Microsoft's Steve Ballmer dismisses Apple as a 'low-volume player'

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Comments

  • Reply 81 of 156
    This is the same idiot who, the day after Apple released the first iPhone, scoffed and said that there's no way Apple could ever sell more than 500 of them.
  • Reply 82 of 156


    I had my first exposure to Windows 8 over the weekend at Best Buy and a few other stores. I had to keep poking the screen to figure out wether the device I was using had a touch screen or not. What a stupid idea to make the OS look like it should work with touch when it doesn't. 


     


    At the mall I was in there was a big kiosk with Surface tablets set up and an army of young geeks to demonstrate them. Unfortunately for Microsoft, while the nearby Apple store was packed, there were few people checking out their tablets. On an iOS device the OS is there, but you don't really think about it. It's the apps that run on the OS that are important, but with Windows 8 the OS overwhelms everything to the point of confusion.


     


    I think Windows 8 is going to make Vista look like a huge success.

  • Reply 83 of 156
    maltamalta Posts: 78member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dbtinc View Post



    Yep, just like Ferrari, Bentley and the like. They're small players too. Poor Steve - all that money has gone and ruined whatever is left of his brain.


     


     


    You might want to look at your "small player" companies. I know you just named  them because you thought they were “cool” cars


     


    Ferrari (owned by Fiat) made 3.5 billion in revenue in 2011.  4% of Fiat’s revenue.


    Bentley (owned by VW) made 1.7 billion in revenue.  1% of VW's revenue.


     


    Yeah, great example of small players. So you are saying Apple is owned by HP and makes less than a tenth the revenue.

  • Reply 84 of 156
    This guy is so utterly stupid I really hope MS keeps him in charge until 2030.

    The problem with MS is if sb who is smart and capable gets in the chair.....then they could bloom up again. But with that screaming Texas Longhorn bull in charge...naaaah
  • Reply 85 of 156
    Don't feed the troll.
  • Reply 86 of 156

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by joelsalt View Post


    The **** is wrong with this guy?



     


    Everything

  • Reply 87 of 156
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member


    When you can go out and get a coupon code to get Win8 for $14.99, no wonder it sold well.


     


    Now, how many have actually be installed??  Will they hit over 100 million installs in 5 weeks or whatever it took for iOS to hit that mark??

     

  • Reply 88 of 156
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,860member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post





    That time [for letting Ballmer go] was probably about five years ago.

     


     


    That time was probably before he was ever given the job. Although, in fairness, Microsoft's current trajectory was set years before Ballmer took over, and Gates is as much to blame for the current state of the company as anyone. Ballmer's problem is that he can't think outside the parameters he was handed, and Microsoft is thus doomed to follow that trajectory until they can find someone with the vision to change it. In all probability, it probably doesn't really matter who is running Microsoft, the results would have been the same.

  • Reply 89 of 156

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post



    Only 60% worldwide? I call absolute b-s. I was traveling in Europe a couple of weeks ago, and was stunned to see that iPads are **everywhere** -- airport lounges, airplanes, cafes, restaurants, offices, hotel lobbies...... Not an Android to be found (or perhaps it's because Android owners are too ashamed to show it in public).

    I am in Latin America this week, and it's exactly the same thing.


    I do think 60% of 'unit sales'  is accurate.  Not 60% of hourly tablet use.


     


    From above: Key words: travelling, hotels, airplanes.


       travellers require multifunction devices that are uber light and functional, and function/price has to be high.


     


     


    It's because Kindles and nooks and nexi are in the bedside drawer, or stuffed in a purse.  Function to price can be low, as long as price is low low.  The typical techie techie who screams for a Android devices most likely has a MBA knock-off laptop as their primary 'out' device while travelling (if they travel);-)


     


    I bet there were kindles by the pool;-)

  • Reply 90 of 156
    tjwaltjwal Posts: 404member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by craiger77 View Post


    I had my first exposure to Windows 8 over the weekend at Best Buy and a few other stores. I had to keep poking the screen to figure out wether the device I was using had a touch screen or not. What a stupid idea to make the OS look like it should work with touch when it doesn't. 


