ballmer

Perhaps Microsoft isn't so stubborn about Windows 7 tablets after all. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer may have just left himself an out to pave the way for a Windows Phone 7 tablet. The official line is that Microsoft will not offer a Windows Phone 7 tablet.

Ballmer, speaking at the Gartner Symposium in Orlando, was set up for a rough keynote from the beginning. A video of tech exec questions all asked whether Microsoft could compete with Apple on the iPad and iPhone. Gartner analyst John Pescatore noted that "no one is lining up in the snow to get that hot new Windows phone and there's no hit movie about SharePoint."

Gartner set up the interview as a consumer/enterprise dueling banjos sort of thing. The big topic was Windows Phone 7 whether it could appeal to both the business and consumer markets. Naturally tablets came up. When asked about whether there would be a Windows Phone 7 tablet instead of a Windows 7 slate, Ballmer held up a WP7 phone and said:

"This is Windows too. Could be this Windows or another Windows. There are technical details I'm not getting into today. We get multiple experiences."

Microsoft has officially said that there will be no Windows Phone 7 tablet. Indeed, Ballmer could have been referring to Windows embedded and Windows 7 on tablets. However, Ballmer seemed to indicate that Windows Phone 7 would be a possibility - or at least that experience. The Gartner analysts had noted they wanted the Windows Phone 7 experience on a tablet.

Reading the tea leaves, it sure sounds like Microsoft is at least open to a Windows Phone 7 powered tablet. That's a move that would make a lot of sense. Windows Phone 7 appears to be much more suited to tablet use. And if Microsoft can leverage its PowerPoint franchise, a WP7 tablet could be a winner. Instead, Microsoft seems to be force-feeding Windows 7 on the tablet form factor.

Ballmer was cagey throughout the interview about tablets, which were a big focus at the Gartner conference. On Windows tablet availability, Ballmer said:

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Bringing change to Microsoft has been likened to getting an ocean liner to change course.

By all accounts though, the company has made several such adjustments. While the changes took time, the key ones can often be traced to a moment in time. Bill Gates' Internet Tidal Wave memo marked one such course change. The 2005 Internet Services Disruption memo, by exiting Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie, was another.

That long note from Ozzie not only led to the start of Windows Live and an effort to take Office into the cloud, but also helped start what became Windows Azure … Read more

NEW YORK--While Microsoft showed off Windows Phone 7 yesterday as its answer to the iPhone, many are still wondering what the company's response will be to the iPad.

CEO Steve Ballmer has noted on several occasions that there will be some Windows 7 slates this year, but that's not the answer to the question--Microsoft has had tablets for years. The real issue is how Microsoft plans to respond to the iPad's instant-on abilities, it's long battery life, and the fact that it's easily navigated with just a finger and no need for a keyboard.

"… Read more

NEW YORK--Steve Ballmer thinks that Microsoft is going to make up some lost ground with Windows Phone 7. But just how much, he won't say.

"I won't make any forecasts," the Microsoft chief executive told CNET today in an interview following the introduction of the new mobile OS. "I think this is a very dynamic marketplace. You've got a weird eclectic mix of players...We'll have to see where we play in the mix, but I am optimistic about the chance to make some real progress."

Ballmer did say that Microsoft is … Read more

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's characterization of the new Windows Phone 7 OS as "always delightful and wonderfully mine" may go down in tech marketing-speak history. But what exactly did the company launch this morning, and exactly how is it taking aim at competitors like Apple's iPhone and iOS, Google's Android, and RIM's BlackBerry?

The hardware There are nine announced Windows Phone 7 devices that U.S. customers will soon be able to choose from, with T-Mobile and AT&T handsets coming out of the gate as early as November 8. The diverse array … Read more

Microsoft has a lot riding on the success of the upcoming Windows Phone 7. The same could also be said of CEO Steve Ballmer.

Consider, for instance, the recent judgment rendered by Microsoft's board, which has signaled some dissatisfaction with Ballmer's job performance by cutting his bonus for 2010. One key reason: Microsoft's aborted mobile foray with the short-lived Kin.

Other reasons Ballmer didn't get his full potential bonus, according to the board, included the overall loss of market share in the mobile phone business, along with the need for Microsoft to "pursue innovations" … Read more

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is only getting half of the bonus for which he's eligible this year, due to issues his company has faced competing in the mobile market.

According to a Definitive Proxy Statement Microsoft filed yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Ballmer will receive a $670,000 bonus for his work during the company's 2010 fiscal year. That figure, which was approved by Microsoft's board of directors, is equal to 100 percent of his 2010 base salary. Although $670,000 is nothing to sneeze at, Ballmer was eligible to receive up to 200 percent … Read more

Tens of thousands of Microsoft's workers took a field trip today, heading to Seattle's Safeco Field, where the company is just wrapping up its annual employee meeting.

Amy Sedaris provided comic relief as emcee. (Past hosts include Seth Meyers of "Saturday Night Live" and Rainn Wilson of "The Office.") As usual, the focus was on the series of speeches and demos from company executives. Microsoft issued a no-tweeting edict, but some tipsters were kind enough to send a long a few tidbits.

Among the highlights were a demo of a business intelligence app for … Read more

Steve Ballmer admits Apple knows a thing or two about tablets. The U.K. government says it's sticking with IE 6 despite the entire world saying it's full of security holes. And the U.S. Congress, realizing it's out of money, wants to bring Internet gambling back to the U.S. so it can be taxed.