in North America Xbox360 is the de-facto standard console for traditional gamers (Wii is more profitable overall, but it targets a different market).
Nintendo has sold 71 million Wiis last time I checked. That's almost two Wiis for every Xbox 360 sold - and Nintendo made a profit on every one of them.
(PS: plus ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE MILLION Nintendo DSs.)
Xbox is a financial disaster, possibly the greatest clusterfuck in corporate history. It's just that Microsoft also has Windows and Office, which allow it to survive an epic fail like Xbox.
I've read a thousand perfectly valid criticisms of Microsoft over the years, but I'm not sure that many of them can be traced back to Ballmer. For example, what changes could he have made to the Windows or Office lines to gain new growth instead of settling for trying to get current users to upgrade?
Your query illustrates the problem perfectly. The question should not be "what changes could he have made to the Windows or Office lines?" - it should be "what new product lines could he have created besides Windows and Office?"
Boats Microsoft has missed:
The Internet Search Gaming (MS gets a "tried hard" on this one. Shame Xbox was such a disaster.) Mobile Social Networking
Microsoft is dead in all of these. Microsoft makes a buttload of money out of Windows and Office, but after all these years it has only Windows and Office.
The government can afford to alienate just about anybody except a voter in a marginal seat. Your vote means dick in a seat where the government has a big majority or would never win anyway, but if it's touch-and-go THEN your vote counts.
The trouble is, most marginal seats are populated by demographics that don't care about Rich People's Problems (see: anything to do with computers). They care about THOSE DIRTY NIGGER/RAGHEAD/CURRYMUNCHER IMMIGRANTS COMIN' TO TUK ER JEB. So, as we get closer to an election, policies that appeal to such sentiments will get more attention than anything else.
Attempt at Killing the iPhone with Windows7/Kin: FAIL
Yeah, but MS makes so much money out of Office and Windows that all the costs of the projects you just described as FAILs can be written off and MS won't even notice.
Similar thing happened to me a while back. After a reorg I found myself in a meeting with my boss having it explained to me how my responsibilities were changing and how I'd be expected to take up the slack of departed/reorg'd former team-mates.
I said no.
I said "I've got a contract that says my role is X and in it I do Y for Z dollars. If you want to change Y, great - let's talk about the new contract describing my new role X and my new Z dollars. No new contract? Forget it."
Every boss and every company will try to fuck you. If you don't stand up for yourself, you'll GET fucked.
Jesus, is this guy an Oompa-Loompa or something?
I can't wait for the public relations backlash from the Union of Amputees and Thalidomide Children, complaining that Apple's marketing is biased towards people who can hold the Iphone 18 inches from their faces.
Remember when some tool from Gizmodo went around CES turning off all the TVs and displays with a master IR remote? Legit news organization my ass. I wouldn't want them around my event either. They're the sort of immature douchebags that would set off a fire alarm in the middle of the presentation just so they could get some hits by posting about it.
For once the patent system is actually working as intended.
I for one applaud the CSIRO, and I look forward to seeing the freeloading corporations that have made billions on the back of the CSIRO's research get fucked in the ass.
You must have missed the bit where British Petroleum and Amoco merged to form "BP". (Hint: AMerican Oil COmpany). I'd be surprised if there was ANYONE British working on this fuckup.
You meant "has been shrinking". MS's market cap is about 20% DOWN on ten years ago. Or, as a recent analyst put it, "Steve Ballmer has presided over the greatest destruction of shareholder value in the history of the technology industry".
Steve said: "And you might care more about porn when you have kids"
My kids are the greatest thing in my life. I wake up every day and praise the Universe for blessing me with such wonderful children.
And I wouldn't have them without porn.
Slashdot Mirror
in North America Xbox360 is the de-facto standard console for traditional gamers (Wii is more profitable overall, but it targets a different market). Nintendo has sold 71 million Wiis last time I checked. That's almost two Wiis for every Xbox 360 sold - and Nintendo made a profit on every one of them. (PS: plus ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE MILLION Nintendo DSs.) Xbox is a financial disaster, possibly the greatest clusterfuck in corporate history. It's just that Microsoft also has Windows and Office, which allow it to survive an epic fail like Xbox.
I've read a thousand perfectly valid criticisms of Microsoft over the years, but I'm not sure that many of them can be traced back to Ballmer. For example, what changes could he have made to the Windows or Office lines to gain new growth instead of settling for trying to get current users to upgrade?
