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You know Ballmer's days are numbered when the media starts calling for his ouster. When it happens, it will be a sad, sad day for Apple.

I find the writer to be extremely insightful and accurate! The way he explains Apple's magic touch and Ballmer's catastrophe are very impressive!

Dec 22, 09 - 11:58 am Comment from: pwntbywombat

nah, apple will keep on trucking and microsoft will keep on failing

Mr. Ballmer,
As an Apple fan I think I speak for all of us, that we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you have a long and happy career as CEO of MicroSoft.

Dec 22, 09 - 12:13 pm Comment from: ericdano

No, Verizon, then Comcast will have updates that FORCE the default search engine as Bing. Plus, Microsoft will invest in Mozilla, and Mozilla will make Bing the default search for FireFox.

Who cares what Newsweak thinks anyway?

Can we make a protest to keep Ballmer running Microsoft??? He is a brilliant guy, he is taking a way one of the greatest virus of all time: "Windows".

Dec 22, 09 - 12:31 pm Comment from: HughB

But why do we want to wish misfortune on Balmer or MS? What good does that do us? If you do not like their products don't buy them. Taking pleasure in other's misfortunes is not healthy.

Dec 22, 09 - 12:37 pm Comment from: Jubei

I would sign up to join the protest. We don't want Ballmer to leave Microsoft "EVER"! He needs to stay where he is at.

There's no hair apparent on the incumbent either

Dec 22, 09 - 12:52 pm Comment from: Sir Gill Bates

@ HughB,

Many who frequent this site possess dark hearts. They have no ability to forgive or forget, nor to feel empathy or compassion for others. Their views and beliefs are the only ones to be accepted, and there is only one side to any story.

That being said, Steve Ballmer has only himself to blame for all of the ill will that people have for him.

Dec 22, 09 - 12:54 pm Comment from: Harvey

Microsoft probably will get rid of Ballmer, but that won't solve their most important problem: their internal structure. Microsoft created Word and Excel for the Mac and ported them to Windows after two years. They bought the company that made Access, the company that made FrontPage, the company that made Visio, and so on, and made Microsoft Office out of that mish-mash. Microsoft has to overcome a tangle of clashing corporate structures and cultures just to get a product out the door. One of the factors in the Vista debacle was their byzantine organizational structure.

Microsoft's next biggest problem is that they are sales oriented, rather than product oriented, and they certainly aren't customer oriented. To them, a product is a means to a sale, and a customer is something the partner handles. That's backwards.

Microsoft walks with its foot in the wastebasket, its CEO throws chairs, its developers spit on the baling wire of Windows every day, and it won't be long before that corporate image will become fatal.

Brilliant analysis, sir. Thank you!

Dec 22, 09 - 01:00 pm Comment from: Greg L

PHEWW!!! I will be sooooooo relieved when they axe Ballmer (ax him what?). I am deeply worried about Ballmer and his uncanny ability to outfox Apple at every turn. Getting rid of him, while no-doubt bad for Microsoft, will be good for Apple. Worried worried worried about that über-genius that is Ballmer.

Ten years two late

Dec 22, 09 - 01:15 pm Comment from: Greg L

@Harvey,

Indeed. Nice analysis.

Attention everyone. A Ballmer ouster is NOT good news for Apple and the rest of us.

The last thing AAPL holders need is for somebody to come into MSoft and fix it. Such a development would be a result of a Jobs-like genius (I know, I know - there aren't any more of him out there) to methodically do each and every thing that Apple does with the result being there's no longer for Apple to exist.

I know most don't believe the bloated bureaucracy will allow the company to copy Apple to the extent that Apple itself is threatened, but don't be so sure.

Dec 22, 09 - 01:20 pm Comment from: Greg L

BTW, my brother is a manager of a European-owned investment banker and stock brokering company. When they buy outs of American companies, they try to get rid of “American-style managers.” You might ask “Oh… do tell, Greg L, just what is an ‘American-style manager’?”

Well, they want intelligent people with analytic minds. When they are hunting and shooting the bad eggs, their mental image of what they’re looking for is “Ballmer: the bald ape who throws chairs.” Sooooo American, in their view.

Dec 22, 09 - 01:24 pm Comment from: Greg L

@Now Hear This:

Ya think?

Dec 22, 09 - 01:25 pm Comment from: TheConfuzed1

Ballmer is a shill, secretly paid by Apple.

