Comments on: Bach answers the call at Microsoft

Top exec Robbie Bach reflects on the iPhone, Windows Mobile 6 and whether a Zune phone makes sense.

[hawtdog]

A refreshing perspective

First, I'm a huge Apple guy. But, I must say it was nice to hear someone from the dark-side actually say that Apple might be after a different market. Whether or not that's true remains to be seen, but in the ever raging Microsoft/Apple war it was nice to hear someone not just denigrate the competitor at every moment possible. Sure, the company he works for is pure evil, but at least he can play nice in interviews.

[Macsaresafer]

He isn't playing nice.

He's trying to leverage Microsoft's OS monopoly in the enterprise
to scare people from buying the iPhone. What's worse, he's
expanding on Bill Gate's lies to do it.

There is no lifestyle/work-style difference and he knows it. The
iPhone can connect with your companies email servers through
imap and pop, it has Google Maps, which is important for many
businesses, and what business can't benefit from a full web
browser?

The abilitiy to send/receive emails while talking is another
important business feature. In fact, when I first saw the iPhone,
this and several other features had me convinced that this was
the perfect phone for my business. Now I'm supposed to believe
that it isn't just because this guy says so? I think not.

[Surf61]

agreE...

I agree... there is plenty of room for everyone and it is nice to have
a choice...

Personally... everyone I know is excited about the iPhone and I can
not wait!!!

[jabbotts]

it's often good to hear from industry insiders

It definately read like he had a lawyer watching over his shoulder with some of the more intricate wording and understandable "ra ra Microsoft" phrases. Still, good to hear from an industry expert and mature discussion of competitors.

I'd have been curious what they updated in Windows Mobile under the hood myself. Does it still fill it's memory when multiple programs are opened without being closes? As I remember, the older versions quickly return "out of memory" messages if you don't exit programs within the phone.

[robintontx]

great job implementing it (DRM) and driving it.

Guess that is why I still can't activate the DRM (In Microsoft Reader) on my Windows Mobile 5 based phone so I can read the encrypted e-books I mistakenly purchased a few years back.

[redrasys]

whats the bigg deal

Personally, i dont understand what the big deal is with the iPhone. Agreed, it has the coolness factor and all, but i am really really happy with a smartphone i bought for $100 - unless i have lot of money in bank that i am pondering what to spend it on, i am not going to buy a $500 phone just for the coolness factor. i need productivity tools and my tmobile dash goes beyond expectations there. Coolness works for a mp3 player, but not for a work/life device like cellphone. Bach is right, but i guess time will tell.

[Mark Greene]

Coolness doesn't work for phones??

You might want to think over that again.

[phantomsoul]

DRM

...is a criminal practice and those who sell content encoded with it should be sued for violation of basic consumer rights. Period.

[rapier1]

Two things

1) Is that how this exec dealt with Apple is very interesting. He
wasn't dismissive, angry, or even attempting to 'sell' his product
by bashing Apple. Apple execs, on the other hand, often work in
some dig at MS and other producers. Its good to see someone
acting like an adult.

2) The story mentions that when MS started out in the phone
business they didn't have many people behind them and they
had horrible sales. However, they kept plugging away at it and
each iteration took gained more and more market share.
Basically it underlined that MS is dogged in its persuit of its
goals and even initial failures are just seen as a stepping stone.
They have the resources to persue a strategy for years and years
and can afford to make mistakes on the way. Other companies
are in a more fragile position and one big failure will have a
devastating impact. Which I think helps explai what is happening
in point 1.

[mbjr]

I agree...

Especially with #1. Noticed that too. When he was asked about the iPhone, I was expecting him to do a little bashing of Apple with the way Apple was treating MS in the media and trade shows...but...he didn't. Strange. Pretty mature comments from him and shows a level of respect that people SHOULD have in the business world.

But then again bashing competitor produces gets tiresome after the 100th time. I mean yeah, commercials doing this are cute at first, but it starts to get annoying after a while, and makes lose interest in the product itself they're SUPPOSED to market. Not to mention they start to sound and look like little children vying for attention.

[Macsaresafer]

But he was dismissive!

The iPhone "is a proposition that some set of early adopters will
want to take a look at." How do you get more dismissive than
that? He doesn't even know all of the phones capabilities or what
the service plan will be yet, but he's already trying to relegate it
to one little corner of the market.

He's using a straw man: Apple doesn't do business (how do they
manage theirs???) so that he can dismiss not only the phone, but
the rest of their products in one swoop! That's the whole thrust
of his interview!

