Steve Ballmer

[V-Tech]

 

A picture is worth a thousand words and sometimes a chart is worth even more. Microsoft?s announcement late last week that Steve Ballmer would step down from his role as chief executive within the next year rocked the tech world, though it was hardly a real surprise. While Microsoft is still the largest software company on the planet, Ballmer has been widely criticized for the past few years due to Microsoft?s failure to address the exploding smartphone and tablet markets. While Microsoft?s future likely isn?t quite as bleak as some make it out to be, there is no question that its mobile efforts in recent years have failed ? after three years, Windows Phone?s global market share is now just 3.7% and in the tablet space, Windows RT has hardly been well received. The following cart from mobile analyst Benedict Evans shows exactly why Microsoft?s minuscule smartphone presence and late, ill-received move into the tablet market is, as Evans puts it, a failure:

 

 

 

http://bgr.com/2013/08/26/microsoft-mobile-market-share-failure/

[notchinese]

lol at making a separate line for consumer vs corporate pcs.

[neufuse Veteran]

lets also divide that up into corporate and consumer phones...... corporate and consumer tablets..... if you are going to do it, do it right...

[yowanvista]

And once again Windows 8 is the root cause of Microsoft's downfall, the MS fanboy defense patrol and apologists will certainly deny this but worldwide statistics prove it. The Windows 8 adoption rate has been a disaster, not to mention the lackluster WP platform which barely took off after 3 years. Microsoft cannot simply compete with Apple, they will only fail by doing so. Ballmer shot himself in the foot when he alienated the whole PC with all this unwanted touchscreen garbage which the average joe considers to be cumbersome, inappropriate, meaningless and totally fugly on a traditional PC.

[adrynalyne]

And once again Windows 8 is the root cause of Microsoft's downfall, the MS fanboy defense patrol and apologists will certainly deny this but worldwide statistics prove it. The Windows 8 adoption rate has been a disaster, not to mention the lackluster WP platform which barely took off after 3 years. Microsoft cannot simply compete with Apple, they will only fail by doing so. Ballmer shot himself in the foot when he alienated the whole PC with all this unwanted touchscreen garbage which the average joe considers to be cumbersome, inappropriate, meaningless and totally fugly on a traditional PC.

Were that true, then Apple's laptop and desktop sales should be skyrocketing.

 

Of course, they aren't, are they?  No...people are moving to more mobile and portable devices: tablets and smartphones.  I am sure it is easier to place blame on Microsoft though than look at the bigger picture.  Laptops and desktops have been "good enough" for a while and have not inspired people to upgrade.  That alone will cause PC sales to drop.

[CygnusOrion]

Reed Hastings is the choice and the only choice. He knows how to turn around a bad situation.

[CygnusOrion]

Were that true, then Apple's laptop and desktop sales should be skyrocketing.

 

Of course, they aren't, are they?  No...people are moving to more mobile and portable devices: tablets and smartphones.  I am sure it is easy to place blame on Microsoft though.

 

Well except Apple already anticipated the shift to mobile and cannibalized itself with the iPad. So either way they win as evidenced by $150 billion in the bank.

[Growled Member]

And once again Windows 8 is the root cause of Microsoft's downfall, the MS fanboy defense patrol and apologists will certainly deny this but worldwide statistics prove it. The Windows 8 adoption rate has been a disaster, not to mention the lackluster WP platform which barely took off after 3 years. Microsoft cannot simply compete with Apple, they will only fail by doing so. Ballmer shot himself in the foot when he alienated the whole PC with all this unwanted touchscreen garbage which the average joe considers to be cumbersome, inappropriate, meaningless and totally fugly on a traditional PC.

I agree, Windows 8 has been a disaster for Microsoft.

[adrynalyne]

Well except Apple already anticipated the shift to mobile and cannibalized itself with the iPad. So either way they win as evidenced by $150 billion in the bank.

Oh I am in agreement, Microsoft did mess up there.  However, I was replying more along the lines of yowanvista blaming Windows 8.

