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CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XLVI: Ballmer still wants compensation from Red Hat users
If you'll recall, it was around this time last year when ole Steve Ballmer fessed up and stated that Linux users probably owed him a nickle or two, and apparently, he's yet to get over it. Reportedly, Mr. Ballmer was speaking out last week "at a company event in London discussing online services in the UK" when he proclaimed that "people who use Red Hat, at least with respect to our intellectual property, in a sense have an obligation to compensate us." Furthermore, he went on to "praise Novell for valuing intellectual property, and suggested that open source vendors will be forced to strike similar deals with other patent holders." Of course, we're sure he means well and all, given that all he "really" wants is "an intellectual property interoperability framework between the two worlds." And a few dollars too, right?[Via TheInquirer]
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XLVI: Skype's former CEO admits eBay paid too much
Apparently former Skype CEO and co-founder Niklas Zennstrom isn't just one to take the money and run. No, he found time in his busy schedule to confess that eBay paid too much for Skype, which is something that's become increasingly evident to eBay in the past months: the company is cutting up to $1.2 billion off the $4.3 billion potential price it agreed to with Skype two years ago. "We had to chart the trajectory of growth and how fast that would run, (but) we found out that was a bit front-loaded," said Zennstrom. "We overshot in terms of monetization ... Our position in the market has strengthened ... you need to look at the long-term value of companies." Seems a little odd for Niklas to be preaching it to eBay in this scenario, but perhaps he just wanted to clear his name now that Joost has gone public and is potentially looking of suitors. He wouldn't predict if Skype could've made its original goals if he had stuck around until 2009, but somehow we doubt it.
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XLV: Amiga head says new AmigaOS 5 "better than OS X"
Sure, we know you and your Video Toaster have been gutted over this whole AmigaOS 4 debacle... what's that? You've never heard of OS 4? You didn't know Amiga was still around? You hadn't heard that Bill McEwan, CEO of Amiga says the company's next OS is going to be "better than OS X?" Well time to perk up those ears, kiddo. In a truly enthralling read, the head of the defunct hardware-maker / software company says that Amiga is hard at work on a number of projects, not the least of which is the follow up to company's OS 4 -- which has been mired in development disputes with a company called Hyperion Entertainment since 2001 -- AmigaOS 5. A piece of software guaranteed to surprise and thrill the technology community at large, mostly (we suspect) due to the fact that no one even knew the company was still in business. Sure, some of the detractors say they haven't released a product in seven years, but what's seven years when you've got that pile of platinum that is OS 5? Exactly.[Via Slashdot]
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XLIV: Ballmer calls Ellison overpaid, kettle black
As soon as the salary of a CEO reaches the $1 million a year mark, they should probably hush up about their peer's ridiculously inflated $74 million ones. Apply those numbers to Steve Ballmer and Larry Ellison respectively, and now consider that Ballmer is complaining about the latter's yearly figure. According to Forbes, Ellison has consistently hit the top ten of CEO compensation list, and is unarguably the most well paid CEO of a technology company, but does that give Ballmer any right to call him out on it? We're thinking maybe Ballmer should take stock -- of which he has 9.6% of Microsoft's total by the way -- and continue to count up his $15 Billion fortune. Sure, over-compensation of CEOs is a problem, but one that probably shouldn't be outed by a well-compensated CEO that earns double-digit multiples over the average Microsoft salary.
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XLIII: Vivendi CEO calls iTunes contract "indecent"
While it's a bit tame compared to some of the CEO outbursts we've seen, Vivendi Chairman Jean-Bernard Levy's reported description of Apple's iTunes contract terms as "indecent" should still be more than enough raise a few eyebrows. More specifically, referring to the contract terms between Vivendi's Universal Music Group unit and Apple, Levy said that the "split between Apple and (music) producers is indecent," adding that its "contracts give too good a share to Apple." To remedy that supposed indecency, Levy suggested a "differentiated price system" for older and newer releases, among other things. Of course, all of this follows a fair bit of back and forth between the two companies, which ultimately ended up with Universal not renewing its long-term contract with Apple, but continuing to work with iTunes "at will." According to Reuters, Levy wouldn't comment about the possibility of Universal leaving iTunes altogether, although he did confirm that "we are not just talking to Apple."
