He is the one and only person I hate very much whom I've never even met... That's an achievement... There's just something about his interviews that got to me... Especially the one where he laughs the iPhone off... At that point I myself thought the iPhone would be a failure... I wasn't even interested in buying one... That interview got me so ticked off I went out and bought one in the second hand market... And have never left since...
When people look back a decade or two from now, it will be clear that Microsoft was left behind as the world moved towards mobile computing. The Ballmer era will be a time when Microsoft floundered from a lack of vision. Googling Ballmer will bring up the video of him laughing at the iPhone introduction.
That Ballmer keeps referring to Apple's engineering innovations as 'fashion' tells me he still doesn't get it.
When I see the oddly-named and butt ugly Xbox One, I hear Jobs saying Microsoft had no taste. In the same interview, he also referred to MS as McDonald's.
It's going to be hard to turn that ugly ship around.
[I]Steve Ballmer Playlist Appearance on WMBR's Dinnertime Sampler radio show February 23, 2005
Steven A. Ballmer CEO, Microsoft Wednesday, February 23, 2005
[LIST] [*] Rocky - Theme [*] Sound of Music Soundtrack - Climb Every Mountain [*] Dione Warwick - I Say A Little Prayer For You [*] Rolling Stones - Start Me Up [*] Pippin - Theme [*] Survivor - Eye of the Tiger [*] [/LIST]
This guy was always about the numbers not the experience. Windows 8 for instance is a turd. No plug-in for video playback? It is a messed up user experience to the nth degree.
Ballmer is an idiot. He presided over the disastrous Windows Vista, the yawn-worthy Zune, the hot but not all that profitable Xbox, windows Phone--which no one uses, and the Surface, which is not selling anywhere near like they hoped.
I said it years ago: Apple did not Micro$oft in the 2000's that Micro$oft did to Apple in the 1990's. Apple came out with market-dominant products like the iPhone and iPad, and Microsoft tried to "compete" with them. First, they mocked them. Then, they copied them. Then they tried to out-Apple them by marketing their products as superior. All the while, they failed to understand that Apple's products were more than the sum of their parts. They had become household names. No one went shopping for a tablet. They looked for an iPad or a suitable alternative. Few looked for a smartphone---they looked for an iPhone or something like it. And Microshaft is still at it with their ridiculous Surface and and generic Windows tablet ads. But those are disaster, too, because Windows isn't sexy. M$ is in the unenviable position of having to advertise third party products that run its Windows, while at the same time eating the lunch of its hardware partners by offering products like the Surface.
What Microsoft SHOULD do (now that Monkey Boy is gone) is focus on Windows, Office and the xBox. They should kill all other hardware. They should totally redesign Internet Explorer to make it fast and secure. They should focus like a laser on UI and under-the-hood improvements. They should become on the of the dominant developers for Apple's iPad and iPhone, as well as Android. They should totally bail on Windows Phone. They'd make money hand over fist.
The CEO also took credit for Microsoft's major push into the living room over the last 12 years with its Xbox franchise. This year marks its largest endeavor yet, with the launch of the new Xbox One gaming console, which Microsoft announced on Wednesday has sold 2 million units since it debuted last month.
While the Xbox has earned buzz in the console gaming market and sold tens of millions of units, it's mostly been a money losing operation for Microsoft. In particular, high failure rates with the Xbox 360 console cost the company over a billion dollars.
"I believe in accountability," Ballmer said. "I'm in. I'm accountable. I'll make this work -- not that I had to drive it -- but we had some bumps in the road. And it was important that I stay accountable, stay patient, and stay behind the decision that we made."
None of Ballmer’s boasty huffing and puffing makes any difference if the Xbox is unprofitable. It doesn’t matter how popular it is if it isn’t making the company any money.
Now I’d understand if it’s a “gateway” product that instead makes money for *other* areas of Microsoft’s business. If so, that’s great. But even in that case, smart money has to ask: are those *other* services and products making up for the costs to manufacture/market/research the Xbox? I’d certainly hope so. Otherwise, the incoming CEO might be looking to do a “reset” of the Xbox’s respective division at MS.
