There are a lot of questions out there about Google’s new Chrome OS. Since little is actually known about it, the most interesting questions right now tend to be about Google’s overall strategy in making a new OS. And if such a strategy will actually work. We tend to think it will, and that belief got a huge boost in the arm today as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has finally come out and mocked the idea.
Okay, I’m being a bit facetious, but still it’s worth noting this, for reasons I’ll get into below. First, here’s what Ballmer had to say about Chrome OS according to TechFlash:
“The last time I checked you don’t need two client operating systems. We tried it before. Windows 95 and Windows NT. It’s good to have one. So I can’t — I don’t really know what’s up at Google.”
On the face of it, that doesn’t sound like a bad point. And it’s one that plenty of others are saying. But it’s interesting that Ballmer is saying it because it’s not like Microsoft doesn’t also have a mobile OS (Windows Mobile) and a computer OS (Windows). And while yes, you can get Android to run on netbooks, I think Google realized that for most purposes, it was less than ideal.
But back to Ballmer. What makes these comments really interesting is his history of making disparaging comments about something, only to have it go on to massive success. The most obvious example of this is the iPhone “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance,” Ballmer once said (along with what he said in the video below). The iPhone has of course reshaped the mobile industry. Its combination of excellent hardware, software and the killer App Store, has forced competitors to follow its model. Yes, even Microsoft. It’s also making Apple billions of dollars in revenue, and has expanded the OS X user base by millions.
So what else?
Well, we were reminded just yesterday of his comments about Google back in 2004. “Google’s not a real company. It’s a house of cards,” he reportedly yelled at former Microsoft Distinguished Engineer Mark Lucovsky on his way out the door to Google. Five years later, Google is doing just fine, and Microsoft is still chasing them in search and advertising online. We’ll put aside what Ballmer also allegedly said about Google CEO Eric Schmidt (who is also an Apple board member) at the time.
Again, Ballmer would seem to have a bit of a point about Google’s strategy with Chrome OS, but he of course is brushing aside the fact that Google undoubtedly thought of this and you can be sure has a plan. It’s similar to how he did have somewhat of a point with the iPhone originally (that it was too expensive at $500), but Apple also had a long term plan to make it cheaper, which Ballmer naturally didn’t mention as a possibility.
Update: As a bonus, here’s what Ballmer had to say about social networking in October of 2007:
“I think these things [social networks] are going to have some legs, and yet there’s a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people,”
Less than a month later, Microsoft invested $240 million in Facebook — at a valuation of $15 billion. Why so high? Because it was battling Google for a stake in the “faddish” company.
What do you want Ballmer to say? “Hey no one here in management made such an awesome decision and we messed up?”
lol, of course he said what he said.
Chrome OS will fail. Ballmer is right and TechCrunch is wrong.
Since when is Steve “Crystal” Ballmer ever right?
Is it me or did Balmer lose some weight?
He must be doing something right.
The stress is taking its toll
…that’s why he looks like he lost weight.
God forbid he has cancer like the other Steve.
To the article:
Yes, like how you predicted that Hulu would be a flop.
Very true. He’s never been right. He can only repeat things thrice, not say things right!
i dont agree with u man.. chrome is goin to b a hit
i dont agree with u man..chrome is goin to b hit
Of course he said what he said, and what he said turned out to be right. Apple has had no success whatsoever selling iPhones (or Macs, for that matter) “to businesses”, and that by having no keyboard, the iPhone is not a good device for email.
Apple has had good success, especially with the iPhone, in the consumer market. Prior to the iPhone, consumers didn’t even buy smart phones. So, Ballmer was right that companies wouldn’t be buying iPhones for their employees, he just missed the fact that Apple would create a whole new market to sell to.
Google’s in the same position now. If they’re going to try to compete with Windows, it’s not going to work. If you can buy a $279 netbook with Chrome OS, or get one with Windows for $300, people are going to continue to choose Windows.
Google’s only real shot at success is if they can bring ARM-based chips into the netbook game. An ARM-based netbook could conceivable be made significantly cheaper than one with an Atom processor, and could deliver meaningfully longer battery-life.
It will still be an uphill battle convincing people that they can get by without needing a real netbook (with local storage and a full OS), but that’s what they’ll have to do. And they’ll have to do it with $150 hardware, or people will just keep buying Atom-based netbooks with Windows.
The iPhone works just fine without a keyboard.
You should try an iPhone before shooting your mouth off.
The auto-correction is so fantastic, that a truly wide-fingered bozo (like me) typing as fast as I possibly can and making innumerable mistakes, still gets a perfectly rendered message. No mistakes, no typos.
Once you go iPhone, you don’t go back.
Virtual keyboards are the future.
iPhone sucks.
My son works for MS – He has an iPhone…
What do you say about that.
They’re also extremely expensive and not cost-effective for large companies to outfit their employees with. In addition, you have to run them on AT&T, and there is no removable battery. I have an iPod Touch, which in terms of the keyboard and ease of use is the same as an iPhone, and I will not buy an iPhone, or any phone that is reliant on a touch screen alone, at least until they become more precise. I can type out a text message twice as quickly on my Palm than on my iPod.
u r right man
“Apple has had no success whatsoever selling iPhones (or Macs, for that matter) ‘to businesses’”.
