KevinTurner
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Microsoft: "Post-PC" is the wrong idea
The Verge has a piece contrasting the Microsoft and Apple diverging views on what Apple calls the 'post-PC world'. The Microsoft view is there is no post-PC world, just what the company calls the 'PC+' world. Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner discussed this at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference. "Apple makes great hardware," Turner said. "The reality is in the OS we see things differently." Turner discussed OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and some mixed press reaction to the future of OS X. "We believe that Apple has it wrong," Turner said. "They've talked about it being the post-PC era, they talk about the tablet and PC being different, the reality in our world is that we think that's completely incorrect." It contrasts with the view espoused by the late Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. Cook has not endorsed the "one device fits all" approach and thinks there are advantages to a laptop, a desktop PC and a tablet and smartphone, but trying to make a single device do everything is not the way to go. In May, Cook said, "Products are about trade-offs. And you have to make tough decisions, you have to choose. The fact is, the more you look at a tablet as a PC, the more the baggage from the past affects the product." It followed Cook's famous metaphor about merging a toaster and a refrigerator. Even former Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie warned that computing devices would get simpler, and more like appliances. Of course the differences aren't so simple or as easily delineated. Microsoft wants to continue to sell an OS for desktops, laptops, tablets and phones too, but they certainly seem to believe that the newly announced Surface tablet can be a complete solution for many users. The only way to see whose argument wins is to watch the evolution of products and sales from both Microsoft and its partners and Apple. Is the PC era over? Or are new form factors just another iteration of the PC? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Microsoft Store to expand retail presence by 2014, makes shopping for a PC redundant
Microsoft really wants to hang with the cool kids at the mall. Or, at least park its retail derriere next to the likes of Apple's sleek boutiques -- to the tally of 86 stores by 2014. We know most of you are scratching your heads thinking, "Microsoft store? Don't you mean Best Buy?" Aye, but we don't. The MS-branded outfits started cropping up in 2009 and with 11 locations already dotting our map, COO Kevin Turner hopes to plant some more Windows flags in California, Florida, most of the northeast and even some overseas territories. Comments regarding the Ballmer-led company's retail expansion came during the 2011 Worldwide Partner Conference and centered mostly on the benefits of customer feedback. It sure is nice to see the former market monopolist catering to us plebes, but we're more interested in the D-list stars and awkward dancing destined to accompany opening ceremonies.
Windows Phone 7 coming to Europe in October, US in November, according to Microsoft COO (video)
Here's something that seems to have slipped the net from Kevin Turner's recent presentation on Windows Phone 7 devices. While discussing the move to Microsoft's next great hope in the mobile space, the Redmond COO told the world that the transition is expected to happen in the October timeframe across Europe, and in the November timeframe in the US. This is the most explicit anyone from Microsoft has been about the likely launch date for Windows Phone 7, and sets up the intriguing potentiality of Europeans getting to savor the goodness of the brand new OS ahead of their US brethren. See Kevin dishing the info on video after the break. [Thanks, Abed]
CE-oh no he didn't!: Microsoft's Kevin Turner says iPhone 4 might be Apple's Vista
While not technically a CEO, Microsoft chief operating officer Kevin Turner is not immune to a certain amount of executive level foot-in-mouth. Speaking at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in DC and chatting up his company's upcoming slate of Windows Phones, he couldn't help a little iPhone bashing: "It looks like the iPhone 4 might be their Vista, and I'm okay with that." Should we point out to Kevin that attempting to criticize your competition by comparing it to your own flagship products is usually counterproductive, or leave him to figure it out on his own during some early morning magnificent moustache contemplation session?
Microsoft store opening October 22nd, insides revealed?
Imagine for a second that you're Microsoft: unimaginably rich, a bit bloated after years on the Office hog, and worried about a few big projects you've been meaning to finish if only you could find the time. Now, what day would you choose to launch your brick-and-mortar stores back into retail if you were David Porter, vice president of retail stores and former Wal-Mart exec? If it was us, we'd choose October 22nd, the official Windows 7 launch. That's exactly what a number of tipsters are telling us courtesy of an in-person briefing by Kevin Turner, Microsoft's COO. Specifically, the Scottsdale store will swing the doors wide on the 22nd, we're not sure about the Mission Viejo location. According to the Wall Street Journal, the stores will sell Windows-based laptops and cellphones and allow consumers to play Xbox 360 games on a 94-inch in-store screen. It'll even have a Genius Bar "counter" where people can bring their Microsoft gear for help. In fact, the WSJ claims that the Scottsdale store interior is a "nearly exact replica" of the store created on Redmond's campus -- something we covered back in January (pics in the gallery below). Who knows, this could be the beginning of www.peopleofmicrosftstore.com as Internet trends go. %Gallery-42063% [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Microsoft alters Laptop Hunters "Lauren" ad after Apple calls to complain
In a continuation of the saga that began about ten days ago, Microsoft has altered one of its Laptop Hunters ads to reflect Apple's recent price changes. Last we'd heard, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner was boasting that the ads had been so successful that a rep from Apple had called to ask that the ads be pulled. Turner pointed out that Apple's complaint -- that the prices were no longer correct -- was the result of a price cut of "$100 or something." Now it appears that one ad -- the one featuring the second Lauren -- has been re-edited so that she no longer mentions the price of the MacBook Pro ("over $2,000"), which has been dropped to $1,700. We'll be honest -- we don't care how this turns out, just as long as we can keep on using the words "Apple" and "Microsoft" in the same sentence.[Via Apple Insider]
Microsoft exec says Apple asked them stop airing Laptop Hunters ads
Apple may have publicly responded to Microsoft's Laptop Hunters ads with a counterpunch of its own back in May, but it looks like it may have been singing a slightly different tune behind the scenes more recently, at least according to Microsoft's Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Turner. Speaking at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference earlier today, Turner said that he knows the ads are working because "two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying [...] 'Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.'" Turner further went on to note that "they took like $100 off or something," before stating to applause that it "was the greatest single phone call in the history that I've ever taken in business" -- though he did apparently take a minute to ask: "Is this a joke? Who are you?" In case you're wondering, Turner also confirmed that Microsoft is indeed "just going to keep running them and running them and running them."[Via Ars Technica]
Microsoft confirms retail stores coming this fall
Well, this is going to be fun! Microsoft, which hired former Wal-Mart exec David Porter to be its corporate vice president of retail stores back in February, has just confirmed that stores are, indeed, on the way -- and soon. COO Kevin Turner confirmed the plans at the Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans yesterday, saying the stores are due to open this fall (maybe to coincide with the launch of Windows 7?) -- and what's more, Redmond's bringing the fight directly to Apple's doorstep. "Stay tuned, because we're going to have some retail stores opened up that are opened up right next door to Apple stores." Things are about to get saucy, people.
