"Apple, Ballmer said, is about being "fashionable," while Amazon is about being "cheap," and Google is about "knowing more." Microsoft, Ballmer said, is about "doing more." "
So he's saying Microsoft stands for "being unfashionable, expensive* and knowing less"
Good heavens, I never thought I'd agree with Monkey Boy!
*The 'expensive' isn't about the cheap crappy PCs but the enormous waste of time and money keeping the crap running.
to add to this MS is about working harder not smarter too, ie doing more
Assuming the *quote* is correct, he didn't say Microsoft was doing more. He said Microsoft was "about doing more". Likewise, he didn't say Google knew more (do you really think he would concede that?); he said they were "about knowing more".
Think about his metaphors:
Apple = fashionable
Amazon = cheap
Google = about knowing more
Microsoft = about doing more
A different way of wording it:
Apple = design-driven
Amazon = price-driven
Google = aggregating information (search, book-scanning, ...)
Microsoft = providing productivity (Office, CRM, SQL Server, ...)
Is that really a wrong way of differentiating the business models of the Four Horsemen? Of course people here are incapable and in fact unwilling to see it that way. They prefer to mock his appearance instead. After the guffaws, how intelligent and insightful does one really feel?
Too bad he is leaving; with the new CEO, Apple may face real competition..
Maybe, but unlikely to be serious enough to have a large impact.
The entire company culture is wrong. It takes an enormous shock or a very strong leader to make the level of cultural change that is needed. I just don't see the board as being open to that much change.
I would expect that the new CEO will appear to be different on the surface, but I don't think there will be fundamental changes. It seems that the Board's perception is that the problem is with implementation, not with the fundamental strategy. Until they understand the difference, they'll continue to flounder.
Focus on Microsoft, their strengths, and what they can do. No need to call out the 2-3 companies kicking your ass. It (1) proves that they are beating you, otherwise you wouldn't call them out, and (2) shows you fear them and have no other defensive move, such as --> stating what makes you different and the best choice.
Same thing for the most recent Windows Phone commercial. The LONE couple, all the way in the back, in folding chairs, while dozens of iOS and Android users duke it out, standing in front of you. You barely show your product, but do show a ton of iPhone 5s and Galaxy phones.
Their Windows Phone commercial was very funny and very well made. Of course, MS didn't make the commercial -- they hired out an ad company to design, shoot and write the commercial -- a company with talented and creative people who had a good sense of humor -- in contrast to MS.
Ballmer is so juvenile - he always been. It's like he's in high school at a pep rally for the big game with the cross town rival. Or even better, he's a lame rapper who can't put two words together, yet he constantly boasts how his rhymes are better than all the other MCs.
Dear Steve B: The rest of us out here are adults. Why can't you be one too?
Ballmer is the Kanye West of the computer industry.
He should've said "**** you all and have a nice day!" Then after that put on a cowboy hat and gallop off the stage with a stick horse. THAT would've still been smarter than everything he just said.
That future will be as a devices and services company, a path solidified recently by Microsoft's $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia's cell phone business, as well as the revelation of new Surface tablet units this week.
What a joke. Ballmer would never have followed that path if he were still alive.
SMDH! This just goes to show you how shallow this a** clown is. MS investors are perplexed. Why? Ballmer calls Apple fashionable while the new crop of iPhones just sold 9 million in 3 days. That ain't fashion. That's kicking yo a**!
doing more... how about "quality over quantity?" If you look at the amount spent on R&D between Apple and MSFT, somebody may honor us with the number but I believe apple was about 2billion/year and msft much much more... now looking at the major results, MSFT beyond managing to copy Mac OS and the original Word Express and whatever spreadsheet software was ruling in the 80's (maybe Lotus) to build it into their Windoze + Office empire, not much innovative ground-breaking rev-generating things came out of "doing more"..
and although Ballmer may belittle Apple's fashionableness, he shouldn't forget that Windows was , too , fashionable in the 90s and early 2000, and in 95' ppl actually lined up to buy windows 95!! how tides have turned.
"The CEO who gave us the Monkey Boy dance is reported to have jumped about the stage to Michael Jackson’s Wanna be startin’ somethin’ – the song he played at that fateful 1983 meeting – while screaming “the sound of Microsoft!”
Reports talk of tears streaming down Steve's face as he gave his final speech.
Ballmer closed on (I’ve had) the time of my life from Dirty Dancing, continuing to dance and run around the stage. Employees were shaking hands with Ballmer and screaming “we love you” through the routine, we're so reliably informed."
