Microsoft CEO: Apple a 'Low-Volume Player' Except in Tablets

[zybch]

[citation][nom]kartu[/nom]Well Apple's smartphone market share is 15%-ish, which is close to their PC market share.(it used to be well over 50% though)In tablet we are moving in the same direction, but apple still has 50%+Now, calling sales of 100+ million of anything "low volume" is still hard to justify.[/citation]

Their PC share is under 5%. Don't mistake the skewed US numbers for the rest of the world - we aren't as blindly led.

 

[reprotected]

It's technically good for Apple, because they won't be screwed over by the government, being sued for a monopoly like Microsoft did. All Apple needs to do is sustain a decent market share and not a monopoly, and protect their position so they still get profit, but not lose all their market, which is where lawsuits come in. Lawsuits won't help Apple gain more market share, but it will solidify their position for a few years. Win for Microsoft and Apple.

 

[Darkerson]

I really wish these articles disguised as propaganda would just stop. As someone else said, write a blog if you just want to share your FUD and opinions. Shitty little blurbs like this are why people dont take T.H. seriously anymore. Its pretty much opinions passed off as articles. If it wasnt for the best of CPU and GPU articles, I would have stopped reading a long time ago. I really wish Tom was still around.

 

[beefydragon]

Apple is the dominant player for tablets. However, Microsoft is able to merge the two experiences into a single form factor. So I think in a year, you will see some significant shifts in numbers towards Microsoft. As I am sitting here at Starbucks. I already see another person using Surface RT tablet for work other than me. Microsoft made a smart move with waiting for the migration of tablets and PCs.

 

[tomfreak]

Am I the only one here thinks Microsoft's mobile success depends on Intel x86 CPU?

 

[guardianangel42]

[citation][nom]high_volume_playa[/nom]Microsoft also doesn't lead in servers, and they're losing more marketshare to Linux everyday... They've even resorted to using Apache Hadoop with Azure because they couldn't develop a comparable alternative... Then there's other things they don't sell many of like phones, mp3 players and super computers.So I guess that means that Microsoft is only a high volume players in desktops?[/citation]

I can never understand commenters like you. You make an account for the express purpose of commenting on a specific article and then name yourself after that article.

Why? It makes no sense...

 

[Thomas Creel]

Interesting, I didn't know this, I wont be buying any of this "Smart" stuff though, I'm perfectly fine being "Dumb."

 

[captainblacko]

In world war 2 im sure Hitler told the german people that the allies hadn't landed in Normandy, when in fact they had and controlled most of northern france.

this is a bit like ballmer's comment about microsoft "winning" in every category apart from tablets.

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]kartu[/nom]Well Apple's smartphone market share is 15%-ish, which is close to their PC market share.(it used to be well over 50% though)[/citation]
50% in what market? and when ?
I just checked an article I wrote 1½ years ago, and at the time the Safari coverage on 'personal computers' was 5.4% likely representing most of the osx user base (not sure how many use firefox). Anyway this means that 1½ years ago apple's presence in the pc market was likely lower or on level with what it is now.

Not sure how far back your 'used to be' timeframe is, but it can't be anything recent.
ps. safari on ios had a coverage of 2.4% of the mobile market at the same time I wrote the other piece.

 

[Guest]

Yes Ballmer bites down hard and pulls on his fancy silk pillow while curled up in a fetal position every night, damning Apple's market cap through such low-volume sales. And as Ballmer tugs at that pillow, like an angry puppy, Steve Jobs' gost appears and laughs maniacally!

 

[ronindaosohei]

Ballmer is an idiot. Most specifically, he seems constantly to be in denial or ignorant about the reality of the competitive landscape, it's almost like he doesn't use technology or something. The reality is Apple is the HIGHEST volume player in tablets, the HIGHEST in MP3 players (there basically aren't any other players in MP3), they are the second highest in smartphones (next to Samsung), and the third or fourth (and one of the only players growing) in PCs. A case could be made that they aren't huge in PCs because even though they are the third or fourth largest PC maker in the world they only have around 10% of the market, fair. But when it comes to phones they definitely aren't low volume and continue to grow fairly quickly particularly in the US.

Back when the iPhone was being released Ballmer said he wasn't concerned about the iPhone because Windows Mobile phones already had those features, STUPID! Now he's busy talking with the same ignorant tone, like someone who doesn't use the devices, about how much he likes the Microsoft strategy in phones (where they are failing pretty badly) and tablets (where they might stand chance). The problem isn't even whether he's right or wrong, it just doesn't demonstrate a willingness to learn, a vigilance against the competition, they should throw him out.