Wrong. Ever heard of the Macbook Pro line? Huge success in the business market. So are the iPhones. Get real. And not a good device for email? Please tell that to the millions of people who use their iPhones for email dozens of times every day.
“If you can buy a $279 netbook with Chrome OS, or get one with Windows for $300, people are going to continue to choose Windows.”
If I could buy an $800 netbook with Chrome OS, or get one with Windows for $300… I guess I would hafta save up an extra 500 bucks. A netbook running Chrome OS for the same price or less than one running Windows would not stay on the shelves. It would be like the Wii all over again. I work at a major consumer electronics retailer, and we are already getting customers asking when we will have netbooks with Chrome OS.
“It will still be an uphill battle convincing people that they can get by without needing a real netbook (with local storage and a full OS), but that’s what they’ll have to do.”
After hearing about and thinking about Chrome OS and what it would mean for computing, I have transferred all my files and programs into the cloud. It didn’t take long. I already had a Box.net account, Twitter and Facebook, Picasa, Google everything (Gmail, Reader, Docs, etc.) and more. I made a new account on my computer that I use 90% of the time that has no local file or program access, except for Google Chrome and antivirus. The 10% of the time I use the other account is to access old files that I have yet to transfer into the cloud.
And the advantages? They are amazing. At work, I can hop on any internet-enabled computer and see my desktop and files the exact same way as I could see them at home. No internet? No worries. Google Gears has me covered on my home computer, so if my intarwebs go down, my files and apps stay up.
I would not be surprised if people were willing to pay a hefty premium for systems with this functionality built-in.
CubexDE wrote:
“Wrong. Ever heard of the Macbook Pro line? Huge success in the business market. So are the iPhones. Get real. And not a good device for email? Please tell that to the millions of people who use their iPhones for email dozens of times every day.”
Though you are correct on the iphone for email you are way off on Macbook Pro being a huge success in business, windows dominates here and that is not going to change anytime soon. Unless of course you define huge as 2-3% of the business market than yeah I guess it would be a huge success.
“If I could buy an $800 netbook with Chrome OS, or get one with Windows for $300… I guess I would hafta save up an extra 500 bucks. A netbook running Chrome OS for the same price or less than one running Windows would not stay on the shelves. It would be like the Wii all over again. I work at a major consumer electronics retailer, and we are already getting customers asking when we will have netbooks with Chrome OS.”
You are alone on this one, the highest rate of return on Netbooks have been sold with Linux as the OS. Most took them back and swapped for one with Windows. Chrome will have a long uphill battle to take out windows in this area also especially with Windows 7 working well on a netbook.
Don’t you think your comments are a tad premature considering that ChromeOS hasn’t even been released yet? Talk about irrational exuberance.
Content sells software sells hardware. Same with OSs. Right now, Chrome and other OSs just don’t have the content to dislodge windows but this is changine in the coming 5-10 years with SaaS and web-based delivery platforms.
So Google has a shot as the online delivery of content grows even more and productivity suites switch to web-based systems. But it’ll be a while.
I call Chrome a good long-term plan. Nothing to get excited about yet, but positioning itself to jump in with a mature and well-oiled product when the content ecosystem (read software) switches to mostly online web-based delivery.
u r right man…chrome is goin to b hit
“It will still be an uphill battle convincing people that they can get by without needing a real netbook (with local storage and a full OS), but that’s what they’ll have to do. And they’ll have to do it with $150 hardware, or people will just keep buying Atom-based netbooks with Windows.”
Please, please, please, do your research before you leave a well worded comment with a few acronyms regarding processors thrown in to make you look like an expert. Chrome OS will utilize Google Gears, which means local storage! It will sit on top of a Linux shell. Linux is a full OS, and it is more stable than Windows. The applications, whether there is an internet connection or now, will run through the browser.
Yes, I know all about Gears, and the way it’s able to locally cache data from the web. What I was talking about was the rumor that Google may eschew the entire WIMP desktop metaphor (there I go again with my crazy acronyms), and hide the file-system from the end user, sort of the way Apple does with the iPhone.
It’s pretty clear that most people don’t want the same old Linux, so Chrome OS will have to be substantially different from the desktop Linux that we’re used to. However, on a desktop/laptop PC, I think that people aren’t quite ready to live in kiosk-mode the whole time. They’ll want more control than Chrome OS will provide, if Google does everything it should to hide the Linux underpinnings.
My point is that Google has to achieve the impossible and create a system that is Linux-based, yet hides all traces of Linux from the end-user, does away with the desktop metaphor that we’ve grown accustomed to, and yet still lets people manage their 80GB music collections and sync with iPods. I don’t know how they intend to do that.
Good points. The word “netbook” is a misnomer. People use their “netbooks” for more than just browsing the net.
Mike:
Some excellent points here.
“I think that people aren’t quite ready to live in kiosk-mode the whole time.”
