Microsoft CEO Ballmer on why Apple is thriving

"Kevin Johnson, the president of [Microsoft's online] division, suddenly and surprisingly resigned late Wednesday, taking over Juniper Networks, and leaving Microsoft's online business in more disarray than it was already in," Jim Goldman reports or CNBC.

In a memo to Microsoft employees addressing Johnson's departure and competition with Google, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer also mentions Apple, pointing out that "Microsoft outsells Apple 30 to 1, but elevates the competition to a new level," Goldman reports. "He writes: 'In the competition between PCs and Macs, we outsell Apple 30-to-1. But there is no doubt that Apple is thriving. Why? Because they are good at providing an experience that is narrow but complete, while our commitment to choice often comes with some compromises to the end-to-end experience. Today, we’re changing the way we work with hardware vendors to ensure that we can provide complete experiences with absolutely no compromises. We’ll do the same with phones—providing choice as we work to create great end-to-end experiences.'"

Goldman writes, "It's an interesting take on Microsoft's position in the marketplace as it relates to Apple. Microsoft is indeed losing marketshare to Apple (2.5 million Macs a quarter start to add up!) because of all the well-documented problems and challenges with Windows Vista. But rather than focus on Vista's shortcomings, Ballmer spotlights the strengths of the Mac."
Full article:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25831319/site/14081545

Ballmers note:http://kara.allthingsd.com/20080723/microsoft-ceo-steve-ballmers-full-memo-to-the-troops-about-new-reorg/