07-08-2015, 08:21 PM
SteveO wrote:
Ballmer did them no favors. His persona just seemed to (and continues to) shroud that brand in uncool. At least Gates was a lovable nerd, a humble and amiable enough fellow from interviews I've seen. Ballmer...ummm, no...just the opposite and still at it even after he's left the company. He's the Dick Cheney/Donald Rumsfeld of the business world.
I don't think that phone or anything else "new" they make ever has a chance with the memory of Ballmer around. They have Office which is a mainstay and always will be. The rest...not trying to be cruel or insensitive, but I wish them luck. I have a buddy who is a super-good guy who works in marketing in their phone division. I imagine he'll lose his job. Sad.
The Xbox has been a decent success for Microsoft and if not for Ballmer saving their butts over broken systems, huge expenditure ($1+ billion), the Xbox would have been over by 2010.