If by people you mean people like us, you are correct. BUT The general populous just wants it to work… or at least appear to. Look at the iPhone, a device that covers quite a few bases for quite a few people, it is a completely closed ecosystem with all content filtered through Apple; Why would anybody want to lose control over what they can install on their hardware?
Wait… I own one. and love it. It filled out FAR more of the “must haves” checklist for me than everything else on the market. It is functional, sexy and simple. I cope with this limitation.
IF google can make a fully functioning ecosystem with the music and media support, this could be possible.
The real limitation is finding cheap, fast stora…..g.. wait, how much are 7200rpm 500gb laptop drives now?
Here is the issue: the cloud sounds wonderful. but Until I have a 60mb/s Up and down pipe always. everywhere…….
”
My point is that Google has to achieve the impossible and create a system that is Linux-based, yet hides all traces of Linux from the end-user, does away with the desktop metaphor that we’ve grown accustomed to, and yet still lets people manage their 80GB music collections and sync with iPods. I don’t know how they intend to do that.”
Ask apple.
a good leader admits his mistakes
No one should be surpised by Ballmer’s rxn to Chrome OS. And Jobs is no different. Remember what he said about the Kindle? That it wouldn’t work because “People don’t read anymore.” Uh, riiiiight.
With this reverse psychology in mind, i’m going on record right now supporting my wife’s insistence on me quitting up my Thursday night golf beer league b/c I return stinking of cigars and Beam.
With Google voice, google docs, gmail and everything, if chrome works out, they will OWN.
CALL ME!
(805) 768-4521
http://bit.ly/oBsDJ
Wow, I didn’t know that SteveB made those iPhone comments.
Star Trek is more realistic than this post.
Well put.
It’s true.
Star Trek is exceptionally realistic.
Pwned!
You are right: HIYO… http://www.yout...h?v=Ji-cT58rgNc
YEP. MG is just some loser lunatic writer.
Good point MG. Since Ballmer said it’s going to be a failure, Chrome is going to be a success!! =)
On a more serious note, MS is an antiquated company. Why are they still selling software that requires installation and costs an arm and a leg when we’re all so use to freemiums? What MS should do is offer a free service and charge for premium services. If not, I’ll be happy to see them go down. =)
“Why are they still selling software that requires installation and costs an arm and a leg when we’re all so use to freemiums?”
This has to be THE SINGLE MOST MYOPIC COMMENT I have ever read on TechCrunch. Why does Microsoft sell “antiquated” installation-based desktop software? Because that’s what the rest of the world outside of Silicon Valley uses and will continue to use for some time.
Every operating system requires installation… even Chrome OS. Chrome is supposed to be a platform for SaaS, not SaaS itself…
No…
Google Chrome OS is not a platform for SaaS, or SaaS itself. It is a platform for web-based applications, which do not require installation. Read up on this a little before you start leaving comments.
Eh… You just told him he was wrong and then restated what he said.
Web-based applications are simply the front end component of SaaS.
They don’t require installation because you either give them permission to do the install automatically, or you just enter all your information onto their systems, and run the app server side. Either way SaaS and web-based apps are just two sides of the same coin. Google would become SaaS to the extent that they own both the SaaS (server side) and the client (the browser and OS).
I’d ask who lets these clowns in but judging from half the posts they are family.
I know Balmer is a smart guy, but he never acts like it.
HARHARHAR, well…apparently, your wrong > Good article!
LOL
I like that comment..
i have no respect for ballmer… he is a sales guy, he has no vision for technology and his strategy is to follow and duplicate not lead and innovate… microsoft is what it was (entirely) and what it is currently (mostly) because of gates’ vision and strategy… i don’t see any revolutionary products coming from microsoft under ballmer, and unfortinutely ray ozzie doesn’t seem to have the combination of technical vision and business acumen to fill the hole left by gates… i think microsoft is the company of past…
and what ballmer thinks and says is irrelevant (not to mention complete non-sense)…
It’s called choice, something that MS has a problem understanding.
sorry, useless article. That is how you talk about your competition, Steve Ballmer is not writing a blog reviewing products. He is running a business and always promoting his business. What do you expect him to say?
How about what any normal person would say…
“I’m sure ChromeOS might be intriguing to some, but we think customers will be better served by a blah blah blah..”
But, of course, Steve Ballmer is a raving lunatic, so we know he won’t say that…
how is that any different than…
“The last time I checked you don’t need two client operating systems. We tried it before. Windows 95 and Windows NT. It’s good to have one. So I can’t — I don’t really know what’s up at Google.”
I don’t see those words being so harsh… Actually i think he might be onto something…
How about say nothing. No one forced him to make an ass of himself.
You forgot XBox and Zune. I think that’s four Operating Systems for MS. Contrast Apple with (arguably) just one.
Not really – MS has three families of operating systems:
1. Client
2. Server
3. Mobile
I wouldn’t put the firmware on the XBox / Zune in the same category as the others (although my educated guess is that Microsoft leverages some parts of its existing products on the Zune/XBox platform) given that they are stand-alone, closed-box products.