</conspiracy>

No comments from Zune Tang lol

too busy painting your nail maybe?

Nooooo, no no! MS PLEASE do not get rid of Ballmer, he's just the right guy at the right place to do to Microsoft what it's needed for a long time. I am all for Ballmer staying on at MS. I think we need a Save Ballmer as MS CEO petition!

Dec 22, 09 - 01:28 pm Comment from: Sir Gill Bates

Harvey's comment caused me to envision Ballmer in a 'Three Stooges' skit:

One foot in the wastebasket, office chair glued to one hand, other hand glued to forehead, inadvertently placing other foot into bucket of mop water and falling backwards down three flights of stairs.

The man would be a natural.

Dec 22, 09 - 01:31 pm Comment from: Tommy Boy

Umm MDN you missed: Malware Disrupts Facebook: The follow-the-money rule also helps explain why there aren't many threats for Mac computers. They may have some security advantages over PCs, but mostly their market share isn't big enough to be worth malware creators' time.

John Sculley for CEO of Microsoft...

Perfect for Microsoft. Someone who is not afraid of going against S Jobs. And he is a salesman like Ballmer.

Besides, it might be enjoyable for Jobs to go against Sculley.

Dec 22, 09 - 01:43 pm Comment from: Demon

10. Google Faces Antitrust Suit

I'd say this should be in the top 5 at about 2 or 3 of predictions as Google is the Biggest evil Monopoly abuser on the planet right now.

Ballmer is not going anywhere as Gates and Ballmer control enough shares that he doesn't need to worry. Not only that, could you fathom a Microsoft that don't follow and copy every little thing Apple does or, that has a CEO that is not a all about leveraging the company's Monopoly Powers and then abuse their customers so much that all the customers all suffer from Stockholm Syndrome!

Dec 22, 09 - 01:48 pm Comment from: Big Als MBP

@ HughB,

If you'd ever used Windows 95, 98, Me, XP before it was fixed with SP2 or Vista before it was fixed with SP2 (Windows 7) you would understand the animosity.

Disclaimer: I have never used Windows 7, it may be shitty as well.

Dec 22, 09 - 01:54 pm Comment from: MacBill

This guy should run Microsoft next:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GM4Lt5k24s

Dec 22, 09 - 02:04 pm Comment from: Sir Gill Bates

@ Big Als MBP,

In my opinion Windows 7 is not shitty, but I don't use it every day. It's certainly no OS X, but it seems to be a decent step up from previous versions.

Dec 22, 09 - 02:16 pm Comment from: macslut

@HughB,

"But why do we want to wish misfortune on Balmer or MS? What good does that do us? If you do not like their products don't buy them."

It's not that simple. For some of us there is serious pain caused by Microsoft. For example, do you have any idea how many hours/days of my life have been lost dealing with Microsoft's unwillingness to follow web standards? IE6 versus taking a nice vacation with my family? I hate Microsoft.

Likewise how many people friends/family/co-workers call me with a "how do I..." or "I can't..." or whatever when the answer is "First step is get a Mac, the rest works itself out".

And the biggest reason why I wish "ill will towards Microsoft" is that whenever I go somewhere, it's always a (rational) fear that using a Mac won't be an option (job, library, friend's house, etc...). There are a lot of superior apps that are no longer available because of Microsoft.

Dec 22, 09 - 02:23 pm Comment from: MacRaven

We need to start a campaign to keep Steve Ballmer as MS CEO. And we're very sincere about it.

Ballmer out will be better for Apple than Ballmer in. The moment he steps out, internal feud will spread at MS to be the successor. The place will be a mess - more than now.

Dec 22, 09 - 03:23 pm Comment from: HolyMackerel

Android gets it's first key-logger and popup virus. 2010 brings in the first anti-virus for phones.
AppleTV gets live TV and DVR capability
iPhone gets Google Wave
HTML 5 becomes huge along with offline apps through Safari
The Apple tablet is a success but magazine/newspaper sales
are not

I patently disagree about 5. movie downloads stalling bluray for two reasons:

1. The quality of broadband that the VAST majority of people have and will have for the foreseeable future will not support the level of downloads required for HD quality movies

2. A lot of people still love to actually OWN a piece of physical media. I know I do if for no other reason that no one yet has shown the ability to re-sell a downloaded movie like you can physical media.

