Ballmer: Microsoft-Powered Tablets Are 'Job One Urgency'

[DeVizardofOZ]

What confuses me about this is that we always hear people debating if Apple is a hardware or software company. Microsoft is undoubtedly a software company, but acts as if it doesn't know how to create anything other than Windows.

The question I can't escape is this: Is Windows 7 going to offer the *ideal* tablet experience? The answer to that has to be a resounding "No." So, then, why is Microsoft - a software company - attempting to shoehorn software onto a platform it wasn't designed for, rather than develop a new solution?

APPLE hardware manufacturing is outsourced to Chinese companies (Quanta and AsusTec), with the exception of the new chip maker they acquired.
Ballmer is such a nerd. Microsoft has all the resources to be the best, which they are not. He will never be a JOBS, ever.

 

[cmaier]

APPLE hardware manufacturing is outsourced to Chinese companies (Quanta and AsusTec), with the exception of the new chip maker they acquired.
Ballmer is such a nerd. Microsoft has all the resources to be the best, which they are not. He will never be a JOBS, ever.

Apple did not acquire a chipmaker. They acquired 2 chip design firms. The chips are made in Asia by contract, by Samsung.

 

[ten-oak-druid]

APPLE hardware manufacturing is outsourced to Chinese companies (Quanta and AsusTec), with the exception of the new chip maker they acquired.
Ballmer is such a nerd. Microsoft has all the resources to be the best, which they are not. He will never be a JOBS, ever.

They design and sell hardware in addition to software. That is the point.

 

[DeVizardofOZ]

Hi BALLMER... don't you realize? IT IS NOT GOING TO WORK, BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS IT.

Nothing about Microsoft's "Great Ideas" is attractive. They could do MUCH better, but produce mediocre junk, with few exceptions. Ballmer is very lucky that MS has such a huge marketshare... to support his arrogance. He has absolutely no vision, nor does he have a creative mind or foresight.

Pity, there is no real alternative to MS, of course with the exception of APPLE.

Apple did not acquire a chipmaker. They acquired 2 chip design firms. The chips are made in Asia by contract, by Samsung.

Ok, thanks, you are correct.

So, what does APPLE really "manufacture" in terms of hardware???

They design and sell hardware in addition to software. That is the point.

true. My point is, that APPLE as a company has NO OWN MANUFACTURING BASE...

 

[gnasher729]

Umm, isn't the IphoneOS basically OSX, shoehorned onto a platform that it wasn't designed for?

The first part of the word "software" is "soft" - meaning that it can be modified to adapt to new scenarios.

There is a difference between what Microsoft could do and what Microsoft can do. Apple had no problems running a project where for four years or so they had working MacOS X versions running on Intel processors, just in case, before they switched from PowerPC to Intel. As a result, their code is clean to run on any processor Apple wants it to run on. And they have the will to create an operating system from scratch for the iPhone. What you are saying, that iOS is MacOS X "shoehorned onto a platform that it wasn't designed for", that is just not true. iOS shares about 85% of code with MacOS X; all the code that is needed in a powerful operating system, no matter what system it is running on, and no matter what the user interface looks like. If Apple wanted to create an OS that looks and behaves exactly like Windows, they could take that 85% of the MacOS X code as a start. The 15% on top of that is what makes iOS an iPhone / iPad OS.

Microsoft could do exactly the same thing; start with the goal to create a great phone or tablet OS, then grab whatever is useful in Windows and take that as a good start, then add the required parts. (I believe though that at this point in time, MacOS X has a better code base to do that kind of thing). Microsoft's problem is that they cannot do that. It is politically impossible for them. The developers get told that what runs on that phone must be Windows. iOS was built with the orders "create a phone OS; if anything you need is already in MacOS X then grab it from there". Microsoft tells its developers "port Windows onto the phone; drop things if you really, really can't make them fit".

You see, the guys who post on MacRumors how Apple would be so much more successful if Apple did what they think is right; like an iPad running MacOS X and so on, at Microsoft, that kind of people is in control of the company.

 

[Mike Reed]

Though I agree simply slapping Windows 7 in a tablet would be lame, I think there is plenty of opportunity to address the markets and usage patterns Apple chooses to not focus on.

Collaborating with co-workers on business documents, taking notes, and inking annotations to existing office files and PDFs are all areas in which existing iOS devices offer less than optimal experiences. I'd like to see a business class tablet similar to the iPad with stylus input first and foremost and only touch if it's able to be disabled when you wish to use the stylus without the device mis-registering your hand resting on the screen as a desired attempt at input.

The top of my list though is note taking. Typing is far to rigid to allow flexibility in structuring your notes (drawing connecting lines, adding diagrams, etc.). I loved OneNote on the first tablet I owned. Everything else on the laptop felt tacked on and hacky at best, but that program was fried gold.

