Ballmer answers iPhone SDK questions, revisits Monkey Boy dance
By Thomas Ricker 
posted March 7th 2008 5:52AM
posted March 7th 2008 5:52AM
[Thanks, Bryant]
Read -- Q&A on iPhone
Read -- Monkey Boy dance, take 2
posted March 7th 2008 5:52AM
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wow, dumbass
straight up
Can you imagine working with this guy as a subordinate? Pure living hell each and every minute dealing with that bipolar, egomaniac. Is there a high enough salary to choke it all down and deal with it?
i think not
Business isn't a likeability contest, it's a race to see who can make the most money; something that Ballmer does exceedingly well.
It would be a great career move to be able to work for someone like him if only for a day.
People like this get where they are through fear, Gates was shit scared to get rid of this turd. Make no bones about it being good in business is about holding your audience, if you've got real talent you do it through your products and services, lets be honest Bully Ballmer needs to shout he ain't got anything worth selling!
Excuse me?
Compared to working for Jobs - whose disrepect for employees and tendency to explode into tirades and personal attacks is legendary - I'd take a boss who has the balls to do something goofy in front of a major audience any day.
At least it's clear that Ballmer has passion for what he does - unlike Jobs who has passion for who he is.
It's hard to not sound naive when arguing against the whole mentality that success is defined purely on the basis of "who can make the most money", and to hell with the way you get there. Neither Jobs or the Gates / Ballmer camp can EVER claim to be anything less than ruthless, tenacious competitors who have both put themselves where they are through intimidation, stealing others intellectual property, bullying, coercion and outright sabotage in some cases.
Neither Jobs or Ballmer got to where they are without an ego the size of a house, but comparing the two in terms of pure talent? Come on, Ballmer is the quintessential blow-hard, "forget-about-what-you're-saying-just-say-it-loud-and-sweat-alot" type that just doesn't have alot going on behind the scenes. Jobs, for all his eccentricities and pure meanness, is an absolute visionary, works to understand what people want before they know what they want and then relentlessly beats his people to a pulp to get it out there before anyone else. THAT's why AAPL leads and MS reacts.
Ethics in business has really hit an all time low and you see it everywhere- even on these boards with profound 'make money no matter what even if you're an asshole' mentality. Think about the current economic downturn and what the systemic drivers are that caused the collapse of the banks, mortgage business, foreclosures and the ripple effect to the rest of the economy. I in no way give these idiots who take on mortgages a free pass with this BS argument that they were 'duped' into variable or balloon rate mortagages- they KNEW what they were getting themselves into. BUT, this was more about the execs who in their blind zeal to "race for the most money" (as the poster above laments is ALL that counts), decided to throw all risk models out the window and deliberately write loans purely on the value of the properties (as overinflated as they were) rather than credit worthiness else they would not stack up nearly as profitable as their peers who did wrecklessly write loans.
What's the common missing link in all of this- basic business ethics. It's a freakin cancer from the guy who stupidly posts that it's all about who can make the most $$ to the top financial firm execs who know they'll still get their millions in pay and in the worst case scenario should the whole house of cards collapse, they'll just wipe their hands of it and the govt (ie YOU AND ME) will bail them all out.
Wow- sorry about the rambling, run-on of a post- :)
http://www.google.com/search?q=windows+mobile+sdk&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1
@ Steffen,
I'm more concerned about what they DON'T write about. I come to sites like Gizmodo and Engadget for their content and put up with a lot that is wrong with them in the process. But when something should be covered and it isn't, it's incredibly frustrating. Even more so when they go all out covering the same sorts of things about different companies' stuff. As a longtime reader, I feel they are doing a terrible job in this regard.
Yes, from this day on, Windows Mobile is a dead issue. All development will cease and most WM phones will be tossed away. It was mentioned that a new order in the smartphone industry is arriving and it's called iPhone.
Why even concern yourself what engadget writes about. If you don't like it, skip over it. Lots of articles were written about the iPhone SDK at lots of technical sites. It's supposed to be a big deal to many companies. In a day or so it'll all blow over.
I put microsoft on Deathwatch a while ago, actually 1994 when RadHat came out. I've only just started using the phrase recently. Shame Steve wasn't in charge then; M$ would have gone much sooner. Why are all these videos doctored? I heard Steve's knuckles touch the ground.
MS on deathwatch?? LMFAO! that was funny. oh man i needed that laugh......wow, I want some of what he is taking.
