Microsoft CEO Talks Smack, Says Company Ready to Take on Apple
Microsoft CEO Talks Smack, Says Company Ready to Take on Apple
So much for thinking that Apple and Microsoft might live in peace and harmony into their twilight years. A new interview with CEO Steve Ballmer goes on the attack against Apple, with claims that Redmond will not cede any ground to Cupertino.
CRN published a fascinating article with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer this week, and while the executive has been relatively quiet of late when it comes to his thoughts on Apple, he's apparently removed that muzzle and had plenty to say now.
Chatting about the company's upcoming Surface tablet, Ballmer makes it clear that Microsoft does not plan to sit back and let Apple have all the fun when it comes to that market.
"We are trying to make absolutely clear we are not going to leave any space uncovered to Apple," Ballmer stated shortly after addressing 16,000 of its partners at the company's annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto on Monday. "We are not. No space uncovered that is Apple’s.
“We have our advantages in productivity,†he continued. “We have our advantages in terms of enterprise management, manageability. We have got our advantages in terms of when you plug into server infrastructure in the enterprise.
"But we are not going to let any piece of this [go uncontested to Apple]," an excited Ballmer shouted. "Not the consumer cloud. Not hardware software innovation. We are not leaving any of that to Apple by itself. Not going to happen. Not on our watch.
"We do feel empowered to innovate everywhere and bring our partners with us," the executive concluded. "We are just not going to leave any -- what’s the expression people like to use -- We’re not going to leave any stone unturned, so to speak, as we pursue that."
Apparently, that could even include a Microsoft-branded smartphone, although the CEO stopped short of confirming such a possibility, instead recanting his enthusiasm for Surface, which is the company's primary focus for now.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
Comment