In comparing Steve Jobs to Steve Ballmer, all I can conjure are the wisdom-infused words of Sun Tzu:
Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate. - in an interview with Shaolin Wen of 36 Chambers magazine, 537 B.C.
When Apple shortly becomes the most market valuable company in the world, I hope the shareholders of Microsoft rise up and demand Bill Gates' college roommate's head.
It is sad to see such an American giant such as Microsoft come to this. It's useless people like Balmer who have done so much damage to our standing in the world.
Just no class. It seems that it would be better if playing the expectations game to prop up the competitor leaving room for the MSFT products. It's as if he has to have an answer for everything, and when there is not a favorable answer, he makes it up.
Google and Microsoft are fighting to get low end customers and Apple only focuses on the mid to high end customers.
Again, this makes no sense. The phones cost the same - the iPhone is not more expensive than an Android or WP7 phone, so how are Android and WP7 customers low end?
+1 to everyone who has pointed out the article and headline are extremely misleading.
The oddly dressed interviewer asks the monkey if he thinks the Windows 7 thing finds the middle ground between no choice on the Apple side and too much fragmentation on the Android side. Monkey then says Apple only provides one choice and then explains the the Microsoft approach is to have good standards and therefore the brand means something to users. There is no doubt that part about standards and brand was in response to the Android part of the question.
OMG OMG OMG And this guy is running Microsoft - into the ground! Even if one were brain dead, just read the stupid surveys and studies! Few brands today are as valuable - mean as much to consumers - as Apple.
Once Bill Gates turned the MS helm over to Ballmer the trouble began. The MS results under Ballmer's leadership have been unspectacular at best. He's obviously in over his head.
His comments about the undisputedly fading Microsoft brand obviously demonstrate his lack of clarity and understanding of today's marketplace.
Sad to see the once respected Microsoft brand fade into the mud and mire of today's marketplace ... and even sadder, particularly for Microsoft's shareholders, to see the Captain of their ship so in over his head.
This headline does not fairly characterize Ballmer's words. He does not say "Apple's not so much." He does not say Apple's brand "means nothing to the user." The quote could just as easily been directed at the myriad of Android phones as Apple. Seems more attention grabbing and link baiting than actual news.
Quote:
Originally Posted by grking
I agree with you. There is nothing in what Appleinsider wrote that even remotely implies that the Apple brand does not mean anything. It was probably aimed at Android.
Heck, if you look at the article, at the critical junction Appleinsider put . . . . which means they edited something out.
This was a hack job by AI.
Quote:
Originally Posted by asdasd
Most people haven't worked out that he wasn't attacking Apple's brand, despite the headline.
Whatever.
/Gets popcorn
True, true and true. People's comments should be directed toward the AI fail in this post.
Comments
Most are guilty of it, I know, doesn't make my statement any less true.
Whatever.
/Gets popcorn
Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate. - in an interview with Shaolin Wen of 36 Chambers magazine, 537 B.C.
It is sad to see such an American giant such as Microsoft come to this. It's useless people like Balmer who have done so much damage to our standing in the world.
How many people are driving around with Microsoft stickers on their back windows? That's a good measure of how much a brand means to consumers.
Anyone know who will succeed him?
Most people haven't worked out that he wasn't attacking Apple's brand, despite the headline.
Whatever.
/Gets popcorn
They do not want to realize that Ballmer was not talking about Apple, because then they would not be able to say bad things about MS.
Remember, for the masses, the delusion is preferable to reality.
How many people are driving around with Microsoft stickers on their back windows? That's a good measure of how much a brand means to consumers.
Agree on the stickers, I feel very proud when using an Apple product. 2 large, 3 small stickers on the car, we are a 5 person mac using family.
Our brand means something to the user.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Wake up man. Your enemy is Google, not Apple.
Google and Microsoft are fighting to get low end customers and Apple only focuses on the mid to high end customers.
Again, this makes no sense. The phones cost the same - the iPhone is not more expensive than an Android or WP7 phone, so how are Android and WP7 customers low end?
How many people are driving around with Microsoft stickers on their back windows? That's a good measure of how much a brand means to consumers.
How many people are using Windows PCs? That's also a good measure of how much a brand means to consumers.
He is missing a "but"
About the only thing Ballmer is NOT missing is a 'butt'.
The oddly dressed interviewer asks the monkey if he thinks the Windows 7 thing finds the middle ground between no choice on the Apple side and too much fragmentation on the Android side. Monkey then says Apple only provides one choice and then explains the the Microsoft approach is to have good standards and therefore the brand means something to users. There is no doubt that part about standards and brand was in response to the Android part of the question.
His comments about the undisputedly fading Microsoft brand obviously demonstrate his lack of clarity and understanding of today's marketplace.
Sad to see the once respected Microsoft brand fade into the mud and mire of today's marketplace ... and even sadder, particularly for Microsoft's shareholders, to see the Captain of their ship so in over his head.
Wonder if John Sculley is available?
Lowejazz
This headline does not fairly characterize Ballmer's words. He does not say "Apple's not so much." He does not say Apple's brand "means nothing to the user." The quote could just as easily been directed at the myriad of Android phones as Apple. Seems more attention grabbing and link baiting than actual news.
I agree with you. There is nothing in what Appleinsider wrote that even remotely implies that the Apple brand does not mean anything. It was probably aimed at Android.
Heck, if you look at the article, at the critical junction Appleinsider put . . . . which means they edited something out.
This was a hack job by AI.
Most people haven't worked out that he wasn't attacking Apple's brand, despite the headline.
Whatever.
/Gets popcorn
True, true and true. People's comments should be directed toward the AI fail in this post.
How many people are using Windows PCs? That's also a good measure of how much a brand means to consumers.
Yeah, and we chose our water company, electric company, and garbage collectors because their "brands" and performance mean so much to us!