 

[ouimetnick]

Ok, thanks, you are correct.

So, what does APPLE really "manufacture" in terms of hardware???

Apple doesn't make anything. They contact companies in China to make their products. So do all the other companies. Apple uses Foxconn to assemble most of their products. But the parts that foxconn builds into a computer are from and built by other companies too. Apple just choses the parts, makes the design, makes features, and a nice box. Not to forget, Apple does make their own Software.

 

[Analog Kid]

The thing that gets me, is that the iPad should be easy to compete with. There really isn't much to it-- it's a big iPod. Despite that, Balmer demonstrates his insanity once again by thinking doing the same thing over again will yield different results: Intel processor, full-blown Windows. That has been tried a thousand different ways, and always fails. That isn't what the market wants. I personally don't understand why the market wants the iPad so badly, but it does. Big and bloated won't compete.

Speaking of big and bloated, I have no idea why people listen to Balmer any more. Gates at least had vision.

 

[DeVizardofOZ]

The thing that gets me, is that the iPad should be easy to compete with. There really isn't much to it-- it's a big iPod. Despite that, Balmer demonstrates his insanity once again by thinking doing the same thing over again will yield different results: Intel processor, full-blown Windows. That has been tried a thousand different ways, and always fails. That isn't what the market wants. I personally don't understand why the market wants the iPad so badly, but it does. Big and bloated won't compete.

Speaking of big and bloated, I have no idea why people listen to Balmer any more. Gates at least had vision.

I totally agree with your remark regarding Ballmer... he is an arrogant man, completely impotent in terms of the creation of something new and attractive. I am NOT an APPLE-blind follower of JOBs, BUT I recognize JOBS as a brilliant visionary, who has the ability to set trends, AND to create products which are attractive to many. In addition he tries to deliver quality. Even though the Apple products are not cheap, their laptops being truly expensive, customers are willing to pay the price, for innovation and uniqueness.

In recent years there were TQM problems in the Apple laptop line, which have been resolved.

To me APPLE (under the management of JOBS) is a phenomenon. Microsoft is trailing big time in innovation. If I would run MS, I would not try to react like Ballmer, but to observe WHY customers WANT Apple products and act, set new trends. With all the money MS has been raking in over the years it has not been smartly invested. I even believe GATES only lived on because of his early inventions and how he was able build his empire. He was very lucky. His ideas about the future are lacking the component of true innovation and attractiveness which APPLE/Jobs has realized in their hard- and software.

The question is: How long can APPLE/Jobs sustain the momentum when Jobs is gone.

 

[cmaier]

Apple doesn't make anything. They contact companies in China to make their products. So do all the other companies. Apple uses Foxconn to assemble most of their products. But the parts that foxconn builds into a computer are from and built by other companies too. Apple just choses the parts, makes the design, makes features, and a nice box. Not to forget, Apple does make their own Software.

Not quite true. They do actual chip designs for some of the SoC's, and increasingly for the processors themselves, as well as PCB design and the like. Not everything is off-the-shelf or ODM.

 

[docorlando]

Holding the tablet there makes Ballmer look like a Teletubbie.

 

[marksman]

Eh... um... I'm not sure what is this but a relative of mine works at Microsoft. Yesterday he sent me this trough Skype.

Tabi, that cracks me up.

 

[btbeme]

No matter how you measure it, I am pretty sure Microsoft was at least the second company to demo a slate computer...

 

[btbeme]

The thing that gets me, is that the iPad should be easy to compete with. There really isn't much to it-- it's a big iPod.

So far, nobody has been able to effectively compete with the iPod. Quadrupling the size of a Zune is not gonna dent the iPad sales.

 

[MorphingDragon]

The question is: How long can APPLE/Jobs sustain the momentum when Jobs is gone.

Apple will do fine, all their products aren't the ideas and work of Jobs alone.

 

[wreckshop]

The thing that gets me, is that the iPad should be easy to compete with. There really isn't much to it-- it's a big iPod. Despite that, Balmer demonstrates his insanity once again by thinking doing the same thing over again will yield different results: Intel processor, full-blown Windows. That has been tried a thousand different ways, and always fails. That isn't what the market wants. I personally don't understand why the market wants the iPad so badly, but it does. Big and bloated won't compete.

What makes you think it will be big and bloated? Windows is the way it is because it has to support all kinds of legacy hardware and maintain backwards compatibility. A slate would have no such requirements. Lets say MS can get a version of windows 7 to work well on a thin and fast slate? What if MS has a touch optimized version of office? A special version of its DX development tools so games could be ported over easily? Thats a pretty compelling device that can actually replace a desktop or laptop, something the ipad cant do.

