Steve Ballmer Admits Microsoft’s iPad-Killer 'Surface' Is A Flop, Windows 8 Not Selling Well

[onehandle]

On Microsoft’s campus today, Ballmer held a ‘rally the troops’ type event where they typically go over the quarterly earnings report and attempt to boost/keep the good vibes flowing within the company.

During his internal address, Ballmer stated that Windows is not selling well enough, which shouldn’t come as a major surprise, as the company has blamed just about everything under the sun for the slower adoption of Windows 8.

Other tidbits from the address are that Microsoft is hoping to carry the third quarter momentum into Q4 and that, like many organizations, they will be investing heavily into professional services in the next fiscal quarter. Other obvious talking points included the fact that Windows 8.1 was heavily shaped by user telemetry and was why Microsoft reintroduced the Start button back into Windows 8.

Ever wonder what Microsoft’s top subsidiary was for the past fiscal year? Wonder no more, as for the first time in eight years, the US subsidiary was the top performing entity for Microsoft.

http://www.neowin.net/news/ballmer-states-that-windows-is-not-selling-well-next-gen-surface-in-testing

Time to fire Bill Gates' college roommate. He's ruining Microsoft.

[DonCoquixote]

1. The very emergence of Android

is an example of how Msoft has lost it. Android came about because Windows could not challenge the Ipad, and because people got tired of the Ipad. Msoft should have had Tablets out years ago, with all the bugs out, but now, Android stands a real chance of becoming that alternative OS Linux never got around to be.

[onehandle]

3. People got tired of the iPad? 84% of web activity by tablets is from iPads, up 2% last quarter.

Wish I had a product that 'tiresome.'

[Maximumnegro]

7. Tired of hearing about it. Not everyone drinks

Apple Kool-Aid. Overpriced and restrictive. The genius of Apple is that their products actually deny users 'individuality' via choice and customization and software availability whereas Android and MS do not.

But all the artsy people design for Apple so they look cool and have great looking creative software. That's why I have a Macbook, but use a PC for everything else... You can't even get a decent chess software for Apple. I mean 'CHESS' for chrissakes. I can import photos like a fiend tho with some awesome superimposed texts...

[Gravitycollapse]

8. I've owned a Macbook Pro for nearly 4 years. I've beaten the ever loving shit out of it...

And even with a cracked screen and horribly dented chassis, it runs like a top. Even after 1700+ cycles, the battery still possesses more than half it's original charge capacity.

I've taken this computer well beyond conditions it was designed for and it has survived and done everything I've asked. I cannot say the same for any other computer I've owned.

[Maximumnegro]

9. That doesn't really have much to do with

the point of my post. I have a Toshiba PC satellite that has run solid for almost 8 years. When it comes to reliability Macbooks have a spotty reputation in fact once you do the research. I opted for a an older used macbook because it had the least amount of negative feedback I could find.

Apple makes great products no question. But they have just as many 'issues' as PCs, just of a different nature. The brilliance of Apple is their marketing and design.

[Gravitycollapse]

10. Apple is consistently the highest ranked among users.

And demonstrates a clear advantage over the average when it comes to reliability and failure rates.

[AgingAmerican]

4. Android is a Linux-based operating system

Android IS linux.

Windows 8 is MS answer to Android, cept they are trying to force it on PC uses.

[quinnox]

2. yep, Win 8 and surface are epic fails

maybe he will take the hint and take his multi-millions of dollars golden parachute and retire gracefully, before he destroys microsoft for good.

[DirkGently]

5. MS is apparently writing off $900 million on the Surface.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/19/microsoft-surface-rt-900-million_n_3624014.html

In some unknown warehouse presumably sits a pile of millions of beautiful, unused Surface RTs, the tablet computer that was supposed to resurrect Microsoft. Late Thursday, the company revealed for the first time that it has failed to entice many people to buy the product, and the software maker made an unexpected, $900 million writeoff on its unsold Surface inventory. The losses don't end there: On Friday morning, Microsoft shed $30 billion in value after its stock tumbled 10 percent.

According to one calculation, that loss translates to nearly 6 million sleek and rather stunning machines that consumers have decided they don't care to own. No matter how the math works out -- the company would not provide exact sales numbers -- that heap of Surfaces just burned a nearly $1 billion hole in Microsoft's pocket.

Don't know that Microsoft ever really figured out how to appeal to consumers without the leverage the built-in ubiquity of their operating systems provided. It appears to continue to think that everyone will just "have to" pick MS products. Witness the scrapped plans to disallow sharing or resale of Xbox One games -- their game seems to be to try to gain enough market share to simply dictate to consumers, rather than innovating.

Too bad.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. No no no -- Please don't fire him, give him a chance to finish the job.

Visualize a world without Microsoft ---

[davidn3600]

11. The next XBOX will be the next failure

[randome]

12. But we haven't given Tiles 8 a chance!

We haven't tried hard enough! Let the plastic colors seep into our souls. Tiles 8 has Charm!

User testing my ass!
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]