     


     



    I had the same experience but I do have Win8 on order.  I need another copy of windows and I can get Win8 for $10

  • Reply 91 of 156
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    anonymouse wrote: »
    That time was probably before he was ever given the job. Although, in fairness, Microsoft's current trajectory was set years before Ballmer took over, and Gates is as much to blame for the current state of the company as anyone. Ballmer's problem is that he can't think outside the parameters he was handed, and Microsoft is thus doomed to follow that trajectory until they can find someone with the vision to change it. In all probability, it probably doesn't really matter who is running Microsoft, the results would have been the same.

    Ballmer was named CEO January 2000.

    I don't think too much ill of him, but he does have a big mouth and I don't think he was the right person for the job. There is a difference between damage control and putting his foot in his mouth.
  • Reply 92 of 156

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post





    I've been saying that too. It's the same with MBPs too, Apple logos glowing every where with the odd Dell hiding in the corner now and then.


    The glowing Apple logo was an incredibly smart marketing move. When the camera would pan out over the crowd at the introduction of the Surface, the Apple logo was glowing everywhere. Balmer seeing that from the stage, has got to make him feel nutz!


     


    I don't think it's an illusion but while Apple may have 14% of the computer market, they must have 80% of the portable computer market (not counting iPads).

  • Reply 93 of 156
    analogjackanalogjack Posts: 1,073member


    So Ballmer is saying that Micro Soft has a bigger cock than Apple?

  • Reply 94 of 156
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,198member


    Apple is a "low-volume player" because there's no need to shout.


    Apple products speak for themselves.

  • Reply 95 of 156
    Ballmer is probably correct. As long as the majority of consumers want everything for nothing, the MSes, Walmarts of the world will sell the most.

    The problem is capitalism is on its last legs in the US, because most consumers want to pay the least amount they can while using up the most resources they can. One of the biggest problems is corporate merges. The courts have allowed massive merges with the simple condition that the consumer will pay less or no more, believing that the only problem with monopolies is that monopolies will eventually force prices up.

    This is short sighted and a major cause of our economic problems. That is, these merges create a monopoly on production. Prices forced low prevents competition.

    The most recent example, which almost all consumers agreed to, including Apple fanboys, is the DOJ suits against Apple and the publishers pricing based on the agency model. Not only will Amazon be allowed to control the book market, but publishers themselves. The agency model would and does price books as high as the publishers want to charge; this is good, because higher prices by the small oligarchy of publishers will allow nimble and smaller publishers to be created and to offer competition. This means more jobs and more choice in the market, and more authors.

    Will consumers have to pay more? Yes, most certainly. Is this good? Absolutely, yes!

    There is no better way to destroy jobs and competition than driving prices low. Apple is the only game in town that prices their products high and people continue to buy. Many consumers, not most, are willing to pay for quality and innovation. Those who don't buy Androids and Dells.
  • Reply 96 of 156
    sipsip Posts: 210member


    I wonder how many of that 4million was pre-installed at the factory by the likes of HP, Dell, Gateway, blah-blah? I seem to recall that when Windows7 came out, all the PC manufacturers were told they could not pre-install WindowsXP at the risk of losing their licences to Windows. My Boot Camp partition had WinXP on it until I did a clean install of Mountain Lion.

  • Reply 97 of 156

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Kavok View Post



    I cannot believe that shareholders are keeping this insane person as CEO. Under his watch, the company hasn't done ANYTHING of note in the last two decades. It's almost like he's trying to create a reality distortion field like Steve Jobs did, but Ballmer is the only one in it.

    @theothergeoff: You nailed it.


    What?? Are you insane??


     


    One more year of Bill Gates as CEO and Microsoft would be destroyed by governments and other entities, but that's not the important thing to remember.


     


    The important thing to remember is that win7 is a great OS, win8 is a fresh idea (the "previous" Microsoft never made something new), windows RT and phone are nice alternatives.


    Then you have xBox, kinnect...


     


    Microsoft is better with him than it was in Bill Gates last years. 

  • Reply 98 of 156

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by icoco3 View Post


    When you can go out and get a coupon code to get Win8 for $14.99, no wonder it sold well.


     


    Now, how many have actually be installed??  Will they hit over 100 million installs in 5 weeks or whatever it took for iOS to hit that mark??

     



    The mac plataform has less than 10% market share, and it sold 3million ML copies.

  • Reply 99 of 156
    now THAT my friends is a reality distortion field. His reality is clearly distorted.
  • Reply 100 of 156


    Originally Posted by hondo77 View Post

    Don't feed the troll.


     


    Ha! Which one?

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