It is very fascinating how the cycle of MS supposedly on "deathwatch" goes.
1) Microsoft's announces record profits at the end of the quarter.
2) Apple fanatics are stunned/embarrassed into silence.
3) A month after they are back proclaiming that Microsoft is finished and is in a "death spiral". Usually they do this after some Apple announcement.
4)Their shrill hate towards MS builds to a crescendo until the end of the quarter when MS announces record profits again. Then we start all over again.
We are now on stage 3.
another straight up dumbass
Wait... what? Apple fanatics are stunned/embarassed into silence? Why would you think that? I mean have you seen how well Apple is doing recently? Every quarter is record profit for Apple, every quarter their marketshare goes up, every quarter their year over year sales top the year before. I don't get why you think people who like Apple would even care about Microsoft's profits at this point, unless they own MSFT stock.
Mostly, people who like Apple or own their stock just want them to keep making record profit, record sales, and gaining more marketshare, regardless of what Microsoft is doing. And the simple fact is that Microsoft is not gaining marketshare. Apple is. And of course since there's really only two players in the mainstream OS market, anything that Apple gains must by definition mean that it's taken away from Microsoft.
I wouldn't put MS on deathwatch because I don't think they're going to die any time soon, they have too much money for that. But they're not surviving by making being smart, they're surviving by throwing money at everything to the point of selling their products at a loss just to get them on the market. You think Apple is selling anything at a loss? Apple is completely debt-free and has $16 billion CASH in the bank, and they're still making record profit every quarter. That is what I would call a successful company.
Microsoft's cash reserves won't last forever if they keep selling everything at a loss. Every percent of marketshare OS X takes away from them represents loss in sales, and Apple's marketshare gains don't appear to be slowing down either. It will take a while, but people are finally starting to realize they don't *have* to use Microsoft products. And that's MS's most powerful tool - the idea that you *must* use Windows. It may seem impossible now, but if things keep going the way they have been, Microsoft is going to start having to work a lot harder to maintain their current size.
You Apple fanatics sure are silly.
Apple will NEVER achieve the widespread adoption as MS has. Their pricepoint and willingness to work with 3rd parties drives their success. Microsoft actually plays nice with other people and the global corporate world loves them. ...if you like it or not. Entire industries are based off of MS's success. Do you honestly think those multi-billion dollar companies (anti-virus, gaming, peripheral, software, computer hardware) will let MS fade away?
Apple's success is based on a closed platform, if they opened up their system (like MS) they'd have the same problems and become Microsoft. Microsoft tried closing their kernel to help avoid virus infection and lawsuits and bloody murder screams started flying from every angle (with Vista).
You can dream and rant all you'd like but, the FACT is that no operating system will dominate unless it has complete support and contribution.
Actually since Apple's boom is largely attributed to excess spending from the middle class on toys, I'd anticipate Apple's sales to receed a little (similar to Coach purses). The market has already adjusted a little for this. Like it or not, Apple has billed itself as a luxury while MS has established itself as a necessity.
PynkFloydd - You seem to have ignored the fact that Apple is actually taking market share away from Microsoft, and you didn't acknowledge that Apple doesn't need to have the most market share in order to be successful. Furthermore, when have you ever heard Apple say they wanted to "dominate"? Do you really think that's their ultimate goal?
And of course you expect Apple's sales to recede a little bit. Just like every other Wall Street analyst who thinks Apple's sales are going to drop every quarter. And they're wrong. Every single time. It's been like this since the 90s, they just never learn, and neither do people like you.
And I don't really know what you mean when you say "if Apple opened up their system". It's not open now? You think nobody can develop for it? That there's no 3rd party apps for the Mac? Anybody can develop apps for the Mac, so I really have no idea where you're going with this.
...you guys do know that Microsoft bailed out Apple a few times and MS is heavily invested in Apple, right? ...no? ...do some research. Why do you think MS allows Bootcamp to run XP or Vista? Why do you think MS just allowed the iPhone to use their Exchange servers? Why does the iPod run on Mac or PC? Again, you rabbid fanboys make me laugh. Go ahead and hate MS, they're a part of your beloved Apple. So umm...you're actually hating yourself... Sucks to look in the mirror, huh? Yes, Darth Vader IS your father...
@Zak: Now you're backtracking on your statement by saying that Apple doesn't need to do well...to do well. You also assume that Apple's small boost in market share is in relation to a black/white, Apple/Microsoft world. There are many flavors of Linux out there also. Red Hat and similar companies have also been multi-billion dollar enterprises. ...which haven't been doing too well as of late. You're also forgetting that MS doesn't make computers. A lot of people buying Macs are running Vista or XP.