Your query illustrates the problem perfectly. The question should not be "what changes could he have made to the Windows or Office lines?" - it should be "what new product lines could he have created besides Windows and Office?"
Boats Microsoft has missed:
The Internet
Search
Gaming (MS gets a "tried hard" on this one. Shame Xbox was such a disaster.)
Mobile
Social Networking
Microsoft is dead in all of these. Microsoft makes a buttload of money out of Windows and Office, but after all these years it has only Windows and Office.
Agreed 100%. Have it recycled.
Someone wanna translate this into units of measurement used by, oh I dunno, the entire rest of the world?
Try and whistle a tune in unison with someone.
Anyone who cracks up laughing while doing this is obviously a hardcore user and should be reported to the authorities.
Does anyone actually care or listen to what Ballmer says any more? Let me summarize his strategy as CEO:
1. Tie every product to Windows
2. Push out a new version of Office every 3 years
That's it.
That's not how it works.
The government can afford to alienate just about anybody except a voter in a marginal seat. Your vote means dick in a seat where the government has a big majority or would never win anyway, but if it's touch-and-go THEN your vote counts.
The trouble is, most marginal seats are populated by demographics that don't care about Rich People's Problems (see: anything to do with computers). They care about THOSE DIRTY NIGGER/RAGHEAD/CURRYMUNCHER IMMIGRANTS COMIN' TO TUK ER JEB. So, as we get closer to an election, policies that appeal to such sentiments will get more attention than anything else.
It wasn't "ripped off", it WAS a recording of the Stones with Ashcroft singing dubbed over the top.
Attempt at taking over the web with .Net: FAIL
Attempt at killing Flash with Silverlight: FAIL
Attempt at killing the iPod with Zune: FAIL
Attempt at Killing the iPhone with Windows7/Kin: FAIL
Yeah, but MS makes so much money out of Office and Windows that all the costs of the projects you just described as FAILs can be written off and MS won't even notice.
Who the hell has numbers in there name?
William H. Gates III
I'm an immigrant to Australia. Naturalised citizen, Aussie passport, the works.
Seriously considering leaving the country.
Similar thing happened to me a while back. After a reorg I found myself in a meeting with my boss having it explained to me how my responsibilities were changing and how I'd be expected to take up the slack of departed/reorg'd former team-mates.
I said no.
I said "I've got a contract that says my role is X and in it I do Y for Z dollars. If you want to change Y, great - let's talk about the new contract describing my new role X and my new Z dollars. No new contract? Forget it."
Every boss and every company will try to fuck you. If you don't stand up for yourself, you'll GET fucked.
Jesus, is this guy an Oompa-Loompa or something? I can't wait for the public relations backlash from the Union of Amputees and Thalidomide Children, complaining that Apple's marketing is biased towards people who can hold the Iphone 18 inches from their faces.
If they're going after Limewire like this, they might go after Gopher next!
To be classified as Top Secret, the release of that information must cause imminent, serious harm to the United States and/or its allies and assets.
If you actually believe that, I have a bridge you may be interested in.
Remember when some tool from Gizmodo went around CES turning off all the TVs and displays with a master IR remote? Legit news organization my ass. I wouldn't want them around my event either. They're the sort of immature douchebags that would set off a fire alarm in the middle of the presentation just so they could get some hits by posting about it.
For once the patent system is actually working as intended.
I for one applaud the CSIRO, and I look forward to seeing the freeloading corporations that have made billions on the back of the CSIRO's research get fucked in the ass.
You must have missed the bit where British Petroleum and Amoco merged to form "BP". (Hint: AMerican Oil COmpany). I'd be surprised if there was ANYONE British working on this fuckup.
Well I presume that it would mean the sterlization of the Gulf of Mexico and the poisoning of the South of the USA.
The latency will be a killer when all that data has to get processed by the Great Firewall.
Microsoft hasn't really been growing for a decade
You meant "has been shrinking". MS's market cap is about 20% DOWN on ten years ago. Or, as a recent analyst put it, "Steve Ballmer has presided over the greatest destruction of shareholder value in the history of the technology industry".
Nuf said.
Steve said: "And you might care more about porn when you have kids" My kids are the greatest thing in my life. I wake up every day and praise the Universe for blessing me with such wonderful children. And I wouldn't have them without porn.
My turn for a baseless assertion: most people don't associate diaspora with slavery, oppression, and other painful historical memories!
This is a story targeted at the hardcore Apple Hipster Douchebags
No, it's a story targeted at people with smartphones. A big market segment that can't use Flash.