Not me- in retrospect, I'm glad our phones sucked and texting hadn't really taken off yet (I'm 28)- it forced me to eat dinner and make eye contact, as well as learned how to speak with someone with words, not with emoticons and horrid abbreviations.
The communication skills of our youth are ridiculous. I don't know if I've made eye contact with anyone 12-18. Lol (for those who speak in emoticon)
That's a parenting problem more than a technology problem. My daughter communicates quite well. Of course, she is not allowed to have her phone within reach at dinner and spends a great deal of time interacting with adults - face to face.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jd_in_sb
In that interview with Balmer he was referring to the iPhone when it was priced at $600. He was right (gasp!) in that sense. $600 was too high a price for high volume sales. That's what he laughed about. He quickly stopped laughing when AT&T subsidized the iPhone and Apple lowered the price to $200.
I think it has been well-established that Ballmer is an idiot. No one should pay any attention to his views on technology matters.
There's a lot of truth to that. Microsoft has fallen into a position of constant reaction instead of action.
That happens when companies reach the top. They tend to switch from disruption to keeping the status quo, once they become the status quo.
Steve Jobs once said he'd rather defeat the Mac and iPod rather than let someone else do it. In other words, don't let someone else come up with what's next.
In that interview with Balmer he was referring to the iPhone when it was priced at $600. He was right (gasp!) in that sense. $600 was too high a price for high volume sales. That's what he laughed about. He quickly stopped laughing when AT&T subsidized the iPhone and Apple lowered the price to $200.
He was laughing just as hard about the absence of a keyboard, saying that business customers would never use it.
I've not really read any articles on Windows Phone 7, but I have used it for a few hours on multiple devices. I wrote a paper on non-Apple mobile OS' and it was one of them. I've not used one as my own actual device, but if iOS didn't exist and this did, I certainly would, even with my general aversion to Microsoft products.
In my use, I just came across impressed. Some of the finer things aren't as intuitive as iOS, but all in all, they've thought it out well.
Thank your sir. I figured you had some hands-on time with it. Your opinion means more with actual use, compared to some who seem to just parrot something they read once. Not anyone here of course.
There's a lot of truth to that. Microsoft has fallen into a position of constant reaction instead of action.
That isn't true at all. The Metro interface in Windows Phone is really quite original. It would have been easy for MS to make an iOS clone, - it's what Google did after all - but they didn't. Instead they innovated.
That same innovation is going to change Windows in the most radical way in it's entire history in Windows 8. To make such a massive change to an operating system used by virtually every computer on the planet takes courage. It's certainly far more innovative than anything Apple have done with Mac OS since the switch to OS X.
That's a parenting problem more than a technology problem. My daughter communicates quite well. Of course, she is not allowed to have her phone within reach at dinner and spends a great deal of time interacting with adults - face to face
you're dead on- unfortunately, you're also in the minority by a lot.
It's like a car seat- we shouldn't need a law, but people are too stupid not to do it without one.
Once again, I'd like to offer my thanks and congratulations to Microsoft for making something with an original UI and use style for once in their company's existence. I wish only for Windows Phone 7 to be made better. Android as an iOS competitor isn't a stable future, and Apple needs SOMETHING in the way of professional competition to prevent monopoly whiners and keep innovation pushing forward.
I agree. WP7 is actually very nice, and is a legitimate iOS competitor, which blazed its own path rather than slavishly copying Apple. I think MS does indeed stand a decent chance, especially if they get some enterprise features working well (and the Office suite on it, maybe).
while i agree that Ballmer isn't Steve (who is?), I have a huge amount of respect for him.
Since he became CEO, Microsoft stopped being evil.
Even when they lost (zune for example) they tried fair and square unlike shmidt and others like him.
It is true that windows 7 does the same as XP that does the same as 2000, but now it is stable and much more pleasant to use. xbox is also becoming really good and windows phone 7 is a great OS:
I don't know how windows 8 will be, but at least they are trying to fight instead of copying.
Microsoft is becoming good for apple just like apple is becoming good for them. that's healthy competition.
While this is true, it was a consequence of the European court's illegal-monopoly judgments against MS rather than any actions taken by Ballmer that caused this to happen.
