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ROFLOL!

"who’ll pay $500 for an Apple logo now?"
Alot of consumers

Mar 20, 09 - 10:19 am Comment from: Scott

*raises hand*

Mar 20, 09 - 10:20 am Comment from: Grigori

"You're talking to a guy, though, whose dad worked for Ford, and once Ford sold Land Rover and Jaguar, we're selling the cars to get Fords, so you may have a weird outlier in me."

Huh?? It's not even clear what he's saying here.

Mar 20, 09 - 10:23 am Comment from: Ampar

That photo is Ballmer's way of saying he thinks nipple clamps are an excellent investment.

Mar 20, 09 - 10:24 am Comment from: HolyMackerel

Balmer better be thankful that Apple DOESN'T play down at the low end. There is a reason the Zune is failing despite lower prices - they cannot beat Apple at the low end with Apple's superior buying quantities.

Mar 20, 09 - 10:30 am Comment from: Jersey_Trader

Child abuse! It is Ok if Ballmer's wife can't use an Apple product or service. But, why embarrass your kids with their friends. I assume that Ballmer's kids know not to show off that Zune in public. If they did, there may never be any little Ballmers in the future for Steve.

Think before you give someone you care about any Microsoft product!

Mar 20, 09 - 10:30 am Comment from: Tiger Leopard

TOTAL JOKE!

it's the software you idiot

MDN, could you please stop showing these photos of Ballmer with tongue sticking out ? It makes me want to puke each time I see them, especially after meals.

What an unpleasant man ..!

Ballmer has stuffed his foot in his mouth so often even the Microsoft fans are embarrassed by him.

Ballmer might be correct that the economy will be bad for Apple, IF you have a Dell personality. I think that a lot of Mac people might hold off on their purchases during hard times. Thankfully, the Macs have always stood for good quality. Most of the Macs that I've been using, at home and work, are over eight years old and are still going strong compared to their windows counterparts.

But, frankly, I think that more people (especially Mac people) will concentrate on getting their money's worth with each purchase, which is very good news for Apple, beings that they always make a good, quality product.

There's always going to be people who only go by price. The other people will make do for awhile longer until their budgets can handle a better product.

Mar 20, 09 - 10:42 am Comment from: carrjar

Just visit any Apple retail store...you'll see that the economy is having little to no effect.

Mar 20, 09 - 10:42 am Comment from: 84 Mac Guy

Ballmer, keep up the good work. You are doing great. We in Appleland hope your board never, ever fires you.

Long live the king!

Mar 20, 09 - 10:44 am Comment from: HMCIV

Ampar I will never sleep peacefully at night again.

It's all about the operating system software stupid ! As I recall, it's Microsoft that is laying off staff. It's Microsoft that put out an operating system called Vista that is a freakin' nightmare ! Wonder how well their “ iPod killer ”, the Zune is doing? It would appear that Microsoft is in a death spiral.

As a matter of fact, I'm dropping by the Apple store today. My PC is toast...... I'm buying an iMac and I will have completed the transformation to the dark side

my G5 iMac died, I bought refurbished Intel iMac. snappy

As a recent convert, the price differential is money well spent - the cost per productive hour is important - I don't was hours updating virus software et al and waiting for hours for service pack downloads - think whole life costs - Apple is far better value for money!

"waste" hours

There is also another reason that February sales were off from a year ago. The blogosphere actually froze Mac sales in anticipation of the supposed refresh of much of the Mac lineup. (Kind of like Palm sales.) Then of course, we have the reported surge in sales after the release actually happened. I predict that March Mac sales this year will be higher than March of last year. So basically, the growth trend Mac is having, is still on track despite the economy. Feb. 09 was an anomaly in the growth trajectory. Gee, should I iCal myself?.

Mar 20, 09 - 11:00 am Comment from: eMax

I guess i can sell those Apple Logo Stickers for good money!

Mar 20, 09 - 11:02 am Comment from: Ampar

HMCIV:

Mar 20, 09 - 11:02 am Comment from: CourtJester

The value of used Macs has just increased substantially.

Mar 20, 09 - 11:02 am Comment from: Sir Gill Bates

That picture makes it appear that Jabba the Hutt has lost
a couple of pounds. Just a couple.

When I was at an Apple Store last weekend, I saw new iMacs literally being sold right and left. It was all just pent up demand, and now that new models have finally been released, the sales have obviously skyrocketed these last couple of weeks.

Mar 20, 09 - 11:04 am Comment from: almux

Hum! Does someone think this guy has something nearly comparable to a brain?
Chief of a billions $ firm... ? Really? And he doesn't know how to compare what can be compared??
We live in a strange world! lol

What a Idiot!!!

Mar 20, 09 - 11:05 am Comment from: Ampar

"Ballmer might be correct that the economy will be bad for Apple . . ."

Good thing they held onto all of that cash?

The G5 iMac was a lemon. I have always had problems with it and was unable to get anywhere with Apple. Still shuts down and kernal panics after many attempts to get it fixed. Apple royally screwed up the way they handled that one. I do love the rest of my macs though.

People are paying for the Mac OS Ballmer you disgusting freak.

Mar 20, 09 - 11:16 am Comment from: mike k.

MDN - could you create some sort of database or reference list of these quotes by Ballmer? We all remember the one about the iPhone, but Uncle Fester has come out with so much gold over the years it is hard to keep track of it all.

