Remember the good old days when Microsoft was always on the defensive, constantly touting their Windows OS and Office products as the gold line standard to beat? Those days are over and now Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has went hard on the offensive, essentially telling a crowd at the Web 2.0 Summit that Microsoft still offers the best products, even if everyone’s view of computing is shifting away from their products.

Ballmer talked about the company’s focus and poked fun at his competitors, at one point calling the very simple to use Google Android OS a program built for computer scientists, apparently hundreds of millions of people around the world who use the system with no problems are computer scientists.

Speaking with conference chairman and host John Battelle the Microsoft CEO said the company has made their social play and its called Skype. Ballmer argues that the program offers a better one-on-one personal approach to social networking, while pointing out that the programs integration with Facebook gives them an advantage over Google Hangouts.

Ballmer then continued to talk about Google, pointing out that Bing is now the number 2 search engine behind Google. Ballmer told the audience that if they used Google and Bing at different times they would end up realizing that they don’t care which system they use, while 15% of the remaining holdouts would choose Google and the other 15% would choose Bing.

Ballmer also opened up about cloud computing and said Microsoft is “winning, winning, winning, winning.” Ballmer however was quick to point out that he only means they are winning in terms of applications in the cloud which Microsoft currently views as the only area where customers particularly trust cloud computing.

Speaking about the company’s gaming platform Ballmer says Kinect will continue to be a big focus for Microsoft while mentioning deals his firm has entered into with National Geographic, Sesame Street and others. Ballmer says new features that enable gesture and voice-based search using Kinect are also on the horizon.

It’s strange to see Microsoft push so hard on the offensive, in the meantime I’ll stick to Android and iOS based mobile and tablet systems.

What areas do you think Microsoft is winning and failing in?

Steve Ballmer Goes After Google, Apple And Others During Web 2.0 Summit is a post from: The Inquisitr

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Tuesday hinted that his company may eventually begin building their own smartphones rather than relying on third-party company’s to accept their mobile operating systems.

Currently WP7 Smartphones are all produced by third party vendors who have been more likely to install Google Android on their phones in place of the lesser reviewed WP 7 OS.

At the Web 2.0 Summit Ballmer skirted around the question from an attendee by noting:

“Microsoft will do what it takes to enable hardware innovation.”

Ballmer then gave a nice PR spin by reminding attendees that Nokia is getting ready to launch a new line of Windows Phones next week at Nokia World in London.

Microsoft’s CEO then attempted to claim his company’s mobile OS superiority over Android and iOS by claiming that you don’t need to be a ”computer scientist” to use his company’s devices, while adding, ”but I think you do to use Android.”

Honestly Google Android is very simple to use, you literally click on icons and follow directions for apps, then again i’m not surprised that Steve Ballmer thinks using a computer program is difficult.

I personally don’t understand how Microsoft building their own phones will make a difference, it’s the OS that manufacturers have shied away from and top notch producers including Samsung, HTC and Motorola have proven what they want and it’s the Google Android OS.

Do you think Windows Phone 7 devices can truly compete with iOS and Android based Smartphones if Microsoft builds their own smartphones?

[via]

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Hints At Company Manufactured Smartphones is a post from: The Inquisitr

I recently reported that the Microsoft Board of Directors stood next to Steve Ballmer when investors began to call for his resignation as CEO of the one-time tech darling however everyday employees at the company seem much less smitten with their leader. A new quarterly poll of Ballmer’s popularity at the company shows that only 29% of Microsoft’s employees believe in their Chief Executive Officer.

In the second quarter of 2008 Ballmer’s forecast looked much different with 65% of the company’s employees support their head honcho, however as Apple has been named the top tech company in the world and Microsoft has fallen behind in the mobile and tablet fields his ratings have steadily declines according to more than 1,500 employees who have taken the quarterly assessment poll.

In comparison, Glassdoor, the company who handled the employee ratings system says Aple CEO Steve Jobs has an extremely impressive rating of 97-percent satisfied, while Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos sits 84 percent.

News of the approval ratings mess doesn’t come at a good time for Ballmer as hedge fund manager David Einhorn has appeared to have made it his sole responsibility to have Ballmer replaced.

Here’s a closer look at how the CEO’s ratings have slipped every quarter since Q2 2008:

[via GeekWire]

Steve Ballmer’s Employee Voted Approval Rating Sinks To All-Time Low is a post from: The Inquisitr

Steve Ballmer’s job is safe, at least for the short term. This week hedge fund manager David Einhorn asked the company to find a new leader to help rejuvenate the company’s focus however a source close to the board says all members support Ballmer and his vision for the company.