I've heard different, conflicting accounts about Ballmer's stance on Xbox. Originally, I read that he was dead set against making a console and wanted to sell "Windows OS for Game Consoles" to companies like Dell. Other accounts say he was a supporter of Microsoft getting into the hardware business. Not sure which is correct, or if he switched over to the winning team. I recall reading one of those accounts from an interview with either J Allard or Robbie Bach.
How did you forget the buyout of the Andy Rubin startup Danger, Inc.? It gave birth to project Pink, also known as the Microsoft KIN.
From all I've read the original vision behind the Kin was actually supposed to be a pretty decent handset but got stolen out from under J. Allard by Andy Lees at which point it went into the crapper:
Apple's success, after the return of Steve Jobs to the helm, was largely due to Jobs skills and genius, but I have to say that Ballmer's incompetence left a vacuum for Apple to build a strong momentum in the iPod arena before MS could respond with the Zune. Previously, MS could always blow away superior products with advertising and position.
Then, Apple was able to do a repeat with the iPhone because MS, thanks to Ballmer's incompetence, took five years to respond with Win 8 phone OS. In the meantime, Google filled in with a product where MS would have formerly done so, and effectively filled the role of a competitor leaving MS to scramble for the number 3 or 4 slot remaining.
Finally, while MS was more timely to market with the Surface tablet, to address Apple's iPad, MS seemed to come to market with a rushed concept, rushed & confusing advertising, little 3rd-party app support, and no ecosystem. It was as if Ballmer expected the Windows supporters to buy into the idea of the surface and trust that in time MS would build out the essential structure later. I don't think MS/Ballmer realized that Apple had a complete package behind the iPad from DAY ONE: The apps were already there by the tens of thousands, the Customer Service was there as second-to-none. The concept and the advertising were integrated and synched, while the iCloud and iPhone and OSX supported each other in a tightly unified system (that even included Windows computers).
I think they may have made a strategic error with the new Xbox One: as the kids joked on last week's South Park "The graphics are definitely like 10% better than the old Xbox." Why is that strategic? Because it leaves room for the iPad to catch up.
They also made a mistake changing Windows and Office so drastically. Yes, things can't stay the same forever, but on the other hand, a big advantage they had with Windows is that most people already knew how to use it, so it was easier to stay than to switch platforms. Now with Windows 8.1 (yes I own it) it's hard to tell what's going on half the time. At a certain point it's no more difficult to switch than learn the new version of Windows.
They also made a mistake changing Windows and Office so drastically.
I remember the introduction of Vista, and the outcry over the missing Start button. And the Office Ribbon; one of their most, utterly stupid design, implementation I've ever seen.
Comments
When people look back a decade or two from now, it will be clear that Microsoft was left behind as the world moved towards mobile computing. The Ballmer era will be a time when Microsoft floundered from a lack of vision. Googling Ballmer will bring up the video of him laughing at the iPhone introduction.
That Ballmer keeps referring to Apple's engineering innovations as 'fashion' tells me he still doesn't get it.
When I see the oddly-named and butt ugly Xbox One, I hear Jobs saying Microsoft had no taste. In the same interview, he also referred to MS as McDonald's.
It's going to be hard to turn that ugly ship around.
Watch the whole video:
[I]Steve Ballmer Playlist Appearance on WMBR's Dinnertime Sampler radio show February 23, 2005
Steven A. Ballmer
CEO, Microsoft
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
[LIST]
[*] Rocky - Theme
[*] Sound of Music Soundtrack - Climb Every Mountain
[*] Dione Warwick - I Say A Little Prayer For You
[*] Rolling Stones - Start Me Up
[*] Pippin - Theme
[*] Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
[*]
[/LIST]
http://web.mit.edu/echemi/www/ballmer.html[/I]
It all makes sense now.
Ballmer’s RDF is not nearly as good as the other Steve’s was.
It's more effective than SJ's, only it works in reverse. Instead of affecting everybody else in the area, it only affects Balmer.
I just knew you'd like that one. Well, not like that one, but this one in the list.
