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Nov-05-2009Ballmer half heartedly talks up Windows 7(topic overview)
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Sales of Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system have been "fantastic" in Japan since its launch last month, CEO Steve Ballmer has said. He declined to provide specific numbers for Japan, which is Microsoft's second-largest market, but said features like quicker start-up times were luring consumers to the newest version of the world's dominate software package. He added new computers were also helping attract buyers. "People don't buy operating systems, they buy computers with operating systems on them," Mr Ballmer told reporters during a presentation in Tokyo. Windows 7 was launched last month after consumers and businesses gave a poor reception to its predecessor, Vista. That operating system was considered slow and had trouble working with existing programs and devices. [1] Initial sales of the new Windows operating system (OS) have been "fantastic" in Japan, the chief executive officer of Microsoft Steve Ballmer has said. While speaking at a news conference in Tokyo Ballmer said there has been "a great response" to the new OS in the country - with initial sales topping those made by previous systems such as XP or Vista. Commenting on Windows 7, he said that the OS "is an example of the kind of innovations" which are needed in the technology sector.[2] Initial sales of Windows 7, Microsoft's newest operating system, were "fantastic" in Japan and helped spur PC sales in the country, CEO Steve Ballmer said Thursday. "We've had a great response here in Japan," he said at a Tokyo news conference.[3]
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer described Windows 7's first ten days of sales as "fantastic" while in Japan yesterday. While he didn't provide specific numbers, he did add that the first 10 days of Windows 7 sales generated more revenue than had any previous Windows version in the same time period.[4]
SHY AND RETIRING Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer seems to be having trouble finding something nice to say about Windows 7's launch.[5]
Motorola'''s decided to not include Windows Mobile in the 2010 lineup of devices and instead focus on Android. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer recently told analysts that, '''It was a tough year on succeeding with phones, mostly our own issues, frankly.'''[6] SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says corporate spending on information technology will not recover to levels seen in recent years before the global economic slowdown.[7] Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the IT industry will never fully recover from the impact of the global recession, arguing that the sector needs to adjust to a '''new normal''' as IT budgets continue to feel the pinch, and capital remains scarce.[8]
Well, a decade of having service calls transferred to technicians somewhere along the silk road seems to have affected enough Americans that a once-stable foreign moneymaker has suddenly, though not all that unexpectedly, dried up. This weekend in Seoul, South Korea, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told the world that the well had finally run dry.[9]
Unfortunately, that has not been the case and the past ten years have seen the nation's tech jobs shipped overseas. These are jobs which require a college degree or, at the very least, a series of technical certifications in order to perform. By allowing foreign pricing on these tech services to devalue the skills that drive them, this is a practice that may well have pushed the next step of technological advancement beyond the reach of this generation. Ten years worth of college students stepping out into a jobless void will cripple any industry and to have those ten years follow the development of the internet into a driving economic force only deepens the wound. The benefit of a recession is that it teaches better spending habits and it seems that the money being lost by disinterested, better-informed consumers taking their business elsewhere has struck a tone in the U.S. and, Microsoft at least, is carrying the tune overseas. Hopefully, this is marks the end of a practice that serves only to hold this country back as it competes in the new global marketplace.[9] Citing that "CEOs have much tightly constrained IT budgets" and pointing out that company purchases of PCs and servers were down about fifteen percent worldwide. This is disheartening news for many "developing" nations that rely on the United States and it's disproportionately large amount of IT spending (number one in the world) to fuel their own economies. The argument has long been that, if these developing nations have so many computers then why don't they have the same need among their own population as in the U.S.? I have personally argued that these nations aren't so much "developed" or "developing" as they are exploiting a business practice that saves American corporations money, offering tech support for pennies on the dollar. If the number of IT professionals in many of these countries reflected the actual number of internet or cable-equipped households in those same countries, the outsourcing of American tech jobs would be a non-issue.[9]
The Microsoft CEO stressed the vital role of cloud computing in the company's growth. Cloud computing allows users to access software over the Internet rather than installing it on their computers. While Ballmer conceded that U.S. search engine giant Google Inc., Microsoft's main rival in cloud computing, is the leader in online search, he said Microsoft is leading the pack in other fields such as instant messaging.[10] Many consumers and companies opted not to install Vista at all. Microsoft's Japan subsidiary is currently its best performing, Mr Ballmer said. He said the company's internet search partnership with Yahoo could be extended outside of the U.S. to markets such as Japan, without elaborating.[1]