Good point. I think your going to be absolutly right. Ballmer never knows what the public likes!
Yeah, Bing is super-unpopular, nobody plays on XBox (Sega Dreamcast 4TW), and Windows 7 will probably excorciate nothing but unfettered hate from angry Vista users who are uspet that they never see those lovely UAC warnings as often as they used to. You must be right – Steve Ballmer can’t execute on anything at all.
Yeah, hell Bing is not making money and will never re-coup the losses they made with their previous net adventures, XBox hasen’t made any money yet, Vista was a disaster and Windows 7 will further split the Windows platform, so what did Ballmer do right lately?
Yeah, Bing hasn’t yielded a multi-million dollar profit in the WHOLE MONTH that it’s been out so far. It must be an epic failure.
Oh, and the Xbox made a cool $426m in profit in F2008, which admittedly took a long time:
http://kotaku.c...profitable-year
But yeah, you’re right – releasing Windows 7 to fix the horrible abortion of an OS known as Vista is going to cause trouble by “splitting” the Windows platform, whatever the hell that means. Yes I guess releasing a new operating system which aggressively paves over the gaffes of the previous version and incentivizes businesses to actually upgrade from XP must be a bad thing because it will “split” the platform. Good going, genius.
According to a ScriptLogic survey (reported here http://tinyurl.com/mphzbk ) only 40% of businesses plan to move to Windows 7. If that proves to be the case, Windows 7 will be an epic failure, second only to Windows Vista in the failures released by Microsoft. Don’t get me wrong, I am using Win 7 RC both at work and at home, and I find it a great deal better than Vista, but for most purposes, XP is still “good enough,” which means business has no reason to go through yet another “buy it, install it, train our users on it” cycle of paying Microsoft to get the same thing they already have – an OS that works, and that their users are familiar enough with to get their work done.
Ballmer also alluded to development delays being likely for the Chrome OS. This is rather amusing, coming from the CEO of the company that spent five years “developing” Vista, and finally ended up rewriting huge chunks of it and calling it “Windows 7.”
Chrome OS will succeed. Windows on the desktop will continue to exist (until it’s irrelevant, because the paradigm shift *is* to keep data in the cloud). Windows Server versions may die sooner, however, because virtualization makes it possible to run server-client applications on Linux machines even if the server app “wants” Windows. What is going to kill Windows on the desktop is developers, deelopers, develops – when they realize that they can write server-side software that uses an HTML5 interface that is client-OS agnostic; they can write *one* version of their server app that works with *any* desktop OS. And Chrome will be there, cheaper than Windows, and much more ready to “get out of the way” and let the user work. And it will work better on cheaper hardware than Windows will.
Ballmer is back in Redmond right now, throwing chairs and going through adult diapers like crazy.
“According to a ScriptLogic survey (reported here http://tinyurl.com/mphzbk ) only 40% of businesses plan to move to Windows 7. If that proves to be the case, Windows 7 will be an epic failure, second only to Windows Vista in the failures released by Microsoft.”
Well if the survey says so, then it must be true. DAMN YOU STEVE BALLMER.
“Chrome OS will succeed. Windows on the desktop will continue to exist (until it’s irrelevant, because the paradigm shift *is* to keep data in the cloud).”
Ok, Captain Ideologue, whatever you say. The paradigm shift is to keep data in the cloud because Grandfather Google ordains it so; let it be written in stone and shouted from a mountaintop. Death to the heretics!
This article seems to go ahead and mock Ballmer (for good reason seeing his past statements) but this time he might actually be right. Since it seems that Android can be used on Netbooks, why would Google create another OS to also run on Netbooks? Because ChromeOS is just a browser with Linux bolted on, rather than a full blown OS like Android? Windows Mobile and Windows 7 (Vista and XP) tend to be vastly different from one another as WM can’t run on netbooks. A better comparison of Microsoft using two OSes is the use of Windows XP in Netbooks, and Windows 7 (and Vista) on Desktops. That seems to be a nightmare.
You forget: Chrome OS isn’t for netbooks. To paraphrase Google, it will be initially targeted at netbooks, and will eventually expand to the laptop and desktop market. Android will never do that.
It seems that the only people posting here that agree with Ballmer are the ones who are equally misinformed.
“Fucking Eric Schmidt is a fucking pussy. I’m going to fucking bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I’m going to fucking kill Google.”
Can’t get this Ballmer quote out of my mind… thanks MG =)
Yeah, it’s just about the best quote ever.
any of you guys want to right a petition for Arrington to fire this Seigler? We should make one… this guy is really making me hate TC.
anjali, you’re fired from reading any more MG articles. Please return to your hole.
Why, because he quotes things from other blogs that may in fact be completely false and passes them as truth, only saving his “credibility” by adding the word “reportedly” after it?