That same innovation is going to change Windows in the most radical way in it's entire history in Windows 8. To make such a massive change to an operating system used by virtually every computer on the planet takes courage. It's certainly far more innovative than anything Apple have done with Mac OS since the switch to OS X.
I'm a desktop guy... good ol' tower n' monitor. No touch screen for me.
First thing I will do is bypass Metro and bring up the desktop on Windows 8.
The Metro interface may be great, and Microsoft may want to radically change Windows... but the software developers have to radically change their programs in order for this great shift to happen.
Otherwise... people will stick to the Windows 7 "classic" interface to run their existing programs.
Are you kidding me? The phone I had before my OG iPhone was a HTC touch running winblows mobile. It was a horrible piece of crap. Doing the simplest thing on it was a Hurculean labour! Half the time I couldn't even figure out how to get on-line, and when I did, it was the crippled Internet that SJ talked about in his initial presser for the iPhone. The OS was a nightmare to use, and completely user unfriendly. Don't miss it at all.
It's interesting to look back though, how monkey boy initially said the iPhone was never going to go anywhere, or be successful. Obviously, he recognizes innovation with the same talent level that he runs Microsloth......
I'm pretty sure that macismac was being sarcastic.
First of all, I hate to admit it, but I appreciate the frank honesty that Joe Belfiore has to publicly admit this. I am not sure how SB feels about him saying it, but I'm glad that someone at MS had the guts to admit it.
I'm betting that the upper management was in denial of the iPhone's success, while those working in the mobile OS division understood early on that the iPhone was a game changer. Rim is going thru the same thing. The employees and lower management are begging for their upper management to "get with the program" as witnessed in an open letter written by a RIM employee a few months back, but it takes a long time for someone as big as MS and RIMM to finally take the "if you can't beat em, join em" approach, in regards to going with a touch U.I. It probably took 2 years for the "final" meeting in upper management to move forward and go with Windows Phone 7. But even then, you see the reluctance for complete change, as Microsoft chose to keep the "WINDOWS" name in phone os title. Just for branding purposes. I bet this is one of the things that Ballmer had changed to keep WINDOWS in the phone os name. On the other hand, Apple is quick to shed it's skin, changing it's name to Apple, Inc. instead of Apple Computers, because of the iPod's popularity. Changing the mobile os to iOS instead of iPhone OS, because of the iPod touch and the iPad. It's pretty impressive to see Apple being very nimble and act like a start-up in this respect.
Microsoft reminds me of GM. Slow to make change until it's almost too late. I hear that GM is doing very well now and had a nice increase in sales last year, maybe MS will have the same luck. I'm not crazy about the METRO UI, but I confess, I've never actually seen it in person, because I don't know a single person that has a WIN7 phone. It looks interesting in the videos I see online, but I think the UI is a little too heavy on the social media theme and the tiles are a bit too youthful, which doesn't really fit the WINDOWS branding. Seems a little lost too me. MS has strong enterprise roots, and this metro theme just doesn't seem to fit in well with that. It kind of seems like if our law makers in D.C. all started to wear clothes from Abercrombie and Fitch.
Anyhow, there might be some truth to what other's have said about Apple's competitors being a bit more open now that Steve Jobs has passed. SJ was a genius that surrounded himself with even more genii. SJ also appeared to be a bit eccentric, paranoid and tended to hold a grudge, for a long time. Even worse, he had no qualms letting it be known. I hope that Tim Cook has a more diplomatic approach to things. He's definitely a smart fellow and he is surrounded by genii, but hopefully he can smooth things out with those that Steve Jobs couldn't or refused to do.
Time will tell. Maybe Steve Jobs is just another thing that, sadly, Apple needed to shed. (damn that was tough to write.)
Microsoft could have innovated with TV, but again ... they will follow Apple and lose.
If I were shareholders and board members, I would say it's time to think about replacing a few top executives. This all comes down to leadership and vision; two thing MS has been lacking for a long time.
Comments
Not me- in retrospect, I'm glad our phones sucked and texting hadn't really taken off yet (I'm 28)- it forced me to eat dinner and make eye contact, as well as learned how to speak with someone with words, not with emoticons and horrid abbreviations.