People seem to forget that MS can lose billions of dollars and still be a very profitable company. So if MS wants to brute force their way into this very young slate computer market, I definitely wouldnt underestimate them... especially with intel's expertise.

 

[MorphingDragon]

What makes you think it will be big and bloated?

Because Windows 7 isn't Windows 7 without that clunky bloated UI. Otherwise its just a command prompt with the NT Kernel...

 

[DMann]

Because Windows 7 isn't Windows 7 without that clunky bloated UI. Otherwise its just a command prompt with the NT Kernel...

Precisely.

 

[MorphingDragon]

Precisely.

I find 7 perplexing. There's some UI gems in there but its hidden behind all the hype, bloat, dead bodies, excrement and puke.

 

[PerfSeeker]

I find 7 perplexing. There's some UI gems in there but its hidden behind all the hype, bloat, dead bodies, excrement and puke.

Really? Because I find the gems up front and center. Starting with the "super-bar", the new Windows Explorer with all the integrated verbs, slideshows are a breeze now. Aero themes are dandy. The revamped "Networking and Sharing" applet makes networking a breeze. It was easy to set up my wireless network. The date-time display is best of class. Please stop the mindless hatred of all things MSFT.

 

[MorphingDragon]

Really? Because I find the gems up front and center. Starting with the "super-bar", the new Windows Explorer with all the integrated verbs, slideshows are a breeze now. Aero themes are dandy. The revamped "Networking and Sharing" applet makes networking a breeze. It was easy to set up my wireless network. The date-time display is best of class.

As good as those are, I wouldn't consider those gems. One of the main reasons is because they ripped off the KDE Project so blatantly nobody really noticed. (That and nobody cares about Linux on Desktops)

Please stop the mindless hatred of all things MSFT.

Who says I hate everything Microsoft? (Apart from you ) Microsoft make some wonderful products, Windows just isn't one of them. .Net/C# is a wonderful language, if you made be choose between Obj-C-Cocoa/C#-.NET I would have trouble deciding (Not so much Visual Studio itself though), Silverlight is far superior to Flash, Office 2010, Live Messenger, TweakUI.

 

[DMann]

I find 7 perplexing. There's some UI gems in there but its hidden behind all the hype, bloat, dead bodies, excrement and puke.

Manifestation of that cruft-laiden scrap heap is evident in their new mobile OS reduction: Windows Phone 7: Epic Fail?

 

[PerfSeeker]

As good as those are, I wouldn't consider those gems. One of the main reasons is because they ripped off the KDE Project so blatantly nobody really noticed. (That and nobody cares about Linux on Desktops)



Who says I hate everything Microsoft? (Apart from you ) Microsoft make some wonderful products, Windows just isn't one of them. .Net/C# is a wonderful language, if you made be choose between Obj-C-Cocoa/C#-.NET I would have trouble deciding (Not so much Visual Studio itself though), Silverlight is far superior to Flash, Office 2010, Live Messenger, TweakUI.

I agree that Windows is fundamentally flawed compared to Linux/OSX, but Windows 7 is by far the best ever Windows version.

.NET/C# is a wondrous development experience combined with Visual Studio 2010. Just wow. The sheer scope of .NET is mind boggling. Then they've added the XNA framework for game developers. What can't you do with .NET? The answer is hard to fathom. Silverlight 4 is at least a match or better then Flash. One thing nobody has yet said that SL is a resource hog or buggy like Flash. That is proprietary plug in is not an issue considering how large the Windows installed base is. The fact is there is not any kind of wondrous dynamic UI/animations you can't do in Silverlight. Also it has all the requisite networking classes to implement a full-blooded app. Also the nice thing about SL is you can develop it as a stand-alone app. I can see MSFT in the future re-implementing control panel apps in SL.

 

[wreckshop]

Because Windows 7 isn't Windows 7 without that clunky bloated UI. Otherwise its just a command prompt with the NT Kernel...

Computers running windows are faster than macs.... what's your point?

 

[MorphingDragon]

I agree that Windows is fundamentally flawed compared to Linux/OSX, but Windows 7 is by far the best ever Windows version.

Its not that hard to float to the top of the toilet.

Also WTF is up with that marketing blurb? Are you an MVP or something.

Computers running windows are faster than macs.... what's your point?

Computers running Linux/BSD are faster than computers running Windows, whats your point?

Manifestation of that cruft-laiden scrap heap is evident in their new mobile OS reduction: Windows Phone 7: Epic Fail?

I really hope Microsoft start learning something from this. Singularity RDK (Google it) looks promising but I wonder if they'll make the same mistakes again and end up with something utterly medicore again.