Microsoft sets sights on providing an Apple-like experience
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer on Wednesday issued a company-wide memo outlining his battle plan for the new fiscal year in which he singled out the Apple experience as a benchmark for future success.
"In the competition between PCs and Macs, we outsell Apple 30-to-1. But there is no doubt that Apple is thriving," Ballmer wrote in the email, a copy of which was obtained by the Wall Street Journal. "Why? Because they are good at providing an experience that is narrow but complete, while our commitment to choice often comes with some compromises to the end-to-end experience."
Going forward, Ballmer said Microsoft will be changing the way it works with hardware vendors to mimic the experience offered by the Mac maker in which there will be "absolutely no compromises." His plan calls for a similar approach in the mobile phone arena, where he hopes the company can create "great end-to-end experiences" akin to that afforded by Apple's closed ecosystem, where it maintains tight control of nearly every aspect of a product's design.
Ballmer's memo and his comments about the mobile phone industry arrive amid reports that the Redmond-based software giant this week held its first concrete meeting to begin mapping out a rival to the iPhone. A report published by jkOnTheRun suggests such a device would be based around the company's struggling Zune media player, but run a variant of Windows Mobile 7 with heavy tie-ins to Windows Live Services.
Still, Ballmer acknowledged in his memo that Windows and the public's perception of Vista remains Microsoft's No. 1 priority. He said the recent release of Windows Vista SP1 and teamwork with PC manufacturers have largely addressed the device and application compatibility issues that plagued the operating system in its early going.
"Now it?s time to tell our story," he said. "In the weeks ahead, we?ll launch a campaign to address any lingering doubts our customers may have about Windows Vista. And later this year, you?ll see a more comprehensive effort to redefine the meaning and value of Windows for our customers."
"In the competition between PCs and Macs, we outsell Apple 30-to-1. But there is no doubt that Apple is thriving," Ballmer wrote in the email, a copy of which was obtained by the Wall Street Journal. "Why? Because they are good at providing an experience that is narrow but complete, while our commitment to choice often comes with some compromises to the end-to-end experience."
Going forward, Ballmer said Microsoft will be changing the way it works with hardware vendors to mimic the experience offered by the Mac maker in which there will be "absolutely no compromises." His plan calls for a similar approach in the mobile phone arena, where he hopes the company can create "great end-to-end experiences" akin to that afforded by Apple's closed ecosystem, where it maintains tight control of nearly every aspect of a product's design.
Ballmer's memo and his comments about the mobile phone industry arrive amid reports that the Redmond-based software giant this week held its first concrete meeting to begin mapping out a rival to the iPhone. A report published by jkOnTheRun suggests such a device would be based around the company's struggling Zune media player, but run a variant of Windows Mobile 7 with heavy tie-ins to Windows Live Services.
Still, Ballmer acknowledged in his memo that Windows and the public's perception of Vista remains Microsoft's No. 1 priority. He said the recent release of Windows Vista SP1 and teamwork with PC manufacturers have largely addressed the device and application compatibility issues that plagued the operating system in its early going.
"Now it?s time to tell our story," he said. "In the weeks ahead, we?ll launch a campaign to address any lingering doubts our customers may have about Windows Vista. And later this year, you?ll see a more comprehensive effort to redefine the meaning and value of Windows for our customers."
Comments
[Microsoft] this week held its first concrete meeting to begin mapping out a rival to the iPhone.
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
What are they talking about, the R&D for this device has already been completed...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRLRjKCGHek
Microsoft's been trying to do that since Windows 1.x, for more than 20 years now.
Nothin' new here.
Steve
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer on Wednesday issued a company-wide memo outlining his battle plan for the new fiscal year in which he singled out the Apple experience as a benchmark for future success.
Amazing - that's Ballmer's Big New Idea that's going to turn Microsoft round & save his job
- Copy Apple!
- the man's a genius!
This is astounding in certain ways, and speaks volumes to the idiocy of Dancing Monkey Boy.
