Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer “had plenty to say—particularly in response to shareholder questions about Macs, Windows, and the company’s struggle to regain its footing in the market for mobile phones,” Todd Bishop reports for Portfolio.
“One shareholder told Ballmer that he believes Microsoft has a poor reputation compared with Apple among younger computer users, and particularly college students. ‘I’m just wondering why your marketing group can’t do something to try to rein in this next generation, because you’ve got a real bad image out there,’ the shareholder said, saying that Apple’s ads make the Redmond company look ‘like a buffoon,'” Bishop reports.
MacDailyNews Take: As if Microsoft’s choice of an actual buffoon for CEO hasn’t had any impact whatsoever.
“[Ballmer said] ‘There’s certainly always opportunities for improvement,’ acknowledging that there ‘is a group of people with whom our market share is less,'” Bishop reports. “[Ballmer said ‘]It is important to remember that 96 times out of 100 worldwide, people choose a PC with Windows, that’s a good thing. Even in the toughest market, which would be the high end of the consumer market here in the U.S., 83 times out of 100 people choose a Windows PC over a Mac.’ He added, ‘We’re working hard on it. Windows 7 I think gives us a real opportunity to come back again at some audiences that have been tougher for us. Frankly, the economy is good for us, because people do understand that Macintoshes are quite a bit more expensive for essentially the same computer…but we have opportunities to improve among exactly the constituency that you identify.'”
MacDailyNews Take: “Essentially the same computer?” Ballmer can’t really believe that, can he?
Bishop reports, “Later, another shareholder asked why Microsoft and Nokia don’t team up to try to topple the iPhone and fend off Google’s Android. Ballmer focused initially on the latter, saying he’s dedicated to keeping higher market share than the new Google mobile operating system.”
MacDailyNews Take: At least Ballmer T. Clown understands that “toppling iPhone” is an unrealistic goal.
Bishop reports, “[Ballmer said] ‘I think we’re on the right strategy, which is to focus on the software that goes into phones, as opposed to building phones.'”
MacDailyNews Take: He “thinks.” He still likes his strategy. He likes it a lot. May Steve Ballmer remain Microsoft CEO (and may MSFT shareholders remain clueless) for as long as it takes!
Full article here.
@Since_IIci
Like I give a crap.
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Buster: you’re right; George Foreman doesn’t make a grill big enough…but boy, I’d love to see him “knock out the fat” on that one!
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Few if any stockholders elected to vote to remove the buffoon from office — now thats what I call NUTS!
Whereas I hope that Obama will only be a one term president, thereby limiting the infringements of our liberties and overall national decline – I hope Ballmer continues on at Microsoft so he can do to that company what that hillbilly did to Ned Beatty in the movie “Deliverance”.
Not every college students are using MACs one of them is myself who is a 100% PC user. MACs are inferior in term of performance and reliability compare to my premium PC which I own at home. Steve and his little company doesn’t understand that his toys that he makes can’t match or come near to my PC.
http://www.bing.com When it comes to decisions that matter, Bing & Decide
It is important to remember that 96 times out of 100 worldwide, people choose a PC with Windows, that’s a good thing. Even in the toughest market, which would be the high end of the consumer market here in the U.S., 83 times out of 100 people choose a Windows PC over a Mac.
No they don’t!
In the user/chooser market (i.e. where a top-down decision isn’t being made by some corporate IT droid and his/her bean-counter colleague), Mac penetration is a lot better than 4 times out of 100. And in the developed economies (USA/EU/Japan/Australasia), that figure is even better.
Dances With Monkeys can try and whistle in the dark as much as he likes, but he has an inferior product that only wins because his system builders are willing to sacrifice margin (cutting each others throats as they do it) in order to keep volume. HP only really makes money from printers and consumables, Sony’s VAIO division probably leaks red ink from every pore and Dell are close to becoming an intensive-care case.
” I’m just wondering why your marketing group can’t do something to try to rein in this next generation, because you’ve got a real bad image out there “
And this is a shareholder speaking. Out of touch with reality. A perfect example of why Ballmer (who gets a free ride) stays entrenched.
Amen, amen Josh!
Hey, a Chevy is essentially the same car as a Mercedes, isn’t it? It’s got four wheels, an engine, a body, a steering wheel… What’s the problem?
I’m a PC: MAC stands for Move Add or Change.
Mac is short for Macintosh.
(Just thought I’d let you know the difference.)
I agree completely! M$ needs to immediately spend another $300 Million in ads to become cool. Quick hire Seinfeld back, get him and Billy Goat in a shoestore. Oooooo how cool I wanna be just like them. Another $600 Million! No, it’s so potent, $300 BBillion. Get 20 mid-life has-been clueless moraless schmucks to roam around homeless and disrupt households and talk about a world without walls. That’s the ticket! For as long as it takes.
@I’m a PC:
I hope you used your premium PC to schedule a couple of English and grammar classes for next semester.
“He [Balmer] acknowledged that Apple has “picked up a couple of tenths of a percent of market share” . . . . . . .
Yes indeed, since I bought my first mac that would be about SIXTY tenths . . . .
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@I’m a PC
You are a faint copy of Zune Tang. Is English your first language?
. ‘I’m just wondering why your marketing group can’t do something”
That’s microsoft, its all about marketing, not innovation, customer satisfaction, quality products, only marketing.
@Tommy Boy
I was thinking the same thing until I realized that the 91% figure was locked in at the “over $1000” level and Ballmer used the much more flexible and definable “high end” so as to be able to massage the numbers.
@@Josh
Is that your commentary about Fox news? Technically speaking, of course…?
@Josh
@Roy
So, generally we all understand that the US (and much of the world) is in trouble presently. You can disagree with how Obama’s dealt with the problems of course, but they did not begin with him. Obama has been President for less than a year. Dems have had control of the House since 2006 and the Senate only from the ’08 elections (the Senate in 2006 was split 49, 49, 2). The Republicans took control of the House in 1994 and the Senate in 1996 previously, and of course the White House in 2000. Counting from 1980 we have had a Republican President in office for 20 of the last 28 and 3/4 years. I’m not happy with Democrats or Republicans personally, but I think the “Obama=poison” statement and the “all our ills come from him” sentiment is melodramatic, oversimplified, out of touch with reality and ultimately harmful to solving the problem; like Ballmer actually.
@@Josh – Sorry, I prefer pure tech as well, but I couldn’t let the bumper sticker echo chamber persist. I’ll never make the first political comment. Promise.
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So who is going to repace m$? Apple is for that percentage of buyers who will pay more for a better, trouble free experience. What percentage of the market is that. I think it is under 20%.
Who else is there to provide the opperating system for the other 80%?
Linix is free and they can not seem to do it.
Amen, Josh!!
The meeting would have been much more interesting if the employees from the Microsoft retail store were there to spontaneously break into dance during the tough questions. That would have allayed shareholder concerns that Microsoft is not adequately connecting with younger consumers.
And yes, that is sarcasm.
Google?
@MCCFR Right on!
Man, these MS execs will say just about anything. Problem is that they lost the mindshare of this new generation of consumers: kids-teens-young adults who will be buying tech for the next few decades. MS is not their tech brand of choice. To them MS is their dad’s technology.
“96 times out of 100 worldwide, people choose a PC with Windows”
Uh, no, Balltard. Not even close. I didn’t “choose” the crappy Dell with XP I use at work.
Microsoft’s share among people who are able to choose is significantly less than 96%, and less still among those who take the time to make an educated choice.
——RM
Ah, yes! Once again we see it proven that Stupidity is a condition; ignorance is a choice!™