Ballmer Defends Xbox, Bing as Key Microsoft Components
Ballmer's last speech to shareholders made sure the Bing and Xbox departments remained in place.
GeekWire reports that on Tuesday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer spoke at the company's annual shareholder meeting for the very last time. He made a point to highlight the company's need for the Xbox and Bing divisions, calling them key parts of Microsoft's broader vision. This topic arrives after previous reports indicated that Stephen Elop may do away with the two divisions altogether if appointed as CEO.
As previously reported, sources claimed that as CEO, Elop would actually sell off or shut down major businesses such as Bing, which has been a costly effort to take on Google's own search engine. The Xbox business could also be sold off if deemed not critical to the company's strategy. He would even sharpen the company's focus by maximizing the sales of Office rather than use the software to sell Windows-based devices.
When talking about the upcoming Xbox One launching next week, Ballmer said it was an example of the company's unified strategy, as Bing and SkyDrive are integrated into the console. The Xbox One is "a reflection of what is possible when a company, our company, is unified under a common vision,” he said. He also pointed out that Bing is key to helping test and improve the Windows Azure service.
He went on to talk about the company's pending Nokia Devices & Services acquisition, which was approved by Nokia shareholders on Tuesday morning. "This is really a signature moment in the transformation of the company," he said, adding that by bringing Nokia's teams to Redmond, the move will accelerate the company's position in Windows phones, tablets and PCs.
After concluding his speech by saying that Microsoft is positioned to drive and define "the next big thing," one of the shareholder questions from the audience asked why Microsoft's share price wasn't going up. Ballmer said there's a disconnection between share price and profits.
"Our stock price is 60 percent of what it was when I took over as CEO and profits are three times," he said. "I trust the company will continue to focus in on what's real, which is long-term profit creation. [If that happens], the share price will go up. I feel confident about that."
It's actually quite funny as the people who I have met who have Windows Phone love it. There are a few issues, but what OS doesn't have them.
As well, I am tired of people calling Windows 8 a crap OS when there is only one thing they consistently moan about, Metro. They act like Metro makes it worse than Windows ME that BSoD on a regular basis. Or that it makes it sluggish and slow like Vista on lower end hardware, I can say that 8/8.1 is very fast even on a Atom with 2GB of RAM.
Then there is the fact that a lot of people who hate on it, much like the Vista haters, are all just to be with the cool crowd and have never actually used it. And I don't mean tried it in a store or on a friends PC for 10 minutes. I mean actually have it installed and learn what it can do.
As well, I am tired of people calling Windows 8 a crap OS when there is only one thing they consistently moan about, Metro. They act like Metro makes it worse than Windows ME that BSoD on a regular basis. Or that it makes it sluggish and slow like Vista on lower end hardware, I can say that 8/8.1 is very fast even on a Atom with 2GB of RAM.
Then there is the fact that a lot of people who hate on it, much like the Vista haters, are all just to be with the cool crowd and have never actually used it. And I don't mean tried it in a store or on a friends PC for 10 minutes. I mean actually have it installed and learn what it can do.
I've used Windows 8 (beta) fairly extensively as my sole operating system on my old gaming laptop (which, in turn, became my primary computer when my desktop crapped out for a bit) and 8.1 briefly. Neither time was pleasurable. The user interface is arguably the most important feature of an OS. But even if that alone isn't enough to hate the operating system, and this could be easily forgivable if it was free. But it's the fact you have to fight it to get it do the things you want to do along with a $120-$200 price tag. But it goes even further, you have to fight the very company who makes it! If you want a proper start menu, MS won't give you one, you have download a third party program. Even then, most (free) start menu programs run as a service and use some extra resources; if you want a customizable menu that is deeply integrated into Windows 8, you have a pay a licensing fee for the proprietary StartIsBack. At a shocking retail of $200, the system damn well better do what I want, how a I want it, when I want it without the need for third party software to fulfill basic functions such as intuitive navigation. It may have many improvements, but there are significant downfalls in addition to the interface that simply make the $200 pricetag unjustifiable, such as the lack of shadow copy.
They did it through auto searches by just typing in what you want to search in the navbar and it loaded to Bing or your choice of search provider. Considering you get subscriptions or gift cards by searching with bing, it makes more sense to use it as a consumer.
don't care about Xbox but I know players that do, so I guess is OK for Xbox to continue.
but bing needs to go.
Now, it's a rotting giant, with no way out. Windows is losing market share even in the PC space, every month. Chromebooks and Android devices have invaded Microsoft's last stronghold, and continue to eat this decaying corpse alive.
Microsoft has already lowered the OEM price, and you know that's got to hurt. They know the model doesn't work anymore. They know they can't get the same money for Windows. Of course, it may slow market share loss, but it certainly hasn't stopped it. Every company is talking about how they are moving away from the Windows eco-system, and looking to put more into Chromebooks and Android. You read it every day, the only thing is which company is saying it that day.
So, we know Windows is dying. It will runt on for a while, particularly in the business world, but it's eroding, and will accelerate its erosion as its masters gain critical mass. Microsoft must runt off and like it. They're defeated. They've tasted the loss, and now have to acquire the taste for it, because it's all that's on the plate.
Windows 8 blows, but it didn't cause this. Once a free, or nearly so, OS came out that was viable, the expensive OS model was bound to crash. Chromebooks and Android are gaining validity, and with it, the Windows model dies. Of course, Windows 8 helped this along. Sure, you have the brainless zombie that tries to pretend they like a tablet OS on their desktop, because they can't think for themselves, and need Microsoft to tell them what's good - a touchscreen OS for your keyboard and mouse. Apple won because they were never so stupid, and Mac OS/X sucks balls. But, they knew to keep their desktop OS on the desktop, and their touch-screen OS where there were touch screens. Shamble on, Microsoft Zombies, as brainless fodder, but the majority don't like it, and that's bringing down your undead master. Fast. The one with the bald head.
Bing and X-Box are the two businesses they SHOULD keep. Bing has struggled, but at least it has a chance to be successful. X-Box already is. Windows is dying. Office is losing market share, and again runs into the problem where people will not want to pay for functionality they can get for free. It's a hard sell, and is failing, albeit more slowly than Windows.
That's why Microsoft is depressed. They're losing market share in a shrinking market. The cause is their business model has collapsed, and it can't be reversed. It's just a matter of milking the diseased cow for as long as possible, until the milk becomes too putrid to drink.
It's still early in the process though, but morbid decay is clearly Microsoft's path. They're already largely irrelevant, soon they take the next step and lose their profitability. They will shrink, and soon have to manage costs very carefully, instead of looking to spend money to grow.
They've failed with Windows, they've failed with phones. They've failed on tablets. They've failed with search engines. They failed with Zune. They've failed with Bing. The Xbone embarrassed them, when they had to back-pedal and show their buttocks by going back on policies that were fundamental to their business model for that platform. They're losing market share in Windows and Office, and have for many months. Internet Explorer has been eroding share for years, and it's only going to accelerate with Windows losing share.
That's why the stock price is low. That's why Ballmer has to go. But, it's too late. Like a flailing jackass that's been stung under the midnight moon, the bald one now is kicking wildly and braying at the stars, hoping that hardware will somehow reverse the fortunes caused by the collapse of the software empire.
Of course, it just adds more failures to list, and no profits.
Not impressed Ballmer, not impressed.