Microsoft takes aim at the Apple iPad
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has announced that his company’s most important goal is moving Microsoft into the tablet computer market currently completely dominated by the Apple iPad.
Having been passed by Apple earlier this year in terms of market cap, and in danger of being overtaken in terms of revenue, Microsoft has once again decided to pay attention to Apple as a rival. The arena of choice is apparently the tablet computer marketplace, according to a Telegraph story, a field onto which hardly anyone else is sending players. Still, Ballmer has said, “We have to make things happen with Windows 7 on slates. It is job one urgency around here, nobody’s sleeping at the switch. We’ve got to push right now – right now – with our hardware partners. As soon as they’re ready, they’ll be shipping. We want to deliver products that people really want to buy.”
The entire Microsoft vs. Apple rivalry has always been overblown; the two are not even really competitors. Microsoft makes and sells software, mainly an operating system and an office suite. Apple makes and sells hardware, and as an aside puts operating systems on it. Not only do they not sell their operating systems without hardware, they relentlessly sue anyone who does. The Apple vs. Microsoft battle is mainly hype, in any event, though it sometimes produces fairly good theater. Thus, any Microsoft entry into the tablet field will be some version of Windows on a piece of hardware built and sold by someone else.
Still, even as congested as Microsoft’s innovation arteries have become in their legacy-bloated body of work, the tablet arena could use some competition, even if Microsoft is in reality only a minor player hitching a ride to the game on someone else’s hardware. It will also give all of us a chance to watch some more of Apple’s tongue-in-cheek commercials and probably some of Microsoft’s ludicrous replies. Meanwhile, the tablet marketplace is getting older by the day and the iPad is still waiting for actual competition.
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July 30th, 2010
Well…
The big difference between Apple and the rest(M$)… They want to build something that you can BUY… If you are going to actually USE it, who cares.
Apple build things for us to ACTUALLY USE IT… Big, big difference…
Cheers…
July 31st, 2010
You sir, AG, Are a MACFAG.
July 31st, 2010
Depends what your USING IT for. You can do a lot more on windows then you can on OSX. Incredible true to Apple’s tablet PC’s. The ipad has barely any support for anything. Its stupid. Its an e-reader and nothing more. Essentially you can get a netbook at the same price, sometimes less sometimes more, then the ipad, and use it for a lot more. Netbooks ironically have WINDOWS. not OSX. if i want to USE IT. ill probably buy something that I can put windows on. Apple wants to build something you can BUY too. Thats the point of being in business. If they didint want you to buy it they would give it to you for free. I can already see the bias in your statement, so ill put bias in mine.
August 2nd, 2010
they are both as retarded as each other