Steve Ballmer: We don't need to be cool!

[Indyan]

In a clear sign that Steve Ballmer has lost touch with reality, at a recent partner event Q&A the Microsoft CEO addressed the issue of "coolness" and how Microsoft competes in coolness.

On one hand, Ballmer recognizes that Microsoft is not cool and that the enterprise buyer wants safety, not necessarily coolness. But on the other hand his comments reveal an earnest desire to be cool...yet he clearly doesn't recognize what will get his company there.

The way we [will] be newsworthy, if we're successful, in and out, every day, all the time for the next 10, 20, 30 years, we're not going to make it on, hey they're brand new, we've never seen them before. We're going to have to surprise people. And I think we will. I think we'll surprise people with the quality of new PCs people see, where we've worked really hard with Vista, and people say, wow, these things are actually lighter, they actually have better battery life, they're cheaper, they're more affordable, they're more flexible, they come in more sizes, wow, that's cool.

I think you'll find people, as we get to our next generation of Windows Mobile devices, people will stop and say, not everybody gets by well without a keyboard. I don't know about the rest of you, I actually find it easier to have one when I'm typing a piece of e-mail. So what we need to do is have products that surprise people, that delight people, and particularly on the consumer side....[W]e haven't surprised people quite as much as we need to, to surf the cool wave. But, man, you take a look at where Vista is going, you take a look at Windows Mobile, and watch us watch this space for news on search.

No, Mr. Ballmer, Vista really doesn't inspire "Wow!" at least not in a positive sense. Nor is it lighter/etc. What Ballmer is actually describing is the Linux experience in ultra-portables, but that's another matter....

Microsoft's stunted mobile experience is not cool or innovative. Microsoft's consumer experience is particularly abysmal, contrary to the claim made above: Just ask the Live team, which continues to struggle to find any consumers that actually want to use Microsoft's web properties.

This is precisely why Apple is getting rave reviews and market share. It's innovative. It's cool. It's breaking new ground rather than trying to monopolize the old ground.

It's not about cool so much as about building things that people actually want to use. Microsoft may continue to do well in the enterprise where people are forced to use its products, but even that is starting to change with consumers demanding their Macs inside the firewall.

This isn't going unnoticed. Developers are following the cool crowd, with 92 percent taking a pass this year on Microsoft's not-so-cool Vista. Microsoft may well find that by shuffling down its road of "tried-and-true" may well translate into "tried-that-but-want-something-new."

Source

[MetalheadGautham]

quite obvious. till XP, MS was the people's OS company. they made standard OSes with standard features for the masses. Then from XP MCE onwards, MS is trying hard to appeal to the premium coolness market and failed miserably with vista. So this statement.

I hope for MS's sake that Windows Vienna is going to be good. If they can manage to make it run zippily on 1GB DDR2 667MHz RAM [ddr3 won't be available to all] without ANY issues, and if its much faster than Vista, it will definitely be a huge success.

What ever happened to that futuristic file system they had promised in vista which never came ?

[Indyan]

If you mean WinFS, its a closed project. But many of its promised benefits will make way into Windows 7. Ans oh btw, it wasnt a true file system rather a storage subsystem that was supposed to act as a layer on top of ntfs.

[skippednote]

Microsoft was best till xp even though they were without the "coolness". Now they tried to bring in coolness in the form of vista but failed misrably. If xp sp3 wouldnt have been released then i would have gone to linux.
How much microsoft tries but it cannot match apple for there coolness. Im not a apple fanboy but its the truth.

[Cyrus_the_virus]

Originally Posted by Steve Ballmer

I think we'll surprise people with the quality of new PCs people see, where we've worked really hard with Vista, and people say, wow, these things are actually lighter, they actually have better battery life, they're cheaper, they're more affordable, they're more flexible, they come in more sizes, wow, that's cool.

He cracks me up!!

I mean seriously! Which world is he living in? The author is spot-on in saying how much out of touch Ballmer is with reality

BTW, I think this is supposed be in chit chat more than Technology news, such nonsense doesn't deserve to be news. Come on Mod ji, how come you posted in the wrong section?

[ax3]

is he going 2 drown "Microsoft" ???

[sourav123]

Be what happens, Apple is not going to make it in the industry. Period.

Enterprises are more concerned about productivity and not shiny frontends. Linux FTW!

[Pat]

Originally Posted by sourav123

Be what happens, Apple is not going to make it in the industry. Period.

Enterprises are more concerned about productivity and not shiny frontends. Linux FTW!

How did Apple come into picture ?

[aryayush]

Coolness = Apple

Get it? 8)

People might not acknowledge it consciously but it’s quite clear that everyone agrees on some level that Apple is at the pinnacle of coolness and has an amazing brand value right now (and has for quite some time). Sure, they’re not big in the enterprise sector but, as a consumer, I couldn’t care less about how well they do in that department.

------------------

As for the topic at hand, Steve Ballmer, IMHO, is the worst thing that happened to Microsoft, and at the worst time too. You have Steve Ballmer trying to sell something like Windows Vista. That’s a recipe for disaster if ever there was one.

[k6153r]

^^ I agree

But, I like Vista's Aero.

[Faun]

lolz at above two comments

[Garbage]

^^ Lol !

[infra_red_dude]

Originally Posted by Bald Ballmer

We're going to have to surprise people. And I think we will. I think we'll surprise people with the quality of new PCs people see, where we've worked really hard with Vista, and people will say, wow.....

...thats the worst piece of sh1t we've ever seen in our lives!

Whats with MS? First they make claims that Vista is the most secure OS ever built and now this? Bill Gates... Come back.. MS is going to filthy dogs (read Ballmer)!

[Garbage]

yeh... If Bill Gates come back, then surely Microsoft can be a GOOD company again(?) !!

[infra_red_dude]

^^^ Good for MS

But seriously I think this baldhead will take the company down the drain. Keeping ethics aside, I salute Bill Gates for his business handling and decision making capacity.

At least Bill is sane enuf to never haf made such immature and idiotic comments and be in sync with whats going on in his company. All this makes Ballmer look like a jacka$$!

[Cyrus_the_virus]

Originally Posted by infra_red_dude

All this makes Ballmer look like a jacka$$!

He doesn't need to look like one, coz he's alredy one

[sourav123]

Originally Posted by aryayush

Sure, they’re not big in the enterprise sector but, as a consumer, I couldn’t care less about how well they do in that department.

But enterprises are where the money is my boy.

I do not deny your comments in any way. There is no place for coolness in a business. Its all about productivity.

So, apple is to impress your girlfriend or that cool girl in the disco and not the colleagues in a boardroom meeting.

[narangz]

Originally Posted by infra_red_dude

^^^ Good for MS

But seriously I think this baldhead will take the company down the drain. Keeping ethics aside, I salute Bill Gates for his business handling and decision making capacity.

At least Bill is sane enuf to never haf made such immature and idiotic comments and be in sync with whats going on in his company. All this makes Ballmer look like a jacka$$!

I think Bill Gates will have to come back to save MS, some day. This Steve Monkey Ballmer is going to ruin this company.

[Faun]

He looks like the slaty fat zombie in Doom 3


my chainsaw will do the job


keep that a secret