That is an awfully bold move by the employee, seems like he was trying to provoke a response rather then just take a picture. Glad Ballmer didn't crush the iphone though. Would have looked really bad.
Having a competing companies product at a company meeting probably wasn't the smartest move for the employee.. Although it would seem Ballmer kept his cool..
I make fun of my friends who have iPhones too. Talk about lemmings. This doesn't really surprise me, I'm glad MS can joke about it in front of the media.
Assuming it wasn't staged, the employee is probably happy to still be an employee. When you only have a hand full of competitors in a market it's usually blasphemy to support the competition even just a little.
[citation][nom]gereth[/nom]I make fun of my friends who have iPhones too.[/citation]
LOL.
Why would you need a picture of Ballmer? I ran into the guy in an elevator once, he's just human.
I do like Balmer's enthusiasm, even if it is for Microsoft. If you have a big company, you want your CEO to be as excited and loyal to your product as possible. Its better than the opposite, where every day your CEO just tries to change his current company into his former company.
Unless MS is providing their employees with complimentary cellphones, they're free to select any phone they wish.
I work for a bank and I can have other bank credit cards without having to hide it or anyone getting their panties up in a knot. Its just a phone. The fact that he addressed the phone like an effigy just goes to show how much fear they have for the product.
I'm betting it was staged. Especially since Windows Mobile 6.5 is about to be formally released. I bet the first thing they talked about after that was Windows Mobile 6.5.
Wow, it's a big year for MS: Windows Mobile 6.5, Zune HD, and Windows 7.
I still don't understand why they call 6.5. The platform looks even more different then when they went from 5 to 6.
I think it's funny, he is not a douche and it is not poor taste. Microsoft is a business and it should be pumped about it's own products (whether or not they are worthy) and demonstrate confidence in them. I would have done the same thing. Now if I took a WinMo phone to a Mac event I would be booed and criticized into oblivion for sullying the event with such a device. I have personally witnessed this on more than one occasion.
I dont like apple, but I guess if I am the CEO of Microsoft and see that my employees are using an apple product, I think I would just make a phone that is better than the competition. (Not a crappy os Like windows mobile with that little frigging x that you have to touch.) Maybe if He said hey why do you use that phone instead of a windows mobile phone they could improve that windows mobile experiance.
[citation][nom]etichi[/nom]Look at Ballmer and realize why America is not #1 anymore. The guy has no self respect. All this, "the guy has Enthusiasm, etc, etc". They guy acts like a F'ing clown for a CHIEF of a major company.[/citation]
Just out of curiousity, since you seem to be an in-the-know and all, if America isn't #1 anymore (and I assume we're talking about computer technology, since that's the context), then who is?
If you work for Microsoft and you buy an apple product..... you are an idiot.
If you are a new hire and currently own an iphone, give it to your wife or use it after hours. By bringing it to work, you have labeled yourself.... an idiot.
If you work for Apple and you buy a zune HD..... you are an idiot.
The only thing here that makes Microsoft look bad...... is that they hired an idiot.
It is called working smart. If you are a MS employee that is high enough on the coporate ladder to be sitting in a meeting with the CEO of a billion dollar company, you should be smart enough not to be wearing a I love the competition t-shirt
You wouldn't find the manager of a Toyota dealership driving a Honda.
Maybe Steve Job's assistant should buy a Zune HD and then show Steve how great it is or isn't.
You are free to think and buy what you want.
And this particular employee is free to be an idiot.
[citation][nom]etichi[/nom]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcz_NHAFGS0 ... he sums it up quite nicely.[/citation]
You say America is not #1 and that's the proof you give? A comedy show, not to mention one that makes no sense? How does one measure "freedom of the press", let alone rank countries in it?
Employees should take pride in their work, whether it be coding Windows 7 or mopping the floor. If they don't believe their work is the best by not supporting it, that goes to show what kind of job they do - and Ballmer made this point hilarious.