Unlike those analysts that you've mentioned, I've actually invested in and followed APPL since 2003 (analysts are bound by law not to release statements on stocks they invest in). Have you? ...I've reviewed APPL's pricing on a daily basis and followed all pricing trends.
Again, you're viewing a limited area (in industry collaboration) to try and support your arguement. If anyone can development for Apple, why are most of the accessories all made by Apple? Why are there VERY limited games? Why are the same applications available for PC not available for Mac? Why is the iPhone OS only on the iPhone? Why does AT&T only carry the iPhone? Apple needs full control for their success and they will not openly collaborate.
Bottom line: I'm happy that Apple is competing with Microsoft, this furthers MS product development and everyone wins. ...but, to say that Apple will take over the world is naieve, ignorant and without any economical basis. (just because you say so, doesn't make it true) Apple has established itself as a fashion accessory. Apple enjoyed a HUGE boom post dot-com bust era because of a large stimulus to the economy. Middle class everywhere had excess cash and luxury industries expanded. Apple took advantage by catering to this crowd (through their marketing and product expansion) and using the iPod to lure people to the Mac OS and Macbook. This was temporary and we've seen the middle class in serious trouble this past year. As this was Apple's main consumer, I don't see how Apple can maintain growth. Apple is a consumer product, NOT corporate. Microsoft's main source of revenue are business contracts. Microsoft's business contracts will NOT be affected in this economic downturn as Apple's consumer world is. Most of the reason Apple went from $200/share to $120's in a short span is because investors view Apple's business as I have just explained. If people lose their jobs, people can't pay their mortgage, and can't pay their auto loan then, they sure won't buy a brand new iPod at $250 or buy a matching Macbook Pro at $2,000.
Believe what you want. If you'd like an Apple bedtime fairy tale, I'm sure there's tons of fanboys that'll oblidge.
1st rule of investing: never become emotionally attached to any company or money.
I'll be sure to go out and tell the most dominate, the most stable, technology company in history that they are on "deathwatch" so that they know to go sell their Ferraris, yachts, and Faberge Egg collections in favor of begging for food scraps.
Maybe Bill Gates will have to sell his collection of Porsche 959's that he had Bill Clinton personally pass a law to allow him to import into the US?
Does this mean that no more foreign leaders will conference at his house either? I mean he is the only person in the world that basically has UN meetings at his house but, since he's going broke...will it still happen?
I'm worried... Is the world ending? Is the appocalyse here?
I don't see why will anyone complain about getting 70% when marketing & advertising is being done for you, and they're also making sure you get paid. I can also see that ballmer mist the poin cause 30% of 0 dollars is still 0 dollars in my world
eh who cares what balmer says?
This guy really sucks. Pathetic
It's hypocritical for MS to criticize Apple's 30% share of revenue, when MS pockets 65% of revenues on XBLA games!
No it isn't; those are completely separate industries. Apples and oranges, etc.
Engadget seems to be ahole's (Apple's) new
butt-boy. I'm not an Microsoft lover or an apple hater, I own products from each company. It just seems all of the news outlets only cover Apple anymore. It's sad when even news outlets become baised ISheep.
I like how you claim to not be an Apple hater, but you actually call them "ahole". Way to make your point there, captain contradiction.
learn how to read zak he calls engadget aholes. maybe you should buy iHooked on Phonics??
@kryptonian00
nice try, but way off. maybe you should try reading it again.
Zak's right this time bud.
kryptonian00 - Try again? haha.
Why is the play button right over his junk?
I agree with the initial commenter's. I was a faithful Gizmodo reader, but I left because of all their smut and endless Apple promotion. I really do not want to read about the table scraps that a condescending hipster deigns to let fall from his table as if he were serving main dishes. Apple's exorbitant prices and their practice of releasing updates as new products is insulting to their customers. Yet, fanboys just eat it up. I'm tired out it. Engadet, don't make me find another source for the gadget news.
boohoo.
IMO, anyone who classifies people-who-own-an-apple-product(and don't cry about it all the time) as "fanboys" is very obviously themselves a "hater".
....and personally, i'm okay with a hater leaving, and less pointless whiny crap being posted in the comments.
/agree with Jeff, and John - if you're really so upset by it, you really should just go somewhere else. You just hate Apple for no apparent reason, so boo hoo, cry me a river. Whine in somebody else's comments page, thx.