 

Edit:

 

Technically, Microsoft did anticipate the shift to mobile.  Hence WP and Windows 8 being similar (taking a page from Apple on iOS and OS X).  However, the OEMs did not exactly switch to mobile.  So the OEMs have some blame in this as well.

[MorganX]

lets also divide that up into corporate and consumer phones...... corporate and consumer tablets..... if you are going to do it, do it right...

 

I agree with that. I also agree that you probably should separate them. But I think it's more important to see consumer Windows licenses vs. Corporate Windows licenses vs OEM licenses as opposed to PC sales.

[MorganX]

Well except Apple already anticipated the shift to mobile and cannibalized itself with the iPad. So either way they win as evidenced by $150 billion in the bank.

 

I don't see a shift, pc sales look pretty steady, I see tablets emerging.

[MorganX]

I agree, Windows 8 has been a disaster for Microsoft.

 

I can't agree or disagree without more detail. It's ... complicated. :)

[adrynalyne]

I don't see a shift, pc sales look pretty steady, I see tablets emerging.

It is also important for people to realize that Apple, as a hardware company made the shift to mobile.  Microsoft, as a software company did too.  It was up to the OEMs to follow suit.

[Growled Member]

I can't agree or disagree without more detail. It's ... complicated. :)

Not really. People dislike Windows 8. Sure, tablets and mobile are becoming big, but Microsoft has that space covered....with Windows 8. People aren't buying it. I would never, ever use it and I have a few friends that run it at work and they curse it constantly. They ask me how to do things and I just laugh at them. Windows 8 just ain't cutting it.

[MorganX]

It is also important for people to realize that Apple, as a hardware company made the shift to mobile.  Microsoft, as a software company did too.  It was up to the OEMs to follow suit.

 

On that one I'd have to say the initial state of Windows 8 RTM and it's reception did not help. That's why MS listened to early feedback on XBOne and made changes before it was too late.

 

With regards to phones, that's just a hard hill to climb with Android low-mid market dominance and Apple-Samsung's high market dominance and mature ecosystems. Still quite a bit missing from WP but it's not dead and has upside. Unfortunately MS doesn't have a common hardware platform. Nokia is providing Bluetooth 4.0 drivers for some phones, GDR2 for some phones ... it's a mess. Apple definitely has an advantage here, and thus dev support.

 

Considering all of that, they're in good shape for another assault on those markets but the mistakes made, could have been avoided with better planning and decision making. Not enough inclusiveness within and without the organization during this period IMO.

[DomZ]

Just to back up that it's Ballmer's fault they missed out on the smartphone boom, check out this video (one of my favourite videos of all time btw):

 

[MorganX]

Not really. People dislike Windows 8. Sure, tablets and mobile are becoming big, but Microsoft has that space covered....with Windows 8. People aren't buying it. I would never, ever use it and I have a few friends that run it at work and they curse it constantly. They ask me how to do things and I just laugh at them. Windows 8 just ain't cutting it.

 

See, I don't think people dislike it. Our people with use whatever we put in front of them and when we have deployed Surface, they actually love it. But as a PC. I think most people are confused as to what it can do for them "better" or more efficiently. I think it was rushed and released before devs were ready, consumers were ready, and before the code and core apps were ready.

 

8.1 will be what 8.0 RTM should have been. I think it will ultimately do well, but the poor planning and execution of Windows 8 is, IMO, why the Surface has basically flopped so far. But it will get a second chance and so far that is looking good.

 

RT will still suffer from identity crisis with Office RT and a Keyboard cover, but it should do very well with business' and students. I'll have to give the mail client a go to see how well that has improved.

[MorganX]

Just to back up that it's Ballmer's fault they missed out on the smartphone boom, check out this video (one of my favourite videos of all time btw):

 

 

MS didn't miss the boom, they just sucked at it. They failed to develop a touch/smartphone optimized UI. They sat on their market as the Woz said. I can't really hold this against Ballmer, he wasn't visionary enough to see this direction, and he wasn't the only one. Give Jobs and Apple credit. MS had Windows Mobile and Pens, Apple had the failed but usable Newtons, and Apple saw further faster.