Among those people supporting Ballmer is Bill Gates who believes his vision for the company will continue to strengthen Microsoft’s offerings in the future. If you believe it’s all buddy buddy between the men an unnamed hedge fund manager called Gates a “ruthless capitalist” who would personally kick Ballmer to the door to raise the company’s bottom line.

For his part Einhorn has called Ballmer the “biggest overhang” holding back Microsoft from a stronger stock evaluation, specifically when dealing with the companies online division which has lost $7 billion in four years of head-to-head Google competition. [Electronista]

Microsoft Board Supports Steve Ballmer Despite Calls Of Resignation is a post from: The Inquisitr

Having just witnessed the Steve Ballmer keynote address at CES I have to admit, I could have given the address. Ballmer spent much of the nearly hour and a half talking about what Windows has accomplished, what’s coming in 2010 and what they hope to achieve on the horizon, the only problem? We’ve heard most of it before.

The night started out with a power glitch which delayed the show by about half an hour, after which Gary Shapiro of CES came out to tout Microsoft products, remind us all a bit about products we already knew about (which is fine he had to set the ton) and then introduce the keynote speaker, Microsoft CEO Steve  Ballmer.

Ballmer then appeared, but not in that rowdy, i’m going to jump around the stage like a madman persona we’ve seen in the past, this time he kept his cool and came out swinging with the persona of a likeable guy we’d expect to play poker with on a Saturday night. Steve then introduced Seth Meyers who actually did a really funny skit about what technology has done for him in which he mocks his own wrongful use of tech, it, in my opinion was unfortunately the highlight of the night. For example he says “Before Twitter, if I wanted to know what a person thought their cat was thinking… I would have been an idiot” and “Video games: before technology, I thought I was better at football than 11 year olds.” It was classic Meyers at his slapstick self.

Next, Steve began to talk about Microsoft achievements, how Microsoft was a combination of 3,000 engineers, 50,000 developers and 8 million beta testers from around the world and how the system has become more streamlined that its predecessors, he then touted the notebooks and netbooks that feature the OS, an impressive array of budget friendly devices and PC Magazines Number 1 Gaming system, then again we’ve heard it all before.

Ballmer also preached about Bing with the zeal of a boy who just discover his fathers playboys, reminding everyone in attendance how well the companies new maps system worked when zooming from satellite to your homes front door view, while mentioning the 11 million new visitors they’ve attracted, again, impressive numbers, but nothing we hadn’t heard in one fashion or another recently. One interesting fact, Ballmer mentioned that Bing will become the default search engine on HP products around the world in 2010.

He then spoke about Fiat Blue & Me which is now used in 1 million sold vehicles and he mentioned Ford’s Sync technology which will be discussed by Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally on Thursday morning during his keynote.

Ballmer then went on to display the HTC HD2 which will “debut” on T-Mobile this month and which has been available unlocked for months. While mentioning that a new “HTC device will be out virtually every month in 2010.”

He also talked about the Zune HD and it’s critical success and the various apps it continues to deliver, again we’ve heard it all before.

One thing I found interesting was Microsoft Mediaroom  2.More which is there software that permits pay TV service which according to Ballmer  “[Is] provided to millions of customers. I’m happy to announce later this year that AT&T subscribers to UVERSE will be able to enable this on their Xbox consoles.” Very cool indeed.

There was a bunch more info about Silverlight, about Xbox 360 technology and ultimately project natal which is an amazing piece of tech I can’t wait to see more from and which will be available by the 2010 holiday season according to Ballmer.

Honestly, it was hard to get excited during the keynote, unlike the days of Bill Gates showing off cool new tech, there was the air of “let us woo you with what we already have” and not enough info delving into the future of tech.

Overall, not a horrible way to start CES, minus the power issues and WiFi ups and downs, but here’s hoping to more starting tomorrow morning.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Woos, Doesn’t Really Wow At Opening CES 2010 Keynote is a post from: The Inquisitr

CES 2010 is coming to Las Vegas this January 7th through January 10th and Inquisitr.com be on the scene covering the hottest, most interesting and just plain odd bits of technology and gadgets.

The Consumer Electronics Show is the largest industry only conference worldwide and is often the breaking ground for new types of technology and gadgets from major companies, many of which will be released for sale over the coming new year.