Japan is Microsoft's second biggest market and the Japanese arm of the firm is currently the company's best performing part, Ballmer told the conference.[2]
Many firms and consumers continued using Windows XP, which was released in 2001. "Windows 7 is an example of the kind of innovations that I think are important in the technology marketplace," Ballmer said, stressing that Microsoft's long-term goal is to enhance its capacity for innovation and boost performance especially amid the current global economic downturn. Ballmer said he is "quite pleased" with Microsoft's Japanese unit, its top performing subsidiary, and noted that Microsoft will be working with Japanese research institutions to conduct joint research on the future of computing.[10] "Certainly we've seen initial sales be fantastic," Ballmer said in a news conference in Tokyo, noting that around 230 major firms have decided to install the OS that was launched Oct. 22. "The first 10 days were bigger than the first 10 days of XP or Vista," he added, in reference to Windows 7's predecessors.[10] The first ten days were bigger than the first ten days of XP or Vista or any other Windows launch that we have done. in Japan." True he was talking to a Japanese news conference, but it is rare that the great man is that specific. We wonder why he has not been that enthusiastic about Windows 7 elsewhere.[5]
Microsoft had strong support for the new operating system from Japanese corporate users and PC makers. Around 230 enterprises took part in the early adopter program that put Windows 7 in their hands before the public launch and roughly 670 new computers were launched to coincide with the new operating system.[3] Roughly 95 percent of Microsoft's customers acquire Windows with a new PC, and Windows 7 is expected to lead a tech industry rebound in coming quarters. "People don't buy operating systems, they buy computers with operating systems on them," Ballmer noted, saying he is now "more bullish" on the PC market than he's been in many months.[4]
Ballmer is putting a positive spin on Microsoft'''s condition, promising that Windows 7 will help IT managers do '''less with more'''. He says the new operating system'''s virtualisation and cloud computing features will help reduce hardware demands, enabling firms to reduce their electricity bills.[8]
Ballmer was in Seoul to meet corporate and government officials and tout the Redmond, Wash. -based company's new Windows 7 operating system.[7]
The announcement followed a meeting between Ballmer and Samsung CEO Lee Yoon-woo. The company also said it will upgrade its corporate PCs worldwide with Microsoft's new operating system next year.[7] The visit to South Korea, where Ballmer joined Samsung in announcing a joint project to develop more energy efficient computers, provided some good news for Microsoft. The South Korean electronics giant announced it will upgrade all its PCs to Windows 7 next year.[8] The lack of information from Microsoft from the beginning, as well as the blog postings about clean installs seem to support that. They seem more interested in selling Windows licenses with new computers than making it easy for those who are satisfied with their current hardware to run Windows 7.[4]
Microsoft Says Windows 7 Doing Well So Far Microsoft executives said Windows 7 has been doing well since its launch, but declined to offer sales figures.[3] Windows 7's torrid sales pace actually started well before the system became generally available, on October 22. In the previous quarter, Microsoft sold more copies of Windows than it had in any quarter in its history. Much of that was from Windows 7 pre-orders, though the company actually deferred reporting half of those sales for the current quarter.[4]
As a result hardware sales experienced a double-digit jump thanks to Windows 7, said Ballmer. "I think it's quite clear when you look at hardware sales, where we've seen an almost 20 percent growth year-over-year in the pace of hardware sales since the launching of Windows 7," he said.[3] Analysts seem to think Windows 7 has done quite well, but the man who knows all the figures seems to be keeping uncharacteristically quiet. When hacks at ComputerWorld asked Ballmer how Windows 7 was doing, he said "er. its fantastic. er, in Japan." "It is helping to spur PC sales. um. in Japan.[5]
'''There is going to be pressure in businesses to drive for a new level of efficiency,''' Ballmer said on a visit to South Korea to promote the newly released Windows 7.[8]
"The economy went through a set of changes on a global basis over the course of the last year which are, I think is fair to say, once in a lifetime," Ballmer told a meeting Monday of South Korean executives. Spending on information technology, which accounted for about half of capital expenditures in developed countries before the crisis, is unlikely to rebound fully because capital is more scarce these days, he said.[7] "The economy went through a set of changes on a global basis over the course of the last year which are, I think is fair to say, once in a lifetime," Ballmer told a meeting of South Korean executives in Seoul adding, "While we will see growth, we will not see recovery." This dashes a lot of hopes following an October report from Gartner Research that gives an overall optimistic outlook for IT spending in the years to come, estimating a 3.3 percent "rebound" in 2010 and a return to 2008 spending by 2012.[9]
Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft'''s entertainment and devices business, admitted to problems with Microsoft'''s mobile strategy in a meeting with financial analysts and investors'''reporting that Microsoft'''s share of the mobile phone operating system market had declined. Have these types of setbacks caused some of the current rounds of job cuts at Microsoft? One might think so as it seems Microsoft is losing ground within the mobile arena. [6] The Microsoft chief said the company was investing heavily on developing so-called "cloud" services, in which the majority of processing and storage is done online via the internet, instead of on hardware "clients" like mobile phones and PCs.[1] EU agrees on new Internet user rightsBRUSSELS (AP) _ EU lawmakers and governments agreed Thursday on proposed new telecommunication rules that better protect European mobile phone and Internet users from arbitrary service cutoffs.[11] Study: Internet use leads to more diverse networksNEW YORK (AP) _ A new study confirms what your 130 Facebook friends and scores of Twitter followers may have already told you: The Internet and mobile phones are not linked to social isolation. Online activities such as e-mail, blogging and frequenting Internet hangouts can even lead to larger, more diverse social networks, according to the study released Wednesday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.[11]
NY joins the antitrust effort against IntelNEW YORK (AP) _ The legal challenges to Intel Corp.' s sales tactics mounted Wednesday as New York's attorney general accused the world's biggest computer chip maker of using "illegal threats and collusion" to dominate. In filing a federal antitrust lawsuit, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo accused Intel of using its market prowess to "rule with an iron fist." Google's 3Q lobbying costs eclipse $1 millionSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Google Inc.' s quarterly lobbying expenses eclipsed $1 million for the first time during the summer as the company tried to build on its dominance of Internet search and expand into other markets.[11]
The firm is pushing Windows 7 at a time when many IT managers are loath to take on large expenditures. To make matters worse, the rise of cloud-based computing services is challenging Microsoft'''s dominance of the enterprise software market, with rivals such as Google'''s Gmail eating into the firm'''s profits from products such as Microsoft Outlook.''[8] Microsoft Security Intelligence Report Provides Valuable Insight Microsoft has released the latest semi-annual Security Intelligence Report. It contains a lot of useful information and metrics, most notably statistics that illustrate why its time to give up Windows XP and move on to Windows 7.[3]
Miami, FL. Microsoft is presenting Windows 7 as a faster and lighter operating system, following its highly unpopular predecessor Windows Vista that debuted in 2007 and suffered from slow speeds, frequent crashes and complicated security functions, analysts said.[10] Ok, we'''ve all heard by now that Windows Mobile has fallen significantly as the operating system of choice for Smartphones. One of those reasons is clearly the ever popular Android-based devices we have all been hearing a lot about; and wanting.[6]
I think Balmer's quote "People don't buy operating systems, they buy computers with operating systems on them." says quite a lot about the problems encountered with upgrading.[4]
The reforms were two years in the making. Review: Motorola's Droid is a serious smart phoneSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Since its debut in 2007, millions of people have gravitated toward Apple's iPhone, wooed by its sleek hardware, simple user interface and abundance of applications. Other smart phone makers have been trying since then to dispel the notion that the iPhone is the be-all and end-all of mobile gadgets. The latest push comes from Verizon Wireless and Motorola, whose Droid is a good alternative for those seeking a feature-packed smart phone with a full keyboard and strong wireless service.[11] Lou Gellos, a Microsoft spokesman, said Wednesday the cuts are being made in offices around the globe. He would not say what specific product groups or job types are affected. A growing PayPal could soon overshadow parent eBaySAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Most people know eBay Inc. for its online marketplace, where deals abound on everything from gadgets to antique furniture.[11] Microsoft lays off 800 more workers worldwideREDMOND, Wash. (AP) _ Microsoft Corp. says it is cutting 800 more jobs. That's in addition to the 5,000 layoffs it announced in January.[11]
Profitability and OSS Support: A Return on Investment Analysis of IBM Tivoli Netcool Learn more, download free white paper. Cisco forecasts first revenue growth in a yearSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Cisco Systems Inc. doesn't want Wall Street to interpret its forecast for its first quarterly revenue growth in a year as evidence that the U.S. and other economies are roaring back. [11]
While we will see growth, we will not see recovery."'' He backed up his pessimistic claims by citing a 15% fall in PC and server sales worldwide. His comments follow a mixed earnings call from Microsoft, in which the firm'''s profits exceeded analysts''' expectations despite falling year-on-year.[8] The latest edition of Windows was released last month. He said company purchases of PCs and servers were down about 15 percent globally. "It reflects the fact that CEOs have much more tightly constrained IT budgets," he said.[7] BT Global Services achieves 100 percent availability with business service management solution.[11]
SOURCES
1. The Press Association: Windows 7 sales take off in Japan
2. 'Fantastic' sales of Windows 7 seen in Japan - News Network - Inside Japan
3. Windows 7 Seeing 'fantastic' Sales in Japan, Says Ballmer - Business Center - PC World
4. Windows 7 Sets Sales Record
5. ballmer half heartedly talks up windows 7 - The Inquirer
6. Is Android causing layoffs at Microsoft?
7. Microsoft CEO: IT spending won't fully recover - Technology News - Charleston Daily Mail - West Virginia News and Sports -
8. StrategyEye
9. Microsoft tells it like it is.
10. Microsoft CEO upbeat about initial Japanese response to Windows 7+
11. AP Technology NewsBrief at 6:33 a.m. EST
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