This will be the largest copy and paste attempted in the history of computers.
What are they talking about, the R&D for this device has already been completed...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRLRjKCGHek
That's an amazing spoof. But, on a more serious note, they may actually try something like this... and it will fail as much as the Zune has.
<...more comprehensive effort to redefine the meaning and value of Windows for our customers.>
This quote says so much. First of all, it says that Microsoft feels that it is necessary to define the meaning and value of windows to the customer. Shouldn't the customer just naturally sense the value, if the product is any good? I know with most good products, the value is inherently obvious from the get-go. If the company has to TELL me why it is valuable even after I have tried it, then the product most likely stinks.
The second thing the quote says is that Microsoft has to REdefine the value. In other words, not only do they feel it necessary to define in the first place, but they failed at it once and need to try it again... presumably with a different - but somehow better - definition.
Balmer STILL doesn't get it!
Thompson
People who can only copy and not innovate are forever stuck, mediocre and producing only limited things.
But that's not to say they can't crowd out the market with their landfill and squeeze out or consume the innovator.
...heavy tie-ins...
With strong emphasis on the word 'heavy', like running through syrup, maybe.
On another note. I love using my Mac and filling out forms with the Spell Check turned on. My Windows machine does not have that feature out of the box.
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer on Wednesday issued a company-wide memo outlining his battle plan for the new fiscal year in which he singled out the Apple experience as a benchmark for future success.
"In the competition between PCs and Macs, we outsell Apple 30-to-1. But there is no doubt that Apple is thriving," Ballmer wrote in the email, a copy of which was obtained by the Wall Street Journal. "Why? Because they are good at providing an experience that is narrow but complete, while our commitment to choice often comes with some compromises to the end-to-end experience."
Going forward, Ballmer said Microsoft will be changing the way it works with hardware vendors to mimic the experience offered by the Mac maker in which there will be "absolutely no compromises." His plan calls for a similar approach in the mobile phone arena, where he hopes the company can create "great end-to-end experiences" akin to that afforded by Apple's closed ecosystem, where it maintains tight control of nearly every aspect of a product's design.
Ballmer's memo and his comments about the mobile phone industry arrive amid reports that the Redmond-based software giant this week held its first concrete meeting to begin mapping out a rival to the iPhone. A report published by jkOnTheRun suggests such a device would be based around the company's struggling Zune media player, but run a variant of Windows Mobile 7 with heavy tie-ins to Windows Live Services.
Still, Ballmer acknowledged in his memo that Windows and the public's perception of Vista remains Microsoft's No. 1 priority. He said the recent release of Windows Vista SP1 and teamwork with PC manufacturers have largely addressed the device and application compatibility issues that plagued the operating system in its early going.
"Now it?s time to tell our story," he said. "In the weeks ahead, we?ll launch a campaign to address any lingering doubts our customers may have about Windows Vista. And later this year, you?ll see a more comprehensive effort to redefine the meaning and value of Windows for our customers."
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
www.engadgetmobile.com/2007/01/18/ steve-ballmer-laughs-off-the-iphone-deems-it-most-expensive-i/
It would seem the Value of Vista would be going down since SB's IQ is on the rise!
V=SqRoot of 1984/SBIQ=.6455378
What are they talking about, the R&D for this device has already been completed...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRLRjKCGHek
That was then, this is NOW!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRKIDdIaFyE&NR=1
And................... don't forget the master sales promoter to provide the pitch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsboPUjrGc
Because they are good at providing an experience that is narrow but complete, while our commitment to choice often comes with some compromises to the end-to-end experience."
CHOICE??? Windows or .... what else??? They've been saying that for decades and it never made any sense. They said it with the non-iPod music players - "CHOICE!!" ..... as long as it was WMA....
Can they EVER be the first one to do anything? Copy the Mac, copy the iPod, copy OS X, copy the iPhone, copy the "end to end experience".....
Redmond, start your copiers.