{"id":46007,"date":"2009-11-20T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2009-11-20T17:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theappleblog.com\/?p=36111"},"modified":"2009-11-20T12:00:36","modified_gmt":"2009-11-20T17:00:36","slug":"microsoft%e2%80%99s-bad-image-should-be-a-warning-to-apple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/46007","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft\u2019s Bad Image Should Be a Warning to Apple"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='snap_preview'><\/p>\n<p class=\"excerpt\">&#8220;I&#8217;m just wondering why your marketing group can&#8217;t do something to try to rein in this next generation, because you&#8217;ve got a real bad image out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So said a Microsoft shareholder to CEO Steve Ballmer at the company\u2019s shareholder meeting yesterday. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.techflash.com\/seattle\/2009\/11\/shareholders_quiz_ballmer_about_macs_windows_mobile_phones.html\">TechFlash<\/a> reporter Todd Bishop notes that the same shareholder added that Apple\u2019s TV commercials make Microsoft look \u201clike a buffoon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m relieved to hear this. I often look at Microsoft and wonder if its shareholders are as out-of-touch as the company itself seems to be.\u00a0In just the last few weeks here\u2019s what\u2019s getting the most enthusiastic coverage in the tech press at a time when it ought to be 100 percent about the newly launched Windows 7.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A Microsoft manager claiming Windows 7 &#8212; Microsoft\u2019s flagship product &#8212; is <a href=\"http:\/\/theappleblog.com\/2009\/11\/13\/microsoft-admits-then-denies-copying-mac-os-x\/\">inspired<\/a> by Mac OS X<\/li>\n<li>Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie\u2019s bewildering assertion that \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/theappleblog.com\/2009\/11\/18\/ozzie-misses-the-point-says-apps-dont-matter\/\">apps don\u2019t matter<\/a>\u201d &#8212; despite everyone else on Earth knowing otherwise<\/li>\n<li>Further redundancies that include long-time evangelist Don Dodge, and his <a href=\"http:\/\/dondodge.typepad.com\/the_next_big_thing\/2009\/11\/thanks-microsoft-hello-google.html\">subsequent post<\/a> that, now that he\u2019s free from Microsoft, he can admit, yeah, he has iPhone envy<\/li>\n<li>And let\u2019s not forget the bizarre PR misfire that saw the staff of Microsoft\u2019s flagship retail store ignoring their customers for a full five minutes in favor of stomping their way, awkwardly and embarrassingly, through a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TSAXEVXvNz8\">dance routine<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The take-home message? It ain\u2019t just the Apple commercials making Microsoft look like buffoons. <span id=\"more-36111\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>How did CEO Steve Ballmer respond? Fear not, anxious shareholders, Ballmer has this to say to assuage your fears and calm your nerves:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>You take any country, including this one, and you say, how are we doing? The truth of the matter is, we do quite well. Even among college students, we do quite well. Do we have an opportunity for improvement? We do. Some of that is marketing some of that is phase of life. It is important to remember that 96 times out of 100 worldwide, people choose a PC with Windows, that&#8217;s a good thing. Even in the toughest market, which would be the high end of the consumer market here in the U.S., 83 times out of 100 people choose a Windows PC over a Mac.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Hang on, back-up. \u201cSome of that is phase of life.\u201d <em>Phase of life?<\/em> Well, Ballmer sure knows his execu-speak. What galls me about this is how it illustrates <em>perfectly<\/em> that while Microsoft may be doomed to continue making embarrassing mistakes, it probably won\u2019t suffer any <em>actual<\/em> harm as a result; it survives simply because of its <em>mammoth<\/em> install base. Nothing more than that. And that simple fact directly influences the attitude and reasoning of its CEO.\u00a0Ballmer is tacitly admitting that, all things considered, yeah, Microsoft looks like a bunch of idiots but that doesn\u2019t matter because they\u2019ve got more customers than anyone else.<\/p>\n<p>Turn this around, and imagine that Apple does monumentally silly things that make it the target of much derision and ridicule among the tech community and consumers. Imagine you\u2019re a shareholder, and you see a drop in quarterly earnings. You see the company laying off staff (including highly visible and respected staff they should keep). You see its executives sending conflicting messages to the public. And when you take them to task for it, Steve Jobs replies \u201cYeah, we\u2019ve been a bit crap. But most people own an iPod, right, so, no worries.\u201d Would <em>you<\/em> be satisfied with that?<\/p>\n<p>Ballmer added:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Frankly, the economy is good for us, because people do understand that Macintoshes are quite a bit more expensive for essentially the same computer &#8230; we have opportunities to improve among exactly the constituency that you identify.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Yep. Be happy there\u2019s a recession, people, or else customers would be buying Macs!