Ballmer does a dis-service to Microsoft. Most CEO's take the high road and this guy has been taking the opposite stance for years. Apple, what competition, Google, what competition, etc. We're MS, we'll always be top dog. Maybe.

I thought the stickers came for free!

Ballmer should instead be asking himself who would pay $319.95 for Windows Vista Ultimate when OS X ($119) comes with all of the same features and more plus iLife and iWork if you get the box set for $169? Windows Ultimate doesn't even come with Office? Windows Vista Home Basic is $125 and comes with Windows Defender and Firewall and Instant Search using IE.

Mar 20, 09 - 11:21 am Comment from: DogGone

I say let him keep talking and deluding everyone. I'm sure they are shit scared of Apple and a worried where Apple will go next.

M$ still have a long way to go down though. They are losing market share both in browsers and OS but both are still over 60%.

This bad economy is probably worse for them. Corporations are likely holding off software upgrades and trying to cut the price of their licenses.

I think Palm is the next to go. Their revenue is so bad that I doubt the Pre will help them in time.

Then it's Dell. Sun probably too.

Count me in as one who'd definitely pay $500+ for an Apple vs PC any day.

MW - freedom: Apple gives me the freedom to steer clear of MS products altogether.

I just bought a small business. We run about four Macs of various ages, the oldest being a G4 Quicksilver.

It still runs wonderfully on Tiger and I'm sure could handle Leopard gracefully as well. Point is, in 6-12 months when my cash strapped ass is looking at a new computer to replace it, there is no way in HELL that I'd put a Windows machine in its place.

I know that I'm not paying $500 more (maybe 150, which I'll recoup within six months of using a Windows computer that'll suck my time away minutes at a time dealing with crap that all of us Apple users know is simply not necessary).

Balmer is a joke, and the masses are now beginning to see the punch line.

Mar 20, 09 - 11:35 am Comment from: Cubert

$500 is nothing compared to the cost of the pain and agony of using Winblows.

Mar 20, 09 - 11:38 am Comment from: Cubert

Isn't there some law about corporate executives making blatant lies to the media?

If there isn't, there should be.

Mar 20, 09 - 11:41 am Comment from: auren

WTF can you say? We are dealing with a totally deluded segment of the market, that is being led by an imbecile.

The other night I was teaching a navigation class for our local Power and Sail squadron. I was using my MBP and Keynote, but I also needed Windows XP to run a specialized simulator.

I overheard one of my students mention how Macs don't do right clic. And I said, you mean "like this" and promptly demonstrated the feature. "Or perhaps you prefer Windows", and clicked on my Parallels to bring up the simulator.

His jaw literally dropped two inches.

taking pleasure in a bad economy that most americans will (supposedly) be forced to use his shitty products?

stay classy san diego

So what SB is saying then, is Winblows has a $99 equivalent to our $599 Mac mini? I don't think so....

Mar 20, 09 - 11:47 am Comment from: disposableidentity

Hmm. Says a lot about Ballmer that he and his family would buy a car based on his Father's employer, and not on the merits of the product.

That, combined with the way he runs Microsoft, essentially says to me he believes most products are commodities - and can't strive to be anything more.

Ballmer the Weird has a very special, highly tuned ability for saying things that come back to bite him on the ass.

Mar 20, 09 - 11:49 am Comment from: Jubei

He is right in some ways. With a monopoly lock on the market, no matter how bad sales get, MS earns money. Right down to the crappiest POS PC sold, automatic $$$. It's why he's such a braggart and dismisses Apple. Apple who has been working their assess of for 10 years with incredible products that MS continues to copy, to only gain a few points market share against the monopoly. He should be thanking Apple rather than slinging mud to the very company that inspires their own products.

I'd love to slap a few Apple stickers on the back of his car. It would be hilarious!

A secret iPod, maybe? 'No, none. I don't, my sons don't, my wife doesn't,' Balmer responded, as the crowd laughed.

Laughed with, or laughed AT? I stumbled on an article on an Israeli news site in which Melinda Gates reported that her kids are FORBIDDEN from owning an iPod. So even having the richest guy in the world as a dad won't help their kids who will be mocked for using a ZUUUUUUUUNE! Well, at least they'll be able to afford the therapy.

Ballmer should take care about his words and sentiments, just look at what is happening to the execs at AIG...

Mar 20, 09 - 12:07 pm Comment from: mackle

marketshare is a reflection of the past, which as we all know (any real estate agents out there?) is not necessarily a good predictor of the future. i'd look at how dell and hp were doing rather than apple, if i were balmer. that should scare the bujeezies out of me. sustaining that market share in a contracting market is problematic because your srtuctures were predicated on the opposite. that's why people in the pc industry are getting laid off. focus on doing things to hang onto marketshare, rather than focusing on making superior products is a road straight to failure. look at gm. ford is doing ok comparatively because they bit the bullet a couple of years ago. they had less marketshare, but were not worried about competing month by month.

can't remember who said it, but "profit is the reward for doing things right, it is not the goal". somehow ms and their crowd are so enamored with marketshare they don't even think about profits. shrink margins to gain share. what a brilliant idea! that's kind of like describing your ugly sister as a good cook.

Mar 20, 09 - 12:07 pm Comment from: Sir Gill Bates

"I'd love to slap a few Apple stickers on the back of his car. It would be hilarious!"

I'd pay money to see that myself!

I wonder if he could throw his car?