This year I expect to see a lot of hype and gadgets surrounding the world of 3D, including new 3D enabled televisions from Sony and possibly even some new Acer 3D notebook technology which was rumored in late 2009, although still not confirmed in any real manner.

CES 2010 also promises to deliver an entire new level of Mobile Apps with the conference devoting a section of the show to mobile applications, mobile devices and other areas of mobile technology.

Apple, having moved their MacWorld Expo to early February this year (it’s usually the same week as CES) should also have a bigger presence at the show with the iLounge area featuring everything Apple.

CES will also feature more exhibitors than ever before, taking up, as they have in the past, the entire Las Vegas Convention Center and much of the Sands Expo Center (once again being shared with the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo).

Whether you want to check out weird and wacky gadgets or find out about the newest in technological advancements, be sure to stay tuned for all the major releases as they arrive.

We’ll get started one day early with a keynote address from Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer on Wednesday night, stay tuned…

CES 2010 Begins This Thursday, We Get Started On Wednesday is a post from: The Inquisitr

So Newsweek has published its technology predictions for the coming year and while most of them are borderline possibles there is one that stands out. In at number nine is the prediction that Steve Ballmer will be shown the door as a present for his 10th anniversary with the company.

This folks is the best thing that could happen for the company regardless of how well Windows 7 has helped them rebound. As Newsweek points out – Microsoft stock has dropped nearly 50 percent during the ten years that Ballmer has been leading the company.

Not only that but under his direction Microsoft has missed the boat on pretty well every single big new tech market during those ten years. As far as the Windows brand it is my opinion the only reason it got rescued was because of Steven Sinofsky taking over.

One has to wonder just what it would take for a real shareholders revolt to take hold or if Ballmer will decide to take a very long vacation before that happens.

Unfortunately though this is one prediction from Newsweek I don’t think we will come true – much to the detriment of the company and employees.

The one Newsweek Tech prediction that would give Microsoft fans wet dreams if true is a post from: The Inquisitr

Microsoft Layoffs 2009: Phase Two

The Microsoft layoffs plan involves the elimination of 5,000 jobs by June of 2010. The first cuts, in January, involved about 1,400 workers. Ballmer has not specified how many people are losing their jobs in this week’s wave. He does say, however, that affected employees will be notified today. He also indicates the company is “mostly but not all done” with its planned 5,000 job eliminations. Some sources suggest this round will hit both Microsoft’s U.S. and international offices.

The cuts, Microsoft said in January, will span across several departments, including research and development, marketing, sales, finance, legal, human resources, and IT.

Steve Ballmer’s Memo

The following is Steve Ballmer’s internal memo regarding the second phase of Microsoft layoffs on May 5, 2009.

In January, in response to the global economic downturn, I announced our plan to adjust the company’s cost structure through spending reductions and job eliminations. Today, we are implementing the second phase of this plan.

This is difficult news to share. Because our success at Microsoft has always been the direct result of the talent, hard work, and commitment of our people, eliminating positions is hard.

Today’s action includes positions in the United States and in a number of countries around the world. In the U.S., affected employees will be notified directly by their managers today. In other countries, local leadership teams will provide more specific information about the impact to their organizations.

With this announcement, we are mostly but not all done with the planned 5,000 job eliminations by June 2010. We are moving quickly to reach this target in response to consistent feedback from our people and business groups that it’s important to make decisions and reduce uncertainty for employees as quickly as possible, and so that organizations can concentrate their efforts and resources on strategic objectives.

As we move forward, we will continue to closely monitor the impact of the economic downturn on the company and if necessary, take further actions on our cost structure including additional job eliminations.

For those of you directly affected by today’s announcement, I want to thank you for your contribution to Microsoft and assure you that we will continue to provide support as we did during the previous job eliminations.

And for everyone across the company, I want to reemphasize how much I appreciate the way you have pulled together to help the company respond to this difficult economic environment. There’s no doubt that these are very challenging times. But together, we are making the right choices to ensure that we will continue to deliver great products and position ourselves for strong future growth and profitability.

Thank you for your continued hard work, commitment, and focus.

Steve

Microsoft Layoffs 2009: Read Steve Ballmer’s Memo is a post from: The Inquisitr

Balmer’s buddy Bill Gates wasn’t so lucky in his food attack experience several years ago. A prankster hit him square in the kisser with a cream pie back in ’98.

Ah, the memories.

Microsoft CEO Egged During Presentation is a post from: The Inquisitr