People are going to argue with me, but people here are on the bleeding edge. The vast majority of the consumer space is far slower adopting such radical tech as downloadable content.

Applesoft® in our future?

Newsweek lost all credibility (and, in fact, I canceled my subscription) when they replaced Steven Levy with Daniel Lyons ("Fake Steve Jobs"- a moron).

Who cares what Mark S. thinks?

Dec 22, 09 - 03:50 pm Comment from: The Other Steve

@Sir Gill Bates

Has Ballmer with his snide dismissive comments and a huge salary to back him given Mac users any reasons to forgive and forget?

@ AL
Yea, Sculley would be an interesting choice.

Dec 22, 09 - 03:53 pm Comment from: The Other Steve

BTW - Nice ad for Internet Explorer.
I bet MDN is making a lot of money for click-throughs on that one.

Dec 22, 09 - 03:57 pm Comment from: Sir Gill Bates

@ The Other Steve,

Agreed. And I did say he's brought it upon himself. But I was also talking about issues in general, not just Ballmer.

And I must go along with the Sculley suggestion by AL. That's definitely a humorous idea.

Dec 22, 09 - 04:02 pm Comment from: Brulek

in other words (and lots of them)...more of the same!

Dec 22, 09 - 04:33 pm Comment from: derekcurrie

What's required at Microsoft is a total coup. Considering this fact:

"...there's no heir apparent on the management team..."

... It's highly unlikely to happen. Therefore, I predict: MS decay and eventual death.

Hint to coders with creative skills at Microsoft: Jump ship NOW before the boat sinks, before your morale sinks, any further.

This is what they really mean:
No. 6 - Americans finally catches up to mobile trends the rest of the world are already using.
No. 9 - After unsuccessfully finding and courting a suitable CEO replacement, MSFT hires Ballmer back.
No. 10 - Google allows Silverlight and IE plugins in its Chrome OS netbooks to avoid anti-trust suits by Europe.

Dec 22, 09 - 04:36 pm Comment from: derekcurrie

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
~~wafting on clouds of vapor~~
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
~~iTablet~~iTablet~~iTablet~~
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Dec 22, 09 - 05:02 pm Comment from: Sir Gill Bates

Hey, those clouds of vapor look a lot like pot smoke.

@future Apple tablet user

I agree.

Downloads and physical media serve two different markets. Too many people think it has to be one or the other. Downloads are for those who value convenience above all. BD is for those who value image and sound quality.

Besides, unlike DVD growth... which is stalling, there is no indication that blu-ray adoption is slowing down. Quite the contrary by this year's sales figures, and not just because of the holidays.

the sad thing is, the MS stock is doing great. from a financial perspective, MS is a powerhouse, and it looks like Ballmer is doin a-OK.

In other words, "The Still Have a Monopoly" It doesn't matter if Vista sucked.. People bought it anyway. That's because the vast majority of their customers are businesses.

HughB,

From my point of view, it is not a question of wishing misfortune on Balmer or MS but rather a question of justice.

The US government has found and convicted MS of being a predatory monopoly in clear violation of the law. While this has helped, the penalty for such actions raised eyebrows with many people. Sorta like giving a fifty dollar fine for a rapist.

Europe has done a bit better, but frankly for the incredible pain MS has inflicted upon the world human law only goes so far, hence the need of kharmatic justice.

That is what we are seeing today. I certainly take no pleasure in seeing the misfortune that is now being bestowed upon MS. On the other hand I have had to endure persecution and ridicule from so many, not for hating MS, but for loving the Mac experience and the whole attitude of that company. The irony is that it did not come from rational or critical observation, thought and evaluation but through the FUD generated by MS.

The analogy of a book comes to mind. MS had this book, with the most spectacular cover. The content was shallow and void. Apple had this book, not such a great cover, but what content, what depth and thought and care, and love.

The % of Mac users I have met that say they love their machines is astronomically high. The % of Windows users I have met that say they love their machines, well it is pretty darn low.

Love, is a threat to many, especially those who seek power and control. MS was and is about power and control over others (just look at the IT empires out there). Mac is about having the power to be the best you can be.

Dec 22, 09 - 10:07 pm Comment from: Ampar

Newsweek: In 2010, Apple will launch tablet, Microsoft will oust Ballmer, and . . .
Leon will get larger.