Steve Jobs got it right. Microsoft does not have to fail in order for Apple to succeed. Ballmer should realize that the same is true about how to make Microsoft succeed. Bashing competitors is not going to make you succeed on any significant level. Microsoft's problem is Microsoft, it not about doing more. It's about doing something completely different and new.
Comments
"Apple, Ballmer said, is about being "fashionable," while Amazon is about being "cheap," and Google is about "knowing more." Microsoft, Ballmer said, is about "doing more." "
So he's saying Microsoft stands for "being unfashionable, expensive* and knowing less"
Good heavens, I never thought I'd agree with Monkey Boy!
*The 'expensive' isn't about the cheap crappy PCs but the enormous waste of time and money keeping the crap running.
to add to this MS is about working harder not smarter too, ie doing more
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
more maintenance...
more troubleshooting...
more rebooting...
more pulling your hair out...
more throwing chairs...
Maybe, but unlikely to be serious enough to have a large impact.
The entire company culture is wrong. It takes an enormous shock or a very strong leader to make the level of cultural change that is needed. I just don't see the board as being open to that much change.
I would expect that the new CEO will appear to be different on the surface, but I don't think there will be fundamental changes. It seems that the Board's perception is that the problem is with implementation, not with the fundamental strategy. Until they understand the difference, they'll continue to flounder.
Focus on Microsoft, their strengths, and what they can do. No need to call out the 2-3 companies kicking your ass. It (1) proves that they are beating you, otherwise you wouldn't call them out, and (2) shows you fear them and have no other defensive move, such as --> stating what makes you different and the best choice.
Same thing for the most recent Windows Phone commercial. The LONE couple, all the way in the back, in folding chairs, while dozens of iOS and Android users duke it out, standing in front of you. You barely show your product, but do show a ton of iPhone 5s and Galaxy phones.
Their Windows Phone commercial was very funny and very well made. Of course, MS didn't make the commercial -- they hired out an ad company to design, shoot and write the commercial -- a company with talented and creative people who had a good sense of humor -- in contrast to MS.
Ballmer is so juvenile - he always been. It's like he's in high school at a pep rally for the big game with the cross town rival. Or even better, he's a lame rapper who can't put two words together, yet he constantly boasts how his rhymes are better than all the other MCs.
Dear Steve B: The rest of us out here are adults. Why can't you be one too?
Ballmer is the Kanye West of the computer industry.
whistling past the graveyard
Nothing says 'doing more' like kickstand.
Ballmer is an ass hat. nothing he has ever said has been based in any form of reality.
It's still his job. What else should he say?
He should've said "**** you all and have a nice day!" Then after that put on a cowboy hat and gallop off the stage with a stick horse. THAT would've still been smarter than everything he just said.
That future will be as a devices and services company, a path solidified recently by Microsoft's $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia's cell phone business, as well as the revelation of new Surface tablet units this week.
What a joke. Ballmer would never have followed that path if he were still alive.
MS investors are perplexed. Why? Ballmer calls Apple fashionable while the new crop of iPhones just sold 9 million in 3 days.
That ain't fashion. That's kicking yo a**!
doing more... how about "quality over quantity?" If you look at the amount spent on R&D between Apple and MSFT, somebody may honor us with the number but I believe apple was about 2billion/year and msft much much more... now looking at the major results, MSFT beyond managing to copy Mac OS and the original Word Express and whatever spreadsheet software was ruling in the 80's (maybe Lotus) to build it into their Windoze + Office empire, not much innovative ground-breaking rev-generating things came out of "doing more"..
and although Ballmer may belittle Apple's fashionableness, he shouldn't forget that Windows was , too , fashionable in the 90s and early 2000, and in 95' ppl actually lined up to buy windows 95!! how tides have turned.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/27/ballmer_leaving_party/
"The CEO who gave us the Monkey Boy dance is reported to have jumped about the stage to Michael Jackson’s Wanna be startin’ somethin’ – the song he played at that fateful 1983 meeting – while screaming “the sound of Microsoft!”
Reports talk of tears streaming down Steve's face as he gave his final speech.
Ballmer closed on (I’ve had) the time of my life from Dirty Dancing, continuing to dance and run around the stage. Employees were shaking hands with Ballmer and screaming “we love you” through the routine, we're so reliably informed."
Someone get the video!
"Doing more," is for sure!
Virus scans, disk defrags, annual clean re-installs, high upgrade fees, weird products (hello, RT), axed products, endless configuration.
What more could customers want?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/27/ballmer_leaving_party/
The byline is my favorite: "Nobody puts Ballmer in a corner."
OK, they actually said "outgoing Steve", but still. Gold.
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