 

It is however, his fault, for not leading the company to respond quicker once the iPhone's success was apparent. Took way too long.

[neo1911]

Simple

Surface RT tablet when put next to an iPad looks totally confusing, unappealing in terms of UI.

The marketing of Microsoft is horrible. Here in India, they show some random guys and girls dancing to some western dub step music. The advertising is never "to the point." It always runs through several hoops and in the end all my friends are like "###### we just saw?"

However when any Apple advert comes on, it's so appealing and perfectly done even if the product they are advertising is iGoo.

I know Neowin is the only place for the last remaining Ballmer fans. But he needed to go. I actually want that Julie Larsen Green to be fired too. Then reinstate Steven Sinofsky back. He brought MS Office 2010 and Windows 7 to great heights.

[MorganX]

Simple

Surface RT tablet when put next to an iPad looks totally confusing, unappealing in terms of UI.

The marketing of Microsoft is horrible. Here in India, they show some random guys and girls dancing to some western dub step music. The advertising is never "to the point." It always runs through several hoops and in the end all my friends are like "###### we just saw?"

However when any Apple advert comes on, it's so appealing and perfectly done even if the product they are advertising is iGoo.

I know Neowin is the only place for the last remaining Ballmer fans. But he needed to go. I actually want that Julie Larsen Green to be fired too. Then reinstate Steven Sinofsky back. He brought MS Office 2010 and Windows 7 to great heights.

 

I think Julie Larson easily eclipsed him with Office 2013. It is arguable, but IMO Windows 8 Desktop Environment is superior to Windows 7, with the exception of the Start Menu.

[Growled Member]

8.1 will be what 8.0 RTM should have been. I think it will ultimately do well, but the poor planning and execution of Windows 8 is, IMO, why the Surface has basically flopped so far. But it will get a second chance and so far that is looking good.

Windows 8 will have to prove itself to me, with much better sales before I bet on it. At this moment I don't see 8.1 doing any better than 8.0. I think the brand has been damaged and at this point only a 9.0 is going to save it. To me this is the same situation that we saw with Vista and Windows 7.

[PGHammer]

MS didn't miss the boom, they just sucked at it. They failed to develop a touch/smartphone optimized UI. They sat on their market as the Woz said. I can't really hold this against Ballmer, he wasn't visionary enough to see this direction, and he wasn't the only one. Give Jobs and Apple credit. MS had Windows Mobile and Pens, Apple had the failed but usable Newtons, and Apple saw further faster.

 

It is however, his fault, for not leading the company to respond quicker once the iPhone's success was apparent. Took way too long.

And would a rushed-but flawed product have been accepted?

 

Windows 8 has, in fact, been attacked for both those issues - being rushed AND being flawed (either or even both at once).

 

It really doesn't help that Windows 8 is competing directly with the still-supported (for another eight years, at minimum) Windows 7.  Given a sour economy AND a tepid recovery (the weakest recovery on record) you would think that Windows 8 is behind Windows 7's sales pace.  However, despite all of that, Windows 8 has, in fact, kept the same sales pace that Windows 7 did.  Throw in that much-maligned monstrous UI change, and you would think that 8 is doing worse than what it actually is - which is not the case, even according to the critics' own numbers.

 

And how has the iPhone's success been apparent?  It didn't REALLY become apparent until the iPhone 4 (and it took adding more carriers for it to even get there) - the first three generations of iPhone were tied to a single carrier in the US (AT&T Mobility) AND a single carrier technology - GSM.  Note that the iPad did NOT make that initial mistake - it was multi-frequency from the jump.  Therefore, if anybody learned from the mistakes of the iPhone, it was Google/Android/Android OEMs - they did not tie themselves down to a single carrier OR carrier technology.  Microsoft didn't make that mistake at all with Windows Phone - like Android, it has been multi-carrier-tech from the beginning (which was not true of WinMo or the KIN).