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XL: AT&T CEO says no one wants $10 DSL
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson apparently subscribes to a different school of marketing and demand than most others -- speaking with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the telecom boss flatly denied that AT&T's $10 DSL plan is hidden on the company's website, and went on to say that "customers haven't been clamoring for it," and that since the 768Kbps "user experience is not what I would consider really state of the art," he doesn't really want to sell it to anyone. Of course, customers don't usually clamor for a product that barely anyone knows is available and that requires absurd hoop-jumping just to get set up, but don't let them pesky facts get in your way, Randy.[Via Techdirt]
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XLI: Sun's James Eagleton says Microsoft guilty of "patent terrorism"
In the most recent round of the Microsoft vs. Linux debate, Sun's systems product manager James Eagleton lobs the latest volley, stating that the Redmond-based software giant's business tactics amount to "patent terrorism," and that the current climate it's created is akin to a "cold war." Eagleton goes on to offer that Sun and even IBM have much fairer approaches to patent protection which don't go against "the spirit of innovation," in the way he claims Microsoft's policies do. If the dubious arrangements Microsoft has agreed upon with Novell and Linspire didn't convince you that something was rotten in the state of Washington, comments like sour-grapes-Eagleton's should at least make you take pause.[Via The Inquirer]
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XL: Acer's Gianfranco Lanci says "entire industry" disappointed by Vista
Acer President Gianfranco Lanci doesn't look to have minced any words about his thoughts on Vista during a recent interview with the Financial Times Deutschland, reportedly telling the publication that "the entire industry is disappointed by Windows Vista." As if that wasn't a big enough shot across the bow, Lanci further went on to say that it's "not going to change in the second half of this year," adding that "I really don't think that someone has bought a new PC specifically for Vista." Lanci apparently didn't have quite everything out of his system just yet though, also lambasting Vista for not being ready when it was released, saying that "stability is certainly a problem." We some suspect he won't be too pleased with Microsoft's recent pronouncements on the matter either.
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XXXIX : Stringer calls Jobs "greedy"
According to the always exploitive New York Post Page Six, an Anderson Cooper-hosted panel with Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, and Barry Diller (amongst others) had been discussing how technology was changing the way people got their entertainment and news, when Sony honcho Howard Stringer apparently accused Steve Jobs of being "greedy." The report claims that Mr. Stringer went on to say that the Steve-man "Wants a world where only he makes money." The knighted gentleman then stormed out of the room and called his assistant on a Sony Ericsson, who proceeded to take him to his hotel where he watched the Sony-produced Spiderman 2 in Blu-ray format on his new Vaio while petting an AIBO with his metallic claw.
CE-Oh no he didn't, part XXXVIII: Peter Moore tells Sony it's failing
While Peter Moore wasn't exactly this forthright when chatting it up with us, it's not totally out of character for execs to lash out at rivals from time to time. In the latest chapter of CE-Oh no he didn't, we find Mr. Moore claiming that Sony's "long-term business plan of being successful in Japan is crumbling." Moreover, he continued to knock the PS3 by sidestepping questions of why the Xbox 360 has sold so miserably in the Land of the Rising Sun and suggested that Sony was the one that should be worried about "getting outsold six-to-one." As a finisher, Peter added that he had "built a business plan for Japan," and while sales have indeed been lackluster, he claimed that "Sony was missing its plan by much more" than he was missing his. Seriously, them's fightin' words there.[Via DailyTech]
CE-Oh no he didn't, part XXXVII: Sony's Reeves says PS3 will be "the winner" by March 08
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves already caused quite a stir with his statement that the 60GB PS3 would soon be no more, and it looks like he's now set to kick up another hubbub, telling GamesIndustry.biz that he expects the PS3 to be "the winner" by March of next year. As if that wasn't a bold enough proclamation, he said that the PS3 "will be far and away the winner when you look at it by March '08," adding that "it's something that is going to be a slow burner, and suddenly it's like a tsunami; it will just overtake you." Let's just hope that tsunami comes at a discount.
