What? Microsoft to Compete?
July 24th, 2008, 3:31 pm. Posted under Market Commentary by AppleOption.
Steve Ballmer the CEO of Microsoft sent a memo to all employees detailing an update in the companies strategy. Ballmer mentions Apple’s recent success and that the company will attempt to compete dirrectly with Apple.
WHAT? Is he really implying that the company hasn’t been trying to compete with Apple the last 5-10 years? It may seem funny to but take a look at the Zune, a complete rip off of the iPod. Or take a look at Vista, a windows attempt to steal features from Mac OS X. And now, Microsoft is announcing they plan to rip-off the iPhone by producing their own mobile phone with an “end-to-end experience.”
Microsoft might have the current corporate market cornered… with Windows and Office. But the thing they are forgetting is the current generation in school: be it elementary, high school, college or grad school. These students will become the new wave of employees that know and love Apple. It won’t take more than 5-10 years for Mac OS to become a mainstay in the corporate center as these grads bring new ideas to the workforce.
Microsoft, may not fell like they are behind… but they are quickly about to realize that they lost the game before they began playing!
Below are a few specific comments by Ballmer:
Apple: In the competition between PCs and Macs, we outsell Apple 30-to-1. But there is no doubt that Apple is thriving. 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. Today, we’re changing the way we work with hardware vendors to ensure that we can provide complete experiences with absolutely no compromises. We’ll do the same with phones—providing choice as we work to create great end-to-end experiences.