Microsoft business model has suffered under the credit crisis vs Google – Googles core valuation was still intake. – market economies r changing and so is microsft – we’ll see how it’s reputation in the present and future will play out in the social media landscape
Microsoft business model has suffered under the credit crisis vs Google – Googles core valuation was still intake. – market economies r changing and so is microsft – we’ll see how it’s reputation in the present and future will play out in the social media landscape
Ballmer needs a haircut!
lol
MS made similar comment when Linux came out, when open-source was getting traction, when iPhone came out … and here we go again!
so is linux more popular than windows now?
I did not realize that this was a popularity contest? Btw, Linux is more popular than MS in many markets (e.g. web servers), just not desktop computers.
Windows… has… a mobile version?
well…
Google is crap and the world is just starting to see the truth, Google is a giant manipulative Monopoly. Other than their search product, Google is worthless and inevitably going to pay the price for market manipulation. Take that google, BING!!!
LOLZ. Microsoft is crap, and the world has already seen the truth, Microsoft is a giant manipulative Monopoly. Other than their Office product, Microsoft is worthless and inevitably going to pay the price for market manipulation. Take that Microsoft. Chrpownmed! Spaz.
Whaaaaaa! Both Mircrosoft and Google are crap and the world has already seen the truth, they are both giant manipulative Monopolies. Other than their search and office products, they are worthless and inevitably going to pay the price for market manipulation. Take that you clueless pawns, these two companies are battling it out for the rights to know your privacy and control you! Apple is the only truly innovative company in tech.
Blarg! Apple is crap and the world is just starting to see the truth, Apple is a giant manipulative Monopoly. Other than their awesome combinations of software and hardware and impeccable user-oriented designs, Apple is worthless and inevitably going to pay the price for market manipulation. Take that Apple, TWANG!!!
You guys are dumb
Cult brand loyalists… pathetic. I get it that you want the company YOU chose to “win”. However, if any one of these companies “wins”, you, me and all consumers will inevitably lose.
Get that through your head and perhaps you’ll be grateful that we have several competing companies pushing each other to bring us better products.
Keep talkin’, Steve.
Google stories right now on TC, 7 out of 20.
How We Know Chrome OS Will Be A Hit: Steve Ballmer Doesn’t Think So
Google Calendar Adds Labs and Opens Up An API
Google Eases The Switch From Lotus Notes To Google Apps
YouTube Will Be Next To Kiss IE6 Support Goodbye
Google Loses Engineering Director Who Once Caused Steve Ballmer To Melt Down
A Workaround For The Gmail Push Workaround
Cougars, Yuppies, And Sugar Daddies, Oh My! Ex-Googlers Working On Local Startup TownMe
And of those 7 how many also have to do with Microsoft? I count 4-5 depending on how you read it.
And of those, how many are mocking Microsoft, and sucking Google? All of them.
Well, then I guess you must like reading those kinds of articles…
…or else you wouldn’t still be on this site, huh.
Wow, it is really difficult to infer from the titles.
Why do you guys continue to talk about this like it’s a “new OS?” It is a new-ish (been out a year already) web browser with an existing operating system initially released in the early 1990’s.
This is NOT a new operating system. I use “chrome” right now.. It’s Ubuntu + FireFox on my system.
Uh… Firefox is NOT Chrome, buddy.
You know what I mean.. This all hype and B.S.
A web browser + an old OS is not a “new OS”
This isn’t a web browser and an OS. It’s a web browser that IS an OS. It isn’t a web browser plus Linux. It uses a Linux kernel, but it has none of the standard features of Linux. There is no local storage, no applications that can be installed, no maintenance required, etc. You turn it on, and you’re online. You use Web 2.0 apps. You finish, you turn it off. That’s all it does.
Seriously, read up on the concept behind it before you start typing this garbage.
….and that’s why it will fail. People will want to do more than just be online.
I don’t think it will fail. It has a good opportunity because there are computer users out there who spend most of their computing time in the browser, such as bloggers, for instance. If Chrome OS allows the browser to access the hardware, you could do a lot of the activities you could do in a traditional OS.
The linux kernel means it can do anything you want it to do, provided you know what your doing.
“…you’re a sad, sad, petty little man…”
It must really suck in life to first watch your hair-line recede, then your company. Not being able to prevent either one.
Microsoft products have become the comb-over of the computer world.
I am sure if balmer wanted he could afford to prevent that hairloss or even get a new set of hair.
Always hated Microsoft… Google take them for everything they’ve got!… Apple wasn’t up to it.
At least this post isn’t completely sensationalist and lacking of any real fact or worth.
“The last time I checked you don’t need two client operating systems. We tried it before. Windows 95 and Windows NT. It’s good to have one.”
Umm… what about Vista Starter, Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, Vista Business, Vista Enterprise and Vista Ultimate?
Haha, awesome point! You win the intarwebs.
I think Ballmer may be referring to people running Google’s OS and Microsoft’s OS on the same PC. Dual boot and all that. Not many people want that, etc.
No, he’s talking about Android and Chrome I think.
Yes, because an irrelevant blogger who is STILL, pathetically, trying to defend his position that ChromeOS is going to destroy Microsoft, is fit to criticize the opinions of a multibillionaire software CEO.