Ce-Oh no he didn't, part XXXIV: Karmazin sez "we suck less" than XM
We guess that once your acquisition target has agreed to be purchased, you don't really have to go around buttering up its board members or executives anymore, but it still seems odd that CEO Mel Karmazin would defend Sirius' admittedly poor performance on Wall Street by arguing that at least his company "sucks less" than future partner XM. Yet that's exactly the case presented to shareholders at a Manhattan meeting last week, where the often-outspoken Karmazin admitted that he was "real unhappy" with the satrad firm's stock price -- although compared to the 61% decline in XM share prices since September 2004, Sirius' 8% gain over that same period was a relative bull run. Still, Mel, don't you think there are better ways to phrase that sentiment other than attaching the connotation of "suckiness" to your company and one you hope to acquire? Hey, just a thought. [Via FARK]
Ce-Oh no he didn't, part XXXIII - Microsoft's just waiting for Wii fanboys to grow up
Never let it be said that a console war doesn't benefit the consumer -- for the goldmine of quotes, if nothing else. This latest one is from John Rodman, group product manager for the Xbox platform and Xbox Live, who was talking up the Xbox 360 in a New York Times article of all places. "We don't feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing," he said. "We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14 they want something else." Oh snap! Finally the truth comes out. We were getting a bit tired of all those backhanded praises Sony and Microsoft have been showering on the Wii, since it's not the "competition." Seems like it's worth Rodman's time to pay it such a diss (not that we have anything against sub-14 year olds, but let's be honest here) and there's no doubt the Wii is more of a threat to Sony and Microsoft than they'll ever admit.[Thanks, David B]
Ce-Oh no he didn't, part XXXII - Sony UK boss calls US citizens "cheap people"
In an interview with GamesIndustry, Sony UK's managing director Ray Maguire had something of a minor faux pas when asked why the PS3 is pricier in the UK (£425 or $833 US) than it is in the rest of Europe (€599 or $794 US), to which he replied:"... you have a look at the economic and financial situation in each and every territory. That's where the differences start to vary massively. ... If you take what's considered to be the most expensive and the least expensive – consider the US with its massive land and cheap people."We think we're gonna give Ray a pass here. If you read his whole interview, in context he seems to be talking about costs -- like tarriffs, fees, VAT, and the like -- associated with getting a console into a person's hands. But either way, people are people, and it's no surprise that when you start thinking of human beings as numbers or business units you start saying stupid things like the US is filled with "cheap people".
Ce-Oh no he didnt! Part XXXI - Stringer says if PS3 fails, it'll be due to the high price
The veritable genius of economic theory that he is, Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer has finally figured out a flaw in his grand scheme of world domination via the PS3: that hefty pricetag. "If we fail, it is because we positioned PS3 sales as the Mercedes of the videogame field," said Stringer. "PS3 is a different audience and it can be whatever it wants – a home server, game device, even a computer." It seems odd that he'd say the PS3 is limited to a different audience and that it can be "whatever it wants" in the same sentence, but who are we to judge? Stringer also praised the Wii as "a wonderful device," and stated that it "has a different target audience" than that of the PS3. Nothing new there, and his statements on the format war were also unsurprising: "We are selling 3-to-1 versus to them," he said. "At some point Blu-ray will take over based on ... this support." Good to see some things just never change.
