With CES now dead and gone like Justin Timberlake, NetworkWorld recounts a quip from Microsoft President Steven Sinofsky in which the Microsoft Prez criticized Apple.
Sinofsky recalled sitting on a plane next to a passenger who used a succession of Apple devices during and after the flight. First the passenger texted and talked on his iPhone before takeoff, then watched a movie on his iPad, listened to music on his iPod, and finally opened up his MacBook upon landing to catch up on everything he missed while in the air.
“That’s not particularly converged,” Sinofsky said during an invitation-only press conference Wednesday afternoon, hours before Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was scheduled to give his Consumer Electronics Show keynote. “In fact, it was clear some of the same scenarios were happening across devices.”
Classic Microsoft. Instead of taking a step back and thinking – hmm, why are folks so keen on buying a multitude of Apple products – Sinofsky changes the conversation to, “Ya see! Apple products lack convergence!”
Is it any wonder that Microsoft is struggling to stay afloat in the mobile space? And besides, the fact that this mysterious airline passenger had four Apple products ignores the fact that he/she could have accomplished all of the intended tasks with any one of those four devices. Why did this passenger feel the need to carry 4 Apple products with him? Who knows, maybe he’s a nut. But the story speaks more to Apple’s strength than to a perceived weakness.
January 12th, 2011 at 6:34 am
I’m calling out Sinofsky — he’s a liar. I’ll bet he made up this scenario — in its entirety — to try and justify the use of Windows 7 on a slate computer.
January 12th, 2011 at 9:13 am
… and this is why Microsoft is struggling to excite consumers.
Mr. Sinofsky should be asking:
“Why did this person spend over $2,500 with Apple instead of with Microsoft? What do we have to compete with the iPad? Nothing. What do we have to compete with the Macbook? Nothing. Why did they buy an iPod instead of a Zune? Why did they buy an iPhone instead of Windows Phone 7?”
You can mock Apple all you want, but they’ve got a fatter bank account and Microsoft has a million dollar executive who finds it funny.
See the problem?
January 13th, 2011 at 8:17 am
A couple of things: First of all, I smell BS. I travel all the time and I never – NEVER seen anyone carry that much electronics with them. I seriously think he made the whole thing up. Second: If it WAS true, why use your iPod to play your music? Why not just use your iPhone? No reason to bring out the iPod. Who the hell brings with them an iPad AND a Macbook? The whole “scenario” could be handled with just 2. But then again ,the story was made up, so he might as well have thrown in a toaster for making toast and a mini microwave for that Hot Pocket break. Mmmmmm, Hot Pocket . . . .