I said it years ago: Apple did not Micro$oft in the 2000's that Micro$oft did to Apple in the 1990's. Apple came out with market-dominant products like the iPhone and iPad, and Microsoft tried to "compete" with them. First, they mocked them. Then, they copied them. Then they tried to out-Apple them by marketing their products as superior. All the while, they failed to understand that Apple's products were more than the sum of their parts. They had become household names. No one went shopping for a tablet. They looked for an iPad or a suitable alternative. Few looked for a smartphone---they looked for an iPhone or something like it. And Microshaft is still at it with their ridiculous Surface and and generic Windows tablet ads. But those are disaster, too, because Windows isn't sexy. M$ is in the unenviable position of having to advertise third party products that run its Windows, while at the same time eating the lunch of its hardware partners by offering products like the Surface.
What Microsoft SHOULD do (now that Monkey Boy is gone) is focus on Windows, Office and the xBox. They should kill all other hardware. They should totally redesign Internet Explorer to make it fast and secure. They should focus like a laser on UI and under-the-hood improvements. They should become on the of the dominant developers for Apple's iPad and iPhone, as well as Android. They should totally bail on Windows Phone. They'd make money hand over fist.
Steve Ballmer Playlist Appearance on WMBR's Dinnertime Sampler radio show February 23, 2005
Amazingly ironic and existential, in retrospect.
The obscure Pippin track reveals this was not a mindless exercise on his part, he actually thought about this (shudder).
(Why yes, I have performed in two productions of said musical...)
That actually wouldn't be a horrible song list if it were from 1982 instead of 2005.
The CEO also took credit for Microsoft's major push into the living room over the last 12 years with its Xbox franchise. This year marks its largest endeavor yet, with the launch of the new Xbox One gaming console, which Microsoft announced on Wednesday has sold 2 million units since it debuted last month.
While the Xbox has earned buzz in the console gaming market and sold tens of millions of units, it's mostly been a money losing operation for Microsoft. In particular, high failure rates with the Xbox 360 console cost the company over a billion dollars.
"I believe in accountability," Ballmer said. "I'm in. I'm accountable. I'll make this work -- not that I had to drive it -- but we had some bumps in the road. And it was important that I stay accountable, stay patient, and stay behind the decision that we made."
None of Ballmer’s boasty huffing and puffing makes any difference if the Xbox is unprofitable. It doesn’t matter how popular it is if it isn’t making the company any money.
Now I’d understand if it’s a “gateway” product that instead makes money for *other* areas of Microsoft’s business. If so, that’s great. But even in that case, smart money has to ask: are those *other* services and products making up for the costs to manufacture/market/research the Xbox? I’d certainly hope so. Otherwise, the incoming CEO might be looking to do a “reset” of the Xbox’s respective division at MS.
Ballmer is a moron, but by Microsoft standards, he's excellent.
He gets to retire at 57 with a net worth of 18 Billion. I would argue Microsoft was the moron. At 57 with 18 Billion he looks like the rockstar.
From all I've read the original vision behind the Kin was actually supposed to be a pretty decent handset but got stolen out from under J. Allard by Andy Lees at which point it went into the crapper:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/02/life-and-death-of-microsoft-kin-the-inside-story/
Then, Apple was able to do a repeat with the iPhone because MS, thanks to Ballmer's incompetence, took five years to respond with Win 8 phone OS. In the meantime, Google filled in with a product where MS would have formerly done so, and effectively filled the role of a competitor leaving MS to scramble for the number 3 or 4 slot remaining.
Finally, while MS was more timely to market with the Surface tablet, to address Apple's iPad, MS seemed to come to market with a rushed concept, rushed & confusing advertising, little 3rd-party app support, and no ecosystem. It was as if Ballmer expected the Windows supporters to buy into the idea of the surface and trust that in time MS would build out the essential structure later. I don't think MS/Ballmer realized that Apple had a complete package behind the iPad from DAY ONE: The apps were already there by the tens of thousands, the Customer Service was there as second-to-none. The concept and the advertising were integrated and synched, while the iCloud and iPhone and OSX supported each other in a tightly unified system (that even included Windows computers).
They also made a mistake changing Windows and Office so drastically. Yes, things can't stay the same forever, but on the other hand, a big advantage they had with Windows is that most people already knew how to use it, so it was easier to stay than to switch platforms. Now with Windows 8.1 (yes I own it) it's hard to tell what's going on half the time. At a certain point it's no more difficult to switch than learn the new version of Windows.
I remember the introduction of Vista, and the outcry over the missing Start button. And the Office Ribbon; one of their most, utterly stupid design, implementation I've ever seen.