect, not his stage presence, to thank for that.”
MacDailyNews Take: If by “intellect,” Ewalt means “total lack of ethics,” he’d be right.
Ewalt continues, “Those 12 CES keynotes were generally awkward affairs, tepid pitch-fests where the few bright points were jokes at Gates’ own expense, or when things went wrong. Gates never exhibited the whiz-bang showmanship of Apple CEO Steve Jobs, whose Macworld keynotes made fans swoon.”
“We might have anticipated a misfire even before [Ballmer’s] keynote started,” Ewalt reports. “As conference-goers filed into the room to take their seats, the loud music welcoming them included a song from The Ting Tings called ‘Shut Up And Let Me Go.’ It’s a ditty probably best known for its use in a widely broadcast TV commercial for Apple’s iPod and iTunes music store.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “JES42” for the heads up.]
windows 7. not so impressed by it. As a MAC user, we’ve been accustomed to these features for years now. But it’s amazing that they are turning their attention to the female consumers by letting that perky sales woman give part of the keynote and talk about how shopping will be easier on windows7 that you can now have side by side windows open. ooooooo wow.
mdn magic word “problem” as in Windows 7 is just another problem for microsoft and those who buy it.
they played the TINGS TINGS song so that they tell me people to shut up and let vista go, as in they heard enough bad stuff.
Wait…. so both Steve and Bill stepped aside this year? Hmmm… must be a rivalry
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Windows 7 – less press, less comments, and it will go away please. I hope people are not actually getting excited about winblows 7. They better watch their step because when Snow Leopard is released it will make Windows 7 look like it is standing still. There will be some killer apps to really take advantage of graphics CPU processing and the focus will switch back to Apple, and rightfully so. Microshaft is not innovating, just marketing and just trying to retain.
I think that’s the first time in recorded history where Bill Gates did something and then Steve Jobs did it afterwards…
Sadly, Microsoft really has nothing to bring to the table. As Jim Cramer said, their “stock” is more like a bond. The whole company just doesn’t move or anything.
Maybe the PC in the Mac TV ads should loose his hair and look rather more like Balmer.
Typical, biased fanboys…
Windows 7 is a HUGE step up from Vista. It WORKS! Sure, it still is nowhere close to Mac OS X in terms of UI, user friendliness, features, or performance, but it is a significant leap for Microsoft. The fact that they got an OS to work for the first time is just great, and I applaud their success.
OS7 was 18 years ago!
I went to read the full article and I didn’t recognize Ballmer from the picture they have on the article. He looks so sane.
WINDOWS 7 = VISTA PART 2 INCLUDING MORE PROBLEMS 2.0.
@ Aaquib
Define “works”.
@ jjjj
That would be *System* 7.
Ballmer is a monkey clown douchebag.
I’m just saying.
Windows 7 is a HUGE step up from Vista. It WORKS! Sure, it still is nowhere close to Mac OS X in terms of UI, user friendliness, features, or performance, but it is a significant leap for Microsoft. The fact that they got an OS to work for the first time is just great, and I applaud their success.
There is no consolation prize for answering your competitor’s product from eight years ago.
I don’t know MS’s “success” should be applauded, as much as their realization that patience with them has ran out. Nobody’s gonna tolerate another round of empty promises, “adjusted” ship dates, and alpha-quality crapware. They HAVE to get this one right.
@ Aaquib
> Windows 7 is a HUGE step up from Vista. It WORKS!
LOL. So low are the expectations for Windows 7 that the fact that it “works” is trumpeted in all CAPS with an exclamation point.
Microsoft: We strive to fall short of even the lowest expectations.
How would anyone know yet when and if Windows 7 “works?” More examples of people blabbing about things they know nothing about. Gates retired as CEO; Steve sat out a keynote. Not quite the same thing.
I remember some Mac “journalists” claiming at first glance that Vista looked “fresh..” then we all quickly found out what a mess it was. Windows 7 may be better, but there’s a much bigger problem, one that will persist- it’s still spray-painted DOS. Unlike Mac OS X, which is a completely different OS than Mac “Classic,” Windows is still Windows. And it requires annual subscriptions to the best and most anti-virus and spyware utilities you can afford.
Windows 7: The first version of Windows since Windows 6, which never existed!
@jjjj
Yeah. System 7 was years ago and it sucked. System 9 even sucked.
It is amusing, though, how the perky MS demo lady was impressed at how she could hop on her home network easily. OoooOOOOOeEEE!
It was still better than Macworld. No Mac mini, iMac or nothing. Apple just comes out with a $3000 laptop in the worst economy in 30 years. Brilliant!
@Rickumus
A $2800 laptop that improves upon and replaces another $2800 laptop that was sells quite well. It is rather brilliant. Especially since a lot of people have been quite anxious to see it ever since the incredible refresh made to the lesser MacBook models.
@bildad
I actually kind of miss them and their simplicity sometimes. 7 was especially great in its day.
Windows 7, redefining the problems of Vista.
Microshaft can’t escape its legacy, now, or ever.
Ha ha.
I know Windows 7 is still a while from being available but it could be decent, it’s certainly the right approach and MS have obviously learnt from the Vista’s relative-fiasco.
It could be a big draw for XP users to upgrade/renew and it is likely to have the most intense launch advertising ever in history.
All the more reason then for Apple to not sit back and push forward.
I just wish that Apple would drop the stupid I’m a Mac ads and show people what Mac OS X and iLife is really like – you can bet that MS will advertise all those features that Mac users are familiar with to much acclaim, “wow’s” and “oows”!
The high point of Ballmer’s career was that expo where the stiff pranced around the stage like a drunken guerilla, screaming as though he’d just been castrated without an anesthetic, armpit stains revolting the entire world, all in a transparent attempt to cut loose, attempt to be cool and fire up the attendees. It’s been all downhill from there…