And again, I challenge you or Arrington to explain the similarities between the iPhone and ChromeOS. Quit lazily comparing ChromeOS to any successful product by pointing out that said product once had doubters and instead try backing that comparison up with some actual similarities.
Google owns search, but stands to make no money off of sales of ChromeOS. Microsoft on the other hand makes boatloads of money on software sales and is slowly eating into Google’s search revenues with Bing. Hmm, who poses the greater threat to whom?
If Microsoft were going to have any impact on Google whatsoever, they would have done so years ago when they had the 1. capital, 2. talent, and 3. product foot-hold to do so.
Instead, during said time, Google became the fastest growing company in history.
What chance does Microsoft have now that they are 10 years past their prime? and following Google around like a little girl with a crush, doing whatever Google does?
You can’t beat somebody by following them. MSFT is so starved of innovation, it’s not even funny.
I think you’re missing the point..
The point is that when Ballmer says it’s going to fail, you know it’ll be a success…
@UncleMatt – I think the same argument could be made for Google- they acquired a bunch of startups that hemorrhage cash ala Yahoo in the late 90’s. I will be the first to say Google has produced a lot of great products- search, Gmail, and to an extent Docs. YouTube, while popular, loses money hand-over-fist, and Orkut has never posed a serious threat to Facebook. Don’t get me started on Lively. Open up your eyes- Microsoft puts out as much or more innovation than Google, but for some reason hip bloggers can’t end their Google/Apple lovefest, so they will manipulate any argument to favor them. That’s fine, but time will expose the truth.
@Poopy- I think you missed my point- that being unable to read your competition and customers is not how you ascend to lead the largest software company in the world.
@Dan Rich
well said!
He Dan, why do you call MG an “irrelevant blogger?” Do you also think “Techcrunch is irrelevant? What are you doing on this blog?
Facts are facts. At the end of the day, MG doesn’t really have a track record that would suggest he is qualified to make these bold assertions and criticisms of anybody, let alone a software titan. In any case, it is easy for people to make smug assertions about the direction of the software industry while they don’t really have to make difficult decisions. I guess I don’t have much respect for somebody who poo-poo’s a leading company while not really producing anything significant themselves.
And if you and MG think Ballmer is so out of touch, then what are you doing writing entire articles to mock his opinion? I am afraid that it must work both ways.
You still haven’t answered the “Why are you at this site then?” question.
Of course, I think the answer is simple: MG Siegler gives you a hard on, and you’re lashing out in deep denial of this.
I can’t think of any other explanation.
He discredited MG not TechCrunch! MG started off on a the right track then he got drunk on Apple Juice and that was it. MG has not credible opinion since his fanboism is pasted all over his articles. Unless you are a Twitter, Google, Apple Fanboy than you would find it hard to agree with Siegle based on his logic.
On another note, the fact that Balmer have said
““I think these things [social networks] are going to have some legs, and yet there’s a faddishness, a faddish nature about anything that basically appeals to younger people,”
makes him right so far, social networks have not produced any significant return of investment. Facebook is still trying to figure it out while MySpace is going downhill. Next thing you find is that there comes another company who would start taking facebook market away, something that might seem impossible but look at what happen to MySpace. So Ballmer comment that they have legs but are faddish is right on the money so far.
Dude, only reading articles that appeal to your sensibilities is how you ended up so out of touch with the rest of the world. Ya know, the 95% of the population that actually USES the technologies that are torn apart on this site.
What he also is missing a point: Google doesn’t have to win for Microsoft to lose.
Having credible competition in the Netbook and Desktop space inevitably leads to price competition and reduced Microsoft margins and profits.
And that maybe the point of it, to decrease Windows Hegemony that is funding Microsoft’s online losses.
Linux has already been available on NetBooks just as long as Windows XP. Relabeling Linux and adding yet another web browser isn’t going to change this most likely. But I am still no fan on M$ either..
“And that maybe the point of it, to decrease Windows Hegemony that is funding Microsoft’s online losses.”
And maybe Microsoft’s latest shot at Google, Bing, is an effort to decrease Google’s Hegemony that is funding Google’s online, and now apparently, desktop losses. Before you begin shouting that Google makes tons of money online, let me stop you- I am fully aware. But how much money are Orkut, Lively, and YouTube pulling down? You think those are free to produce, distribute, and maintain?
If you look at the year-over-year share of the search market, rather than the initial “honeymoon” month that Bing has existed, you will see that Google is holding steady. Bing’s “growth” has been at the expense of MSN Live Search.
Now let’s look at “losses.” Google makes boatloads of money. Any divisions that lose money are captive tax breaks. Ask your corporate accountant. You do have one, right?
Lastly, losing money on Chrome OS: There’s free, and then there’s free. You can bet that Google has figured out a way to make money from Chrome OS without charging for the OS itself; this is an in-house project, not a purchased startup. I know my money (as in my investment dollars) are on google, not MSFT (which *lost* 15 cents per share when Ballmer opened his big yap again).