The communication skills of our youth are ridiculous. I don't know if I've made eye contact with anyone 12-18. Lol
That's a parenting problem more than a technology problem. My daughter communicates quite well. Of course, she is not allowed to have her phone within reach at dinner and spends a great deal of time interacting with adults - face to face.
In that interview with Balmer he was referring to the iPhone when it was priced at $600. He was right (gasp!) in that sense. $600 was too high a price for high volume sales. That's what he laughed about. He quickly stopped laughing when AT&T subsidized the iPhone and Apple lowered the price to $200.
I think it has been well-established that Ballmer is an idiot. No one should pay any attention to his views on technology matters.
There's a lot of truth to that. Microsoft has fallen into a position of constant reaction instead of action.
That happens when companies reach the top. They tend to switch from disruption to keeping the status quo, once they become the status quo.
Steve Jobs once said he'd rather defeat the Mac and iPod rather than let someone else do it. In other words, don't let someone else come up with what's next.
In that interview with Balmer he was referring to the iPhone when it was priced at $600. He was right (gasp!) in that sense. $600 was too high a price for high volume sales. That's what he laughed about. He quickly stopped laughing when AT&T subsidized the iPhone and Apple lowered the price to $200.
He was laughing just as hard about the absence of a keyboard, saying that business customers would never use it.
You contradict yourself. What's easier to use than a "UI designed for pre-schoolers?"
A UI designed for the cast of Jersey Shore.
It will consist of icons for booze, sex, money, tans, and parties.
I've not really read any articles on Windows Phone 7, but I have used it for a few hours on multiple devices. I wrote a paper on non-Apple mobile OS' and it was one of them. I've not used one as my own actual device, but if iOS didn't exist and this did, I certainly would, even with my general aversion to Microsoft products.
In my use, I just came across impressed. Some of the finer things aren't as intuitive as iOS, but all in all, they've thought it out well.
Thank your sir. I figured you had some hands-on time with it. Your opinion means more with actual use, compared to some who seem to just parrot something they read once. Not anyone here of course.
He was laughing just as hard about the absence of a keyboard, saying that business customers would never use it.
You're right! I forgot about that.
There's a lot of truth to that. Microsoft has fallen into a position of constant reaction instead of action.
That isn't true at all. The Metro interface in Windows Phone is really quite original. It would have been easy for MS to make an iOS clone, - it's what Google did after all - but they didn't. Instead they innovated.
That same innovation is going to change Windows in the most radical way in it's entire history in Windows 8. To make such a massive change to an operating system used by virtually every computer on the planet takes courage. It's certainly far more innovative than anything Apple have done with Mac OS since the switch to OS X.
That's a parenting problem more than a technology problem. My daughter communicates quite well. Of course, she is not allowed to have her phone within reach at dinner and spends a great deal of time interacting with adults - face to face
you're dead on- unfortunately, you're also in the minority by a lot.
It's like a car seat- we shouldn't need a law, but people are too stupid not to do it without one.
Once again, I'd like to offer my thanks and congratulations to Microsoft for making something with an original UI and use style for once in their company's existence. I wish only for Windows Phone 7 to be made better. Android as an iOS competitor isn't a stable future, and Apple needs SOMETHING in the way of professional competition to prevent monopoly whiners and keep innovation pushing forward.
I agree. WP7 is actually very nice, and is a legitimate iOS competitor, which blazed its own path rather than slavishly copying Apple. I think MS does indeed stand a decent chance, especially if they get some enterprise features working well (and the Office suite on it, maybe).
easy with that one cowboy...
while i agree that Ballmer isn't Steve (who is?), I have a huge amount of respect for him.
Since he became CEO, Microsoft stopped being evil.
Even when they lost (zune for example) they tried fair and square unlike shmidt and others like him.
It is true that windows 7 does the same as XP that does the same as 2000, but now it is stable and much more pleasant to use. xbox is also becoming really good and windows phone 7 is a great OS:
I don't know how windows 8 will be, but at least they are trying to fight instead of copying.
Microsoft is becoming good for apple just like apple is becoming good for them. that's healthy competition.
While this is true, it was a consequence of the European court's illegal-monopoly judgments against MS rather than any actions taken by Ballmer that caused this to happen.
