Kevin BosticMicrosoft's chairman Bill Gates says the software giant hasn't been innovative enough with regard to the new era of mobile computing, saying the company's initial approach was "clearly a mistake."
Asked in an interview with CBS This Morning whether he was happy with Ballmer's performance, Gates said that he and the Microsoft chief executive are "two of the most self-critical people you can imagine," adding that neither is satisfied that the company is doing everything it can to move computing forward.
"And there were a lot of amazing things that Steve's leadership got done with the company in the last year," Gates said listing the CEO's recent achievements. "Windows 8 is key to the future; the Surface computer; Bing, people are seeing as a better search product; Xbox."
Still, given Microsoft's position in the previous generation of computing, Gates is not satisfied with the company's place in what looks to be the future of the industry.
"Is it enough?" the Microsoft chairman continued, "No, he and I are not satisfied that in terms of, you know, breakthrough things, that we're doing everything possible."
He went on to admit that the company didn't "get out in the lead very early" on cell phones. Microsoft had an early start with Windows Mobile, a system that was out for some years before current industry leaders Apple and Google debuted their respective iOS and Android platforms, but ultimately let the competition pass them by.
"We didn't miss cell phones," Gates conceded, "but the way that we went about it didn't allow us to get the leadership. So it's clearly a mistake."
Gates went on to discuss the assorted philanthropic efforts he and his wife have engaged in over the past several years. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest, has targeted malaria and polio for eradication and has contributed to the fight against AIDS and tuberculosis. In the interview he stressed the importance of innovation not only with regard to Microsoft, but also in terms of fighting disease, improving education, and solving the world's energy concerns.
Andrew Orr
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AppleInsider Staff
76 Comments
Gates continues to let Ballmer suck from his teet.
I picked up a Windows Mobile 6 second hand. It was so bad, after five minutes I wanted to hurl it against the wall. How something that awful could pass through the Microsoft system still amazes me. Don't they use what they sell? On the other hand, at about the same time I found a Motorola RAZR tolerable, although it did leave me wondering why it didn't include a text editor for note taking. That was a pre-iPhone hint that cell phones needed to get smart, meaning offer user-chosen apps. We sometimes forget, however, that when the initial iPhone shipped, users were told to be happy with web apps and not to expect apps from third-party developers. I'm still not sure whether Apple was that clueless or whether they were simply faking out their competition until their own developer tools were ready.
[quote name="AppleInsider" url="/t/156048/gates-disappointed-at-microsofts-performance-in-mobile-computing-calls-for-change#post_2279739"] "We didn't miss cell phones," Gates conceded, "but the way that we went about it [B]didn't allow us to get the leadership[/B]. So it's clearly a mistake."[/quote] No one was expecting a radical shift in smartphones fueled by Apple and then Google. As a result... Microsoft was not only late to the party... they were also ill-equipped to deal with change. It took them 3 years to come up with their next OS... when they should have begun scrapping Windows Mobile years before. Who knows... we'd probably still see Windows Mobile today if it wasn't for the iPhone and Android.
I picked up a Windows Mobile 6 second hand. It was so bad, after five minutes I wanted to hurl it against the wall. How something that awful could pass through the Microsoft system still amazes me. Don't they use what they sell?
No I think Gates is right. They had every opportunity to take the lead as Windows was ahead of everyone back in the early days. I had an HP Pocket PC and it was decent for the time. But like everything else MS does they were slow to update or improve anything. The Pocket PC was bulkier but much more full featured than the Razor.
Microsoft was so clueless to the potential for mobile that they didn't even realize that Blackberry was stealing their enterprise customers until it was too late.
It was not until the iPhone was announced that a much better user experience was realized. All the other manufacturers were just caught flatfooted by iPhone.
[quote name="Michael Scrip" url="/t/156048/gates-disappointed-at-microsofts-performance-in-mobile-computing-calls-for-change#post_2279754"] No one was expecting a radical shift in smartphones fueled by Apple and then Google. As a result... Microsoft was not only late to the party... they were also ill-equipped to deal with change. It took them 3 years to come up with their next OS... when they should have begun scrapping Windows Mobile years before. Who knows... we'd probably still see Windows Mobile today if it wasn't for the iPhone and Android.[/quote] His comments about not missing the smartphone market while technical accurate are misleading. It's like saying you showed up for fencing class with a badminton racket. Sure, you're technically there but you are in no way ready to play.