<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t actually a Microsoft bashing exercise (clearly, it does that to itself and needs no help from me). Instead, I look at this and wonder (fear) that Apple might be headed in much the same direction. Recent unpredictable behavior around the application approval process has seen Apple severely criticised by some of its most staunch supporters. Developers aren\u2019t just frustrated, they\u2019re now quitting the platform altogether. And not because the platform is flawed, but because Apple is horribly (and very visibly) mismanaging it.<\/p>\n<p>Apple needs to take a good long look at the Microsoft of today and ask if it isn\u2019t starting to make the same mistake; stubbornly pushing ahead with flawed policies\/strategies that are justified on the strength of product market share alone, despite the obvious (and loud!) protestations of the public, the press, and sooner or later, even its own shareholders.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, Apple isn&#8217;t as bad as Microsoft <em>yet<\/em>. But this is how it starts, people. <a href=\"http:\/\/theappleblog.com\/2009\/07\/28\/apple-silences-google-voice-on-the-iphone\/\">Google Voicegate<\/a>. <a href=\"http:\/\/theappleblog.com\/2009\/11\/12\/facebook-developer-turns-back-on-iphone\/\">Joe Hewitt<\/a>. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rogueamoeba.com\/utm\/2009\/11\/13\/airfoil-speakers-touch-1-0-1-finally-ships\/\">Rogue Amoeba<\/a>. It\u2019s not exactly dancing in an Apple Store, but it\u2019s still embarrassing and potentially damaging, and it\u2019s definitely a trend that won&#8217;t go away unless Apple does something to fix it.<\/p>\n<p>  <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gocomments\/gigapple.wordpress.com\/36111\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/comments\/gigapple.wordpress.com\/36111\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/godelicious\/gigapple.wordpress.com\/36111\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/delicious\/gigapple.wordpress.com\/36111\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gostumble\/gigapple.wordpress.com\/36111\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/stumble\/gigapple.wordpress.com\/36111\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/godigg\/gigapple.wordpress.com\/36111\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/digg\/gigapple.wordpress.com\/36111\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/goreddit\/gigapple.wordpress.com\/36111\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/reddit\/gigapple.wordpress.com\/36111\/\" \/><\/a> <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/stats.wordpress.com\/b.gif?host=theappleblog.com&#038;blog=5550580&#038;post=36111&#038;subd=gigapple&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1\" \/><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href='http:\/\/ads.gigaom.com\/proxy.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fads.gigaom.com%2Fopenx%2Fwww%2Fdelivery%2Fck.php%3Foaparams%3D2__bannerid%3D198__zoneid%3D6__cb%3D4a071408d0__oadest%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fsalesforce.com%252F' ><img src='http:\/\/ads.gigaom.com\/openx\/www\/images\/882338d114410ec8819c4fb6ad88103c.gif' width='300' height='250' alt='' title='' border='0' \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id='beacon_4a071408d0' style='position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; visibility: hidden;'><img src='http:\/\/ads.gigaom.com\/openx\/www\/delivery\/lg.php?bannerid=198&amp;campaignid=22&amp;zoneid=6&amp;loc=http%3A%2F%2Fads.gigaom.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftheappleblog.com%252Ffeed%252F%253Fnoredirect%253D1&amp;cb=4a071408d0' width='0' height='0' alt='' style='width: 0px; height: 0px;' \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/TheAppleBlog?a=YK_oujEo6NU:kwN6UMZzmoo:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/TheAppleBlog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/TheAppleBlog?a=YK_oujEo6NU:kwN6UMZzmoo:D7DqB2pKExk\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/TheAppleBlog?i=YK_oujEo6NU:kwN6UMZzmoo:D7DqB2pKExk\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/TheAppleBlog?a=YK_oujEo6NU:kwN6UMZzmoo:V_sGLiPBpWU\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/TheAppleBlog?i=YK_oujEo6NU:kwN6UMZzmoo:V_sGLiPBpWU\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/TheAppleBlog?a=YK_oujEo6NU:kwN6UMZzmoo:F7zBnMyn0Lo\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/TheAppleBlog?i=YK_oujEo6NU:kwN6UMZzmoo:F7zBnMyn0Lo\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/TheAppleBlog?a=YK_oujEo6NU:kwN6UMZzmoo:guobEISWfyQ\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/TheAppleBlog?i=YK_oujEo6NU:kwN6UMZzmoo:guobEISWfyQ\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/TheAppleBlog\/~4\/YK_oujEo6NU\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just wondering why your marketing group can&#8217;t do something to try to rein in this next generation, because you&#8217;ve got a real bad image out there.\u201d So said a Microsoft shareholder to CEO Steve Ballmer at the company\u2019s shareholder meeting yesterday. TechFlash reporter Todd Bishop notes that the same shareholder added that Apple\u2019s TV [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46007"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46007\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}