Comments on: Help Me Interview Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft (And Win Free Tix to Web 2)

By: Mark Roxberry

Mark Roxberry — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:21:00 +0000

Skydrive.live.com has Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote in the cloud (pretty reasonable facsimiles of the desktop versions) and are free. Hotmail is more and more like Outlook, e.g. Calendar has Task functions.

Corp IT needs the desktop version as the Cloud version just won’t past muster for 7 year retention requirements (not yet at least), so don’t expect to see an all cloud Office (not sure how Corps pull off using Google apps at least in financial services where there is the retention requirement).

By: Norbert Mayer-Wittmann

Norbert Mayer-Wittmann — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 10:30:05 +0000

What do you think is the difference between data and information? Is Microsoft in the business of information or data processing? If you were to hire a leading thinker in the field of information science (such as, e.g., me , what would you ask that person to achieve for Microsoft (and its stakeholders)?

By: Soren Gordhamer

Soren Gordhamer — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 05:07:00 +0000

Everyone generation has a company, or often several, that grabs people’s interest and attention. Once it was IBM, then Microsoft, now more Facebook and Twitter. Once a company has “had their day,” how does it work to stay relevant, knowing that people tend to be drawn to the new upcoming company more than the older more established one?

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 21:45:14 +0000

And when is Microsoft going to do humanity a favor and eradicate Internet Explorer from the world? Or at least rebrand it?

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 21:22:55 +0000

Rather than charging money for Microsoft Office why wouldn't you give it away for free? Especially considering Microsoft is playing catch up with Apple and Google, in both software and hardware.

Most folk are reluctant to try new services. Microsoft Office (Powerpoint, Word, Excel, etc.) has a significant user base. But, it will exponentially continue to evaporate if something major doesn't shift. A lot of common folk don't use Google Docs and the other various, free, Google applications.

Put Powerpoint, Word, Excel, etc. online, manageable in the cloud, for the low price of free 99. Microsoft then has it's "foot in the door". Plausible perhaps?

By: Antonios "Ton-E" Manessis

Antonios "Ton-E" Manessis — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:55:25 +0000

The late Steve Jobs in his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address says (04:30 minutes into the speach) "...and since Windows COPIED the Mac ... " !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

QUESTION: In light of above comment and given the fact that Apple has $100 billion more in Market Cap. compared to Microsoft... is the Microsoft be an eternal follower / COPYCAT of Apple ?

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:41:21 +0000

1) How would you fix Yahoo?

2) Why wouldn't you launch your own social networking service like Google+ to socialize/unify all your products (via Skype, Hotmail,Xbox)?

3) What do you admire the most about Steve Jobs?

4) Isn't Windows 8 a glorified app launcher/switcher?

5) Are you okay with Microsoft employees using Apple products at work?

6) What do you think about Google's concerns with mobile patent lawsuits?

7) What makes you so excited about Microsoft's future that you don't want to retire?

7) Did your employees really walk out on you during your annual meeting?

8) Are you interested in buying palm?

9) What do you think of the new Kindle fire? And Amazon's services?

10) Does Google favor its own products in search results? Is that OK?

11) AT&T + Tmobile: are you for the merger? What do you think that'll mean for the telcom industry?

12) What's your outlook for the US economy? Another recession? How long until unemployment goes back to 2007 levels? What would you do to fix the economy?

By: Jason Richardson

Jason Richardson — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:32:05 +0000

The iPhone is a tremendous value for consumers with respect to digital media, apps, new features from updates etc. Considering that Microsoft has already changed their direction for mobile to be more akin to the Apple approach (abandoning pocket PC in favor of windows phone 7/walled garden etc..), what more will Microsoft do to compete with Apple on the consumer value proposition in mobile?

By: Mikael Pawlo

Mikael Pawlo — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:51:56 +0000

Who is the next Steve Jobs? Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg?

Mikael Pawlo
CEO
Mr Green

By: Mikael Pawlo

Mikael Pawlo — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:50:45 +0000

With Bill Gates in charity and Jobs in heaven (or perhaps he's already reborn, he was Buddhist after all), is the PC era officially over and what will follow?

Mikael