Comments on: Ballmer on Apple's iPhone announcement

The Microsoft CEO says he's interested in getting Silverlight on the iPhone, but not sure if it's possible with Apple's plans to take a 30 percent cut on all applications.

[MadKiwi]

Umm

Apple has said they will distribute free apps with no charge. Make Silverlight free and MS will incur no charge.

This was just Ballmer taking another typical cheap shot at Apple.

And anyway, 30% for providing advertising, a distribution channel, a revenue collecting system and an update channel strikes me as remarkably reasonable... Not only that, there is the assurance to purchasers that apps downloaded this way are unlikely to be malware. Where's the equivalent for other cell phone apps?

[davidturetsky]

Credit Card processing or PayPal fees

For anyone who has ever owned a small business or done any selling on eBay knows that transaction fees KILL any profit on a sale. 30% is, at least, a fee that can be built into your FIXED costs and allow you to price your app accordingly.

[BALTHOR1]

Virus

It looks to me like all computer virus are written on a single,altered Commodore 64 computer.All virus are actually fax files and your computer,in the BIOS,has the fax file filter switched off.The Commodore had no hard drive and was like an extension of a memory chip.The group was flashing chips for industry and brain stormed the computer idea into existence.

[Penguinisto]

Ballmer = Idiot.

Apple said up-front that if you offer the app for free, it costs you nothing beyond the $99 initial cert fee, and 30% of $0.00 is still $0.00

Surely MSFT can afford the $99 fee to get Silverlight an iPhone cert, yes? (well, at least they can afford it now, before they buy Yahoo...)

/P

[DrtyDogg]

Isn't it possible

that balmer might have been a little bit busy to look over all the details of the iPhone SDK seeing as how he was on stage talking to developers at the time of the announcement.

[Vegaman_Dan]

The devil is in the details

Apple developers pay $99 per developer, or $299 for a site license. Somehow I belive that Silverlight is being produced by more than one person.

This somewhat blows away your $99 comments. However, even at $299, the comments do apply.

If MS made Silverlight free on the iPhone, would Apple allow it? THAT is the real question.

[darthstupid]

"too" NOT "to"

"He also noted that Apple might be taking to large a slice,
grabbing "30 percent of every bit of revenue."

Grammar Nazi says TOO large a slice. Not "to large a slice".

[Zoe Slocum]

Typo has been fixed

Thank you.

[samkass]

Who cares about Silverlight?!

The iPhone won't have Silverlight? Yawn!

Microsoft is about 3-5 years behind the curve lately and not catching up. Who in their right mind would lock themselves into their technology forever?