 

Microsoft is, apparently, supposed to succeed despite every possible obstacle that can be thrown at it - whether by competition or regulation.  They are also supposed to succeed, if not outright dominate, in every single market. No other company - and especially not any of its competition - has that amount of pressure in even ONE of its markets, let alone all of them.  (Surprisingly, such expectations didn't exist for IBM.)  And if it merely managed to stay stable, it is accused of failing.  (Looked at from a straight sales standpoint, Vista was not a failure, and even Windows 8 has not been a failure - in either comparative OR absolute terms; like Windows 7 did, it still cleared the fence.)  However, what is expected is for every version of Windows to not merely clear the fence sales-wise, but to clear the uppermost deck - straightaway center field - every single time.  No other company - in fact, no individual in any sport, not even Usain Bolt - has the sort of target painted on that Microsoft apparently does.

 

Given that sort of unrelenting pressure - year in and year out - I'm not surprised that Steve Ballmer has had enough.

[yowanvista]

Oh I am in agreement, Microsoft did mess up there.  However, I was replying more along the lines of yowanvista blaming Windows 8.

 

Edit:

 

Technically, Microsoft did anticipate the shift to mobile.  Hence WP and Windows 8 being similar (taking a page from Apple on iOS and OS X).  However, the OEMs did not exactly switch to mobile.  So the OEMs have some blame in this as well.

 

Windows 8 would have been a commercial success, provided Microsoft didn't force the App concept and Metro stuff too hard on PC users. After all, the Windows userbase is mostly PC and not touchscreens as tech pundits often seem to claim. Yes tablets are on the rise but inadvertently wrecking the PC ecosystem with a naturally unsuited UI while promoting touch-based systems will only make things worse. They didn't simply listen to the community and basically implemented too much touch garbage into what was once a pure PC OS.

 

The transition wasn't smooth imho, they went backwards trying to seduce the PC user with Windows 8.1 but it's kinda too late now, their failure can be seen. If only they offered the ability to disable the whole touchscreen stuff and a simple toggle to enable the Start Menu.. Moreover Apps with a touch design language don't make sense on the PC. They couldn't even make the Windows Store decent enough to attract major players, one can judge that by the mind blowing amount of crap Apps in there. So yes, Windows 8 is a direct cause, it has a personality disorder, it's a mongrel of an OS; a mobile touchscreen OS attached to a castrated dumbed down desktop.

[adrynalyne]

Windows 8 would have been a commercial success, provided Microsoft didn't force the App concept and Metro stuff too hard on PC users. After all, the Windows userbase is mostly PC and not touchscreens as tech pundits often seem to claim. Yes tablets are on the rise but inadvertently wrecking the PC ecosystem with a naturally unsuited UI while promoting touch-based systems will only make things worse. They didn't simply listen to the community and basically implemented too much touch garbage into what was once a pure PC OS.

 

The transition wasn't smooth imho, they went backwards trying to seduce the PC user with Windows 8.1 but it's kinda too late now, their failure can be seen. If only they offered the ability to disable the whole touchscreen stuff and a simple toggle to enable the Start Menu.. Moreover Apps with a touch design language don't make sense on the PC. They couldn't even make the Windows Store decent enough to attract major players, one can judge that by the mind blowing amount of crap Apps in there. So yes, Windows 8 is a direct cause, it has a personality disorder, it's a mongrel of an OS; a mobile touchscreen OS attached to a castrated dumbed down desktop.

Again, if Windows 8 wrecked the ecosystem, we would have seen a jump in Macbooks and iMacs.

[yowanvista]

Again, if Windows 8 wrecked the ecosystem, we would have seen a jump in Macbooks and iMacs.

Well, statistics prove that Apple PC sales are well above that of PC.

 

"Apple remained the top PC vendor in Q2, with a 4.5 million unit lead over second-placed Lenovo"

http://www.canalys.com/newsroom/pc-market-flat-q2-2013-despite-tablet-growth

 

It's clear that Microsoft royally screwed it's own OS.