“You can bet that Google has figured out a way to make money from Chrome OS without charging for the OS itself”
Really? Well would you be so kind as to explain what it is? It seems to me that to make money, you have to, ya know, charge a fee. Advertisement only goes so far (ask Facebook). I know all of you hip, ahead-of-the-curve, Twitterific bloggers think large user base + cool vibe and no fee = infallible profitable genius, but I am afraid that isn’t how it works. At some point you have to be able to pay your employees.
And let’s please hold off on assuming that ChromeOS will pose a significant threat to the desktop realm, months before it is even launched. I don’t think many offices outside Silicon Valley are going to run to switch off of Microsoft products. For Microsoft’s largest customers, I am afraid that a Windows license is a drop in the bucket.
Steve Ballmer looks like some comical character from a US sitcom? This guy looks like a proper fool, where does Bill find these guys from? Surely he can find someone better than that to run the company.
I think we have seen the high then for MS, its all slowly downhill untill it eventually becomes extinct.
Some of his quotes are so ironic. If Google would have said them instead of Ballmer, they would be quite fitting in regards to what people are saying about Chrome OS and what it will take for Chrome OS to be successful.
I wrote a small blurb about it here:
http://www.chro...me-os-bing-163/
ok this is my rant… google should stick to what is does best… information and data search. it should be the master of information and data. Microsoft should focus all it’s energies on the OS… and related software.
It;s like Google wants to taunt Microsoft with OS and software – and Microsoft returns the favor with search.
sorry.. i dont like chrome and i dont think bing is special. I think vista s**ks and I think google search could be better…… Read More
if these two immature giants would grow up and focus on what makes them great…their products would be amazing and outstanding. instead they are distracted with each other.
in a nutshell it is like campbells soup competing with anheuser busch.
my two cents… and i stand by it! twitter @sph001
it is a question on focus and resources. Look at microsoft – their base product… their operating system…s**ks vista is a nightmare. yet they spend a ton of money chasing after google’s search.
now i am not against competition – but to me this is like campbells soup trying to compete with budwieser.
also in reality… microsoft will always have the dominant share of OS… corporations arent going to shift to chrome… and google will always hold the dom. position in search… bing doesnt offer any killer app…. Read More
focus on what makes you great… could you imagine if these two giants actually collaborated???
Microsoft has a long history of waking late, but not too late: Word perfect, Dbase, Lotus, Borland, Novel, Netscape, the gaming market until Xbox. and even Gates once said that 640KB is more than enough. so what? They have Bing, Azure, things could change.
It’s not done yet. if i was at Google, i should have a decent f** OS YESTERDAY. until they take out a significant share of purchased Windows/Office licenses the game is not over yet. really far.
p.s. and looking at google wave, it seems they also start with the too-heavy too-complex things.
FOR THE LAST TIME. GATES NEVER SAID 640KB WAS ENOUGH……EVER.
Yeah, I think it gets mutated from this quote Gates said in 1989 “I have to say that in 1981, making those decisions, I felt like I was providing enough freedom for 10 years. That is, a move from 64k to 640k felt like something that would last a great deal of time. Well, it didn’t – it took about only 6 years before people started to see that as a real problem. ”
One person relates a story where they say “Gates said he thought 640k was enough for ten years,” turns into someone retelling it as “Gates said he thought 640k was enough” to someone claiming “640k is enough” as a direct quote.
It’s basic folklore.
I enjoyed your comment. Probably the same deal with the quote MG was so eagerly willing to attribute to Ballmer about his reaction to Lucovsky leaving MS to go to Google (sorry, “reportedly”).
That said, I think Ballmer should keep his mouth shut at all times. MS should hire someone to follow him and is always ready to tackle him whenever he’s about to put his foot in his mouth.
another (last) thought – thankfully right
if i ran google I’d spin off all non-info/data services and create a company whose sole focus is to present a strong competitor to microsoft. and use the funds to take search and information acquisition and presentation to a whole new level. and if i ran microsoft – i would get out of the search game… and build killer apps and … Read MoreOS and own the desktop. i’d compete hard with apple and linux. bing barely competes with yahoo – and yahoo is a mess.
ps: years ago i interviewed at microsoft for a leadership role in msn search..no wonder i didnt get the position
ps; twitter is @sph001
have you ever thought that there could be another reason for u not getting the position you mention? LOL
I love Microsoft. Long Live Microsoft:)
So, can you even name one thing you love about Microsoft???
Tell me,
Is it their buggy/bloated OS that you love?
Or is it the monopolistic bullying and illegal tactics?
Windows Domain and Active Directory, Exchange Server, DirectX, Office. Don’t act like you can run a large business without at least two of those.
There’s a big difference between necessity and “love.”
I mean, I need Office, but I seriously don’t know anyone who loves Office.
Does anyone really “love” Exchange Server??
Need != Love
I’ll humor you, Poopy (that really sounds funny):
I absolutely love playing games on my Windows PC, which is made possible due to Microsoft’s DirectX.
I love my Zune, Xbox 360, Windows 7, Netflix’s new movie player (which is based on MS’s Silverlight), the .NET Framework (If you’re a programmer, you know what I mean), Office 2007’s UI, Microsoft’s Live Services, Bing’s image, travel, video and shopping components.