Too bad it wasn't his head!
That same innovation is going to change Windows in the most radical way in it's entire history in Windows 8. To make such a massive change to an operating system used by virtually every computer on the planet takes courage. It's certainly far more innovative than anything Apple have done with Mac OS since the switch to OS X.
I'm a desktop guy... good ol' tower n' monitor. No touch screen for me.
First thing I will do is bypass Metro and bring up the desktop on Windows 8.
The Metro interface may be great, and Microsoft may want to radically change Windows... but the software developers have to radically change their programs in order for this great shift to happen.
Otherwise... people will stick to the Windows 7 "classic" interface to run their existing programs.
Are you kidding me? The phone I had before my OG iPhone was a HTC touch running winblows mobile. It was a horrible piece of crap. Doing the simplest thing on it was a Hurculean labour! Half the time I couldn't even figure out how to get on-line, and when I did, it was the crippled Internet that SJ talked about in his initial presser for the iPhone. The OS was a nightmare to use, and completely user unfriendly. Don't miss it at all.
It's interesting to look back though, how monkey boy initially said the iPhone was never going to go anywhere, or be successful. Obviously, he recognizes innovation with the same talent level that he runs Microsloth......
I'm pretty sure that macismac was being sarcastic.
This was photo-shopped?
http://www.pclaunches.com/entry_imag...ourier-mod.jpg
That was not the prototype Courier. That was a hacker mod of two 9" Dell Mini netbooks:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/09/m...9-calls-it-ha/
I'm betting that the upper management was in denial of the iPhone's success, while those working in the mobile OS division understood early on that the iPhone was a game changer. Rim is going thru the same thing. The employees and lower management are begging for their upper management to "get with the program" as witnessed in an open letter written by a RIM employee a few months back, but it takes a long time for someone as big as MS and RIMM to finally take the "if you can't beat em, join em" approach, in regards to going with a touch U.I. It probably took 2 years for the "final" meeting in upper management to move forward and go with Windows Phone 7. But even then, you see the reluctance for complete change, as Microsoft chose to keep the "WINDOWS" name in phone os title. Just for branding purposes. I bet this is one of the things that Ballmer had changed to keep WINDOWS in the phone os name. On the other hand, Apple is quick to shed it's skin, changing it's name to Apple, Inc. instead of Apple Computers, because of the iPod's popularity. Changing the mobile os to iOS instead of iPhone OS, because of the iPod touch and the iPad. It's pretty impressive to see Apple being very nimble and act like a start-up in this respect.
Microsoft reminds me of GM. Slow to make change until it's almost too late. I hear that GM is doing very well now and had a nice increase in sales last year, maybe MS will have the same luck. I'm not crazy about the METRO UI, but I confess, I've never actually seen it in person, because I don't know a single person that has a WIN7 phone. It looks interesting in the videos I see online, but I think the UI is a little too heavy on the social media theme and the tiles are a bit too youthful, which doesn't really fit the WINDOWS branding. Seems a little lost too me. MS has strong enterprise roots, and this metro theme just doesn't seem to fit in well with that. It kind of seems like if our law makers in D.C. all started to wear clothes from Abercrombie and Fitch.
Anyhow, there might be some truth to what other's have said about Apple's competitors being a bit more open now that Steve Jobs has passed. SJ was a genius that surrounded himself with even more genii. SJ also appeared to be a bit eccentric, paranoid and tended to hold a grudge, for a long time. Even worse, he had no qualms letting it be known. I hope that Tim Cook has a more diplomatic approach to things. He's definitely a smart fellow and he is surrounded by genii, but hopefully he can smooth things out with those that Steve Jobs couldn't or refused to do.
Time will tell. Maybe Steve Jobs is just another thing that, sadly, Apple needed to shed. (damn that was tough to write.)
Microsoft could have innovated with TV, but again ... they will follow Apple and lose.
If I were shareholders and board members, I would say it's time to think about replacing a few top executives. This all comes down to leadership and vision; two thing MS has been lacking for a long time.
http://www.busygamer.com/blog1/wp-co...8ZukG_1333.jpg
It may attract more flies than Flyface in the Dick Tracy comics (read POS).