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XXIX - Apple sez free phones are worthless
Sure, Apple and Cisco have been exchanging kind (and not so kind) words of late, but a loose-tongued COO gave us just tidbit we needed to satisfactorily craft the 29th running of CE-Oh No He Didn't. It's no secret that Apple stands to profit mightily off its eventual iPhone sales, and it's also not too far fetched to start dreaming of 3G on the imminent next revision, but laying the smack down on free cellphones in order to bolster your own product is just asking for it. Sure enough, Apple's Chief Operating Officer Timothy Cook said yesterday at a conference in Las Vegas that "A lot of people pay zero for the cellphone," but rather than contemplating his next move, he carelessly blurted out the reason by stating "That's what it's worth," essentially punking users of the ever-basic free cellphone that saw no reason to spring for high-end hardware when initializing their contract. Apple is currently predicting that "around 10 million customers will pay at least $499 to buy an iPhone" because they feel the value is there, but apparently a low-end mobile isn't worth its weight in plastic. C'mon Mr. Cook, we've got no qualms with pricing your mobile as your company deems fit, but slamming the hammer on folks who just need a handset that calls Aunt Susie every now and then is just a bit harsh, no?[Via Digg]
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XXVIII - Reggie pokes fun at PS3 shootings
Apparently Perrin Kaplan isn't the only spokesperson for Nintendo speaking a bit too "freely" these days. The man himself, Reggie Fils-Aime, when queried about the PS3 launch lines in an interview with GameHead, asked, "Were those the people ducking to not get shot?" What a comedian! This was following a staunch denial of the PS3 having any lines at E3, which isn't quite accurate -- the lines were just short and more of a per-console thing, since there wasn't the crazy kind of closed room setup at the Sony booth. Maybe he should spend a bit less time honing those witty barbs and more time figuring out a way to get some more of his own console onto store shelves -- before the Wii related violence starts to get out of hand.[Via Joystiq]
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XXVII - Telstra tells Apple to "stick to your knitting"
We're not really sure what Telstra has to gain by dissing the iPhone, given the fact that it happens to be the only carrier in Australia to support EDGE, making them a natural fit for carrying the device, but diss it they did, with operations chief Greg Winn letting Apple know just how out-of-place he thinks the company is in the phone world: "There's an old saying - stick to your knitting - and Apple is not a mobile phone manufacturer, that's not their knitting." We wonder if anyone tried that line the last time Apple pulled something like this, with that little "iPod" thing of theirs a few years back. He continued, "You can pretty much be assured that Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and ZTE and others will be coming out with devices that have similar functionality." Oddly enough, other than that rather derogatory comment at the outset, Winn had some pretty legitimate criticisms of the phone. "I think people overreacted to it - there was not a lot of tremendously new stuff if you think about it," he said. The touchscreen doesn't really excite the guy, since it was "only a matter of time before it went to the device." This is evidenced by the flood of touchscreen phones we've been seeing this month and last. He also raises an eyebrow at the non-replaceable battery, and that while he's "absolutely sure that device will be successful initially," he's in doubt of "how much money are they willing to devote to all of the life cycle management and upgrades." He also seems put-off by the Cingular exclusivity: "They did an exclusive with Cingular and they talked about a global rollout - well, Cingular is not a global company." Maybe Winn just didn't get the memo that there's a world rollout on the way for next year, and he was on the list. "Was" being the key word here. [Thanks, John K]
CE-Oh no she didn't! Part XXVI - Nintendo's Kaplan on why no one got shot for a Wii
This one kind of came out of nowhere, but when asked by GameSpy how the PS3 launch affected the Wii launch, Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan thought it was time to lay down the smack:"Well, we didn't have anyone in line that got shot waiting for our system. So there's one sign of the different approaches between our two companies. I think that there were really two different audiences. The core gamer probably went out and tried to purchase both systems. ... I think we were just really prepared. Years of experience doing this ensured that we would have a very good launch."So there it is, Nintendo's preparedness, experience, and approach to console gaming ensured nobody got shot over the Wii last holiday season. Surely it had nothing to do with more copious console supplies, or a pricetag of half that (or less) than the PS3. Oh, and Perrin did forget to mention the personal bodyguard Nintendo assigned each and every new Wii owner late last year, that helped too.[Via Joystiq]
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XXIV - Jack Tretton wants to give you $1,200
Electronic Gaming Monthly, in an interview with Sony's Jack Tretton in early January, mentioned the recent availability of his company's console: "...it seemed like about 50 percent of the people in line were there to make a quick buck on eBay. And now we're seeing a lot more units on store shelves." Jack seemed a tad surprised by this, but he put his money where his mouth is: "If you can find a PS3 anywhere in North America that's been on shelves for more than five minutes, I'll give you 1,200 bucks for it. I can get any retail buyer on the phone with you and get them to verify that there's not a single retail location in America where there's a PlayStation 3 on the shelf for sale. They've all been sold in a matter of minutes." After EGM let Tretton know they had indeed phoned 18 stores and found half of them had PS3s in stock, some stores with as many as 20 consoles, Jack held firm "if only nine of the 18 stores you contacted had supplies, that seems to be a clear indication that sales continue to be outstanding." So there you have it, Jack's not backing down. We're guessing our check is already in the mail.[Thanks, Corey B]