Of course it’s the coolest thing in the world to hate on MS, but saying that they have not ONE quality product is utter ignorance and mindless antagonism. Crawl back to your loyalist hole.
Uh… BIND, OpenLDAP, OpenGL, OpenOffice
i love vista… vista is probably the most advanced, intuitive and easy to us OS ever… NOT! I miss my XP (ha ha)
Have any of you tried the Windows 7 release candidate and realized how much better it is to vista. I think Windows 7 is going to rock. people, please be up to date with technology before writing comments in tech articles.
Redmond called… your check is ready.
You should try actually making software once in your life MG. Then you’ll realize how hard it actually is. Google as smart as they are have a long, long, long way to go to dislodge MS. It’ll take them at least 4 to 5 years for their OS to even compare to MS or Mac OS. Also, the goog has to make sure their new OS works well with common apps like MS Office, iTunes, Photoshop, Premiere, Photoshop, AutoCad etc. You know, actual software that people who don’t tweet and write blog posts all day actually use.
You tend to see the world from the products you use(foursquare, twitter, gmail) and assume the rest of the world wants a crappy OS that can’t run proper desktop software. Get your head out of Googles ass.
you are right on the money. totally agree with you.
Yup, well said.
MG’s blatant bias and slander will hopefully get him sued one day…
@everyone – And I guess you assume that the same environment that exists today, that existed 10 years ago, will continue to exist 5-10 years from now?
Perhaps MG is thinking ahead, and where we’ll be. Where companies like Google will be.
The world is changing. Business is changing. Thinking that the success of yesterday will somehow determine success in the future is naive.
The new environment will demand new applications. Not some crap you have to order on CD, lose the key, maintain client access licenses, yadda, yadda. Seriously old school.
I could see that happening with services like OnLive that extend to the desktop application realm, but that would make things more expensive for the consumer (monthly fees) in the long run. Of course this future you speak of is years away, and in the meantime some other paradigm that we didn’t even see coming might arrive that makes your vision of the future worthless. Focusing on the now, Chrome OS will do well in the current market of people who solely use a computer to use the web, but it’ll be a long time before they cut into Windows’s market share.
insecurity. whats next. a “hi im a google/im a ms” commercial?
Actually that’d be a hilarious commercial – the MS guy would have six slightly different versions of himself all of which would crash, and the Google guy could keep flashing giant white cards advertising filipino dating websites, cheap viagra, and home refinancing regardless of what the two characters are actually talking about
If it’s such a stupid idea, why is Microsoft developing and promoting Gazelle in the same fashion?
It’s a research project, aka let’s throw some money away just for the hell of it.
Not to mention what Ballmer said about Facebook, only a month later dropping $250 mlns into it
great point recall that now
I think techcrunch articles always jump on the band wagon of supporting the products that are hot now like Google, Facebook and talk shitty about MS and myspace. come on people, grow up and see what values those trend setters offer.
Microsoft’s walled gardens have many shapes. Alas…all flowers have the same monopolistic smell. The fact that they got away with so little innovation for so long is uncanny.
you’re right. we should support only bad products. good call.
All Microsoft products are shitty? Is this how I am to interpret this?
If by bad products, you mean popular products developed by companies that want to be paid, you’re right.
chromeOS vs androidOS on your netbook?
I would vote the latter. Those little android apps will look great as widgets on my desktop.
Poor Ballmer, no matter what he does or says, the blogs will rip him apart. (90%+ blogs hate MS, so no surprise)
That’s like saying “90%+ men hate being punched in the nuts, so no surprise”
If something is terrible, people are going to hate it.
As pointed out, he’s going to deride the OS because it isn’t from Microsoft, and he’s a born salesman. What else could he say?
So salesmen need to be pathetic lairs because Steve Ballmer is?
They certainly are. Most of them.
It will fail unless Google is willing to sink billions into it. Even if it gains some market share, how are they going to make money off free os. support services? Advertising money will be same on windows and chrome os. Look like mgmt’s ego is getting in the way of share holders’ interests.
I don’t know if I should just call this a plain old, regular ad hominem or if it’s some kind of inverted argument from authority. Either way, nice job reaching new heights of fallacy.
Good point Anonymous! Like the little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.
DirectX and the graphics cards that support it is what keeps the average bored male on Windows. It took a very long time for Microsoft to build up that ecosystem. Graphics is still the present and future of high powered computing. Whether it’s games or visualization, an advanced subsystem is a must have for a modern OS. Games are what maintain marketshare for Windows PCs. DirectX is the defacto standard on which all 3D engines are built. People still want to do more than surf the web.
good article – It think google OS will be a great success.
One thing is that google understands is the idea of lock down. They don’t lock down their customers the way apple and microsoft do.
Ask yourself this have you ever ran across a web page that could not be viewed in your browser of choice from google.
Just can’t say that about microsoft.
Flashback: Ballmer yelling “Developers!Developers!Developers!Developers!Developers!Developers!Developers!Developers!Developers!Developers!”
LOL