Hey Bevis, check out where Engadget placed the play button.
involuntary lol
As MS will always be second n the MP3 market (like everyone else)... they will soon be close to losing the phone market too. Thats just the way it is going to go.
Shucks.
shouldn't his response to apple's new sdk just be "we've been doing this for years" ??
Does Mr. Ballmer do birthday parties and bar-mitzvahs? lol
Seriously! ...he's like the guy that you don't admit you're friends with but, you're glad that he came to the party cause you have something to laugh about the next day.
Keep on dancing Steve...keep on dancing...
This is why I read more than one tech blog. Or do all of you really expect to get all your news from a single source? That would be so limiting when there's OSNews, Slashdot, Digg, and a thousand other tech sites to choose from. Each has its own preferences for what makes the front page, whether dictated by the editors' interests or by the focus of the blog itself. As others have said, if you don't like Engadget's direction, go another way. If you stay, you obviously have nothing to bitch about so please don't.
Let's see if I can get lower-case f fred and his buddies to low vote me again. Why is it that the MS camp is crying so loudly about Apple coverage when they are so clearly the superior company, and Apple can go F themselves? Someone mentioned the Apple doesn't have the marketshare that Apple does and that makes them less successful, but Apple has no desire to be as big as MS (at least not actively). I mean think about the behemoth that MS is. They can not react quickly to changes in the market. Their products are starting to show the cracks and flaws that a "design-by-committee" mentality brings. And they try to bash others over the heads and convince them that they are better than everyone else.
Look, I'm not so stupid as to put MS on a "Deathwatch" or to completely malign the company. They make a lot of products I enjoy. I love my Xbox, I almost exclusively use MS mice, I use Windows (XP FOREVER!) and Office all the time. But I choose Apple computers (in this case the iPhone) not because I hate MS but because the Apple solution works for me, and I enjoy the process of using them as much as I enjoy the product of their use.
My previous post was simply a reference to the fact that Ballmer is a screaming moron and not a blanket statement on MS, ok?
Fred hind-sight is 20/20 when you have your head that far up your iass. Compare Apple coverage to any other company, Sony, Toshiba, HTC, Whatever. The fact is that Steve the IGod has his hand up Engadget's ass. Now to comment on Ballmer everyone comments on what a nerdy dork Gates was, now you have some else who is willing to cut loose alittle and he's a moron. One could also claim that Steve Jobs the Igod is pretentious maniacal money grubbing ego maniac (if not brilliant). And yes I was referring to engadget as Aholes, not Apple.
Steve Jobs is absolutely a money grubbing a-hole. It's no secret, and he's nowhere near the philanthropist Gates is. The thing that the MS heads can't stand is that Apple makes a good product and it gets covered. If Sony, Toshiba, HTC, Whatever had the kind of PR machine and the ol' RDF then they would get that coverage, never-mind the fact that Apple tends to back up that hype with decent products. I'm not sure exactly what you are trying to say here, but the bottom line is that Ballmer may be the smartest MF'er on the planet, and I just can't see it past the perspiration and bellowing (I'm SURE that's what it is.) But the guy talks so much off-the-wall bullshit it's not even funny. Anyway, if you were referring to Apple, they prefer the term iHole
Whoa! 86 comments in a story involving Steve Ballmer and without the infamous photo of his tongue!
this is not pretty...
All of you haters need to learn the meaning of BOGU Bend Over and Grease Up. If you don't know what it means, ask Steve and he'll be happy to show you what it's all about!!! And that's all I have to say I think you've been shown what's up!!!
This discussion has turned into a MS vrs apple battle and everone is missing the point. Apple continues to make products people want and there revenues proove that. Engadget reports on tech stuff the masses are interested in. Like it or not, there inovating and everyone else is coping them and its fun to watch the reaction of everyone. I own no Apple stock, there not perfect by any means but thank good there is some people out there thinking about what the consumer wants. I hope apple makes cars one day so it pressures the rest of the industry to move forward. I don't own an iPhone, but I'm glad to see the rest of the industry shaking in there boots. That's why they get so much coverage, most people pay attention to the true innovators and leaders to see what there doing next. I'm not a Jobs fan either, but at least you can understand what he is talking about, unlike other CEOs out there.
We'll miss you Bill!
Unfortunate placement of the "Play" button in the image. Scared to click.
Anyone else reckon that Steve Ballmer is on LSD? lol