Microsoft CEO Ballmer on the digital home: ‘There is no way that you can get there with Apple’
Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 10:32 PM EST"Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said at a press briefing in London that consumer take-up of digital technology in the home is at a 'tipping point', which could lead to a dramatic increase in sales for converged devices that integrate video, audio and computer technology," Michael Parsons reports for ZDNet UK. "There are of course no prizes for guessing Ballmer’s pick to win the battle of the digital home -- and who he fingers as the loser."
"'There is no way that you can get there with Apple. The critical mass has to come from the PC, or a next-generation video device,' he said. 'We have had media technology built for years -- Apple, Sony, RealNetworks, have been there for years. What’s changed is that now you have the format, the player, the device, and the service, and that’s what we will have with the launch of Microsoft Media Player 10, the official launch of the Microsoft Network (MSN), and Microsoft's Portable Media Center,' he said. Microsoft's CEO clearly wants to position Microsoft as the good guy in the market, and was at pains to try and position Apple as soft on the principles behind DRM," Parsons reports.
"'We've had DRM in Windows for years. The most common format of music on an iPod is 'stolen'. Part of the reason people steal music is money, but some of it is that the DRM stuff out there has not been that easy to use. We are going to continue to improve our DRM, to make it harder to crack, and easier, easier, easier, easier, to use,' he said," Parsons reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Worried about something, Mr. Ballmer? You can repeat "easier" until you're blue in the face (and we have no doubt you will turn a lovely shade of aqua), but even if you did so while dancing, it won't be as seamless as Apple's solution. Too many cooks in the kitchen and all that. With the masses currently growing sick and tired of applying patches and trying way too hard just to try to keep pace with Windows spyware, adware, and other assorted malware, will they choose the Microsoft way again or will they take a good look at their iPods and iTunes and go with the company that makes their digital life the easiest?
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Really, is there anything better than watching him dance?
And people want to buy their OS from this freak?