[mofo111]

Re: Two Points

Oh, come on. Microsoft execs are well known for trash-talking
and dismissing their competition. Ever read the book "Opening
the Xbox" by Dean Takahashi? Remember the part about a pair
of Microsoft Xbox execs in Tokyo drunk in a bar and calling up a
Sony exec late at night around the time of the initial Xbox
launch to ask him what he thought about the Xbox? Remember
the part about them posing for pictures with an Xbox prototype
in front of Sony's office building? Your claim that Microsoft execs
behave like "adults" is laughable. The reason why Bach is so
subdued and diplomatic in the interview is that he is smart
enough to know that iPhone has completely trumped the Zune,
and that any trash-talking by him would be seen as "sour
grapes" by everyone.

It's also laughable that you applaud Microsoft's "dogged pursuit
of its goals" even with flopped "initial failures". You're right
about the initial failures part. Microsoft has a long history of
putting out version-1.0 flops. It makes me wonder who out
there is actually foolish and stupid enough to buy anything new
the Microsoft puts out. Yes, I'm talking to you, all of you Zune
owners.

[Llib Setag]

iPhone = iPod+Phone+Internet

(i.e. It can be used for Business too!)

Ballmer: How are you going to use the iPhone for business when it does even have any keyboard keys?

GUI touch screen system...keyboard is part of GUI & has auto correction during typing.

iPhone can auto-sync all your internet & personal contacts from a PC or MAC computer and email / calendars sync too. Works with Microsoft Exchange Server via Mac OSX. ( so, once again WORKS FOR BUSINESS TOO!)

Don't you love how MS is attempting to paint the iPhone as just "another lifestyle choice device from that toy computer maker Apple",
but MICROSOFT, well THAT'S for serious business people...

Get the facts from the source...

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/j47d52oo/event/

[Mister Winky]

You're overlooking wireless sync of calendar, contacts and tasks

In addition to e-mail, a lot of people use their Treos and Blackberry to sync their contacts, calendars and tasks. Treos and Blackberry's can do this over their 3G wireless data connections; the iPhone looks like it won't be able to do this when released (and it isn't 3G).

Many Blackberry and Treo users at my work want iPhones when they come out, but they won't buy them because they don't want to have to go back to their desktops to sync their Exchange-stored info.

In 2007, mobile/wireless sync of all Exchange data is a must for business.

-Mister Winky

[niravabhavsar]

iPhone doesn't have anything new

I don't know why Apple is making a lot of fuss about this. For years HTC and others have fully functional touch screen phones with Keyboard (for keyboard lovers) with Windows Mobile 5 that works pretty well unlike previous versions. Apple is not offering anything that Nokia, Motorola, HTC are not offering for years except for their fancy Mac OS for mobile. So in a way it is just for Apple lovers - which i think are complete idiots.

[Hardrada]

All the typical Microsoft BS

Microsoft's strategy: "we'll keep plugging away until we get it right". They should use this as an advertising slogan. "Windows Vista. It's crappy, but we'll keep plugging away until we get it right."

And his comments regarding DRM also show a complete lack of vision or leadership. I guess that Microsoft is not really interested in selling either the Zune of music. Either that, or they believe that consumers are so stupid that they will just buy whatever Microsoft gives them.

[t8]

Zune Phone

Funny. Nobody wants a Zune, so why would there be a market for a Zune Phone?

[t8]

Zune is second?

Not sure about that.
There are a lot of MP3 players on the market and there have been for some time.

I doubt Zune is a distant second.

[Sumatra-Bosch]

Zune Phone: I Know One Application

You can call them up and laugh at them, too.

Both of them.

[taoman1]

I don't know either

but Zune is a distant second to the iPod. Second place means some people want it.

[t8]

Are you sure?

Not sure about that.
There are a lot of MP3 players on the market and there have been for some time.

I doubt Zune is a distant second, considering the time it has been on the market and it's lack of popularity.

[Mister Winky]

Pretty persuasive argument

Thanks for enlightening us with, well, nothing at all. Can you please reference a popular enterprise-class smart phone that can't sync with Exchange or Notes?

-Mister Winky

[Penguinisto]

Microsoft's Mission Statement, right there:

[i]"Our job really is to provide the tools and the technology that
we get requested from our operator partners and from our
media and content partners."[/i]

...notice how the word "customer" is lacking? Quite telling, one
must say.

I'll stick with OSX and Linux, thanks.

/P

[Sumatra-Bosch]

Customers=Witless Dogs Who Do What MS Wants

You got it.

Customers are completely out of the picture.

They have a choice to buy a computer or not to buy one with Windows. Hey, competition is good except when it comes to OSes on Intel-based CPUs. Then it's not. In fact, choice is evil.




Roberto

[Llib Setag]

Apple iPhone Ad!

http://www.apple.com/iphone/hello/