Steve Ballmer At Web 2.0: Microsoft CEO Disses Android, iPhone

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took his appearance at the Web 2.0 Summit as an opportunity to publicly press the dislike button on Android, Google apps, and the iPhone.

Microsoft is planning to release new Nokia phones powered by its Windows Phone operating system at Nokia World on October 26 and Ballmer told Web 2.0 interviewer John Batelle that he thought iPhone was the main competition. Though Google's Android software has gobbled up market share to become the most popular smartphone operating system in the United States, Ballmer was dismissive of the competitor.

"It’s very hard for me to get excited about Android phones; Apple’s a good competitor," Ballmer said, according to TabTimes.

He went on to criticize Android for not being user friendly.

"You don't need to be a computer scientist to use a Windows Phone. I think you do to use an Android phone," he reportedly said.

He was hardly complimentary of the iPhone.

According to Business Insider, Ballmer said, "There's certainly some nice things Apple's done with Siri, but we've been doing the same things for years."

Ballmer's remarks come as Windows Phone is facing some tough times. Though he professes to be unimpressed by the competition, Windows Phone's dwindling market share isn't likely to have escaped his notice: according to comScore data, Google's Android powers 43.7 percent of all smartphones in the U.S, the iPhone claims 27.3 percent of smartphone subscribers, and Microsoft's Windows Phone boasts just 5.7 percent of the market.

As eWeek reports, the last time Ballmer made an appearance at Web 2.0 was in 2009 right after the launch of Microsoft's search engine Bing. On Tuesday, Ballmer spoke proudly about Bing saying that according to internal tests, most people don't care which search engine they use, and when they do care their preferences are equally split between Bing and Google.

Search wasn't the only area where Ballmer suggested that Microsoft was moving in on Google's turf. When Batelle asked about Microsoft's shift from packaged to cloud based software, Ballmer said that when it came to cloud-based apps, Microsoft was beating Google 98 percent of the time. According to GeekWire, Ballmer's take on Microsoft's cloud-based app business was, “We are winning, winning, winning, winning, winning. Doesn’t mean the other guys don’t win a couple, but man, we’re successful.”

Comments

[Erica Bass]

03:28 PM on 11/09/2011

The same can be said about that goatfuck of an O.S. called Vista.

[jackbutler5555]

01:09 PM on 10/21/2011

I'd be betting on the open platform, which would be Apple, Microsoft,....Android.

[aosborneh2o]

06:33 AM on 10/21/2011

Hmmm... So, much like Apple used the iPod as the platform for their phone, will Microsoft use the Zune?

Seriously, if you want to make a better product, just make it and stop trying to ballyhoo it as the next iWhatever killer. It failed miserably with the Zune, your last cell OS, and everyone who has been trying to get into the tablet business. Of course, according to Einstein, insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting a different result...

[NonPrawf]

01:28 AM on 10/21/2011

Microsoft phone's are winning over the Iphone.

[truthocentric]

06:44 PM on 10/20/2011

Microsoft's phone is DOA. Sorry Steve

[OhMyBoehner]

03:49 PM on 10/20/2011

ballmer is a complete lunatic.

[Brad Bartkus]

03:21 PM on 10/20/2011

How'd Zune work out for you Microsoft?

[2crudedudes]

02:01 PM on 10/20/2011

Windows is pretty easy to use, but not exactly obvious to an untrained user. I think this should be Ballmer's focus, and not crapping on anyone else's products. They have a lot to learn about dumbing down software from Apple.

[havana62]

01:18 PM on 10/20/2011

Uhhhhh, Steve???? Have you seen the sales numbers for Windows phones??? Not the most popular phone. In 2 years the Windows phone will go the way of the Zune.

[skoko]

02:22 PM on 10/20/2011

Having had to put up with Microsoft OS's for the past 15 years, I cannot imagine buying a Windows Phone. That would be like going from the frying pan to the fire. Microsoft 1st needs to get their OS's functioning correctly. No I am not an iPhone user either, Android only, because I needed something that actually works, and it does.

[garretmason]

01:05 PM on 10/20/2011

Too funny. You all hate on Ballmer.....I agree to some extent, I amy not have him as my CEO, but Microsoft laughs all the way to the bank people. They get a royalty fee for every Android phone sold. Microsoft makes more money on Android being sold, then it does on its own OS. So while you are all hating and rushing out buying Android....Ballmer saying....."thank you"....

[Onutz]

01:57 PM on 10/20/2011

((They get a royalty fee for every Android phone sold.))

Your boss is getting paid. AWESOME!!

[garretmason]

02:18 PM on 10/20/2011

Yeh not sure I understand your reply.....I am not a Microsoft fanboy......I am just saying that most comments are Ballmer is an idiot and should step down, yet he is making tons of money of of Android phones for Microsoft.

[aphextwin07]

12:57 PM on 10/20/2011

yet another sensationalist half-truth headline, great job at misleading huffpo. how could that possibly be considered an iphone diss? you writers will do anything for page hits I guess. while he does make some valid points he really isn't in a position to be critical of any of the competition until MS actually puts out a decent phone, which has yet to happen.

[MWMom]

12:50 PM on 10/20/2011

I AGREE. My daughter has a droid. I absolutely did not want one. After trying to use hers, I thought FORGET IT - it's not user friendly at all. Also, she can't turn the d@mn thing off. I tell her to turn it off and she can't turn it off and charge it at the same time. Kind of a teen parent's nightmare. What's up with that? She actually likes my new windows phone better, but poor thing her contract is not up.

I did not want to give up my qwerty slider, but the HTC Trophy had me hooked the minute I tried it. Maybe I just grew up with Windows and it feels natural. It's a nice phone I don't have one complaint.

My son has an iPhone. It's alright, I just don't need all of those apps. I don't like being herded into Apple world. Hopefully he'll learn on his own before it's too late.

The hubby is stuck with the company Blackberry.

[MWMom]

12:53 PM on 10/20/2011

Oops I think I meant Android.

[jt1980]

04:26 PM on 10/20/2011

I don't know what brand is your daughter's phone, but it should turn off the same way most phones do: press and hold the power (on) button, then the option to turn off the phone will appear (some phones will go off automatically too.)

[MWMom]

11:50 AM on 10/21/2011

Thanks. It's an LG Ally, but it does not turn off. I was told this was an Android thing, but maybe it is specific to this phone. Maybe there has been an upgrade since we bought it a year or so ago. But she's 16 so I it's really hard to get access to the phone now, lol. I'll do some surfing again...

[Tanker10a]

12:43 PM on 10/20/2011

Mr. Ballmer,
What exactly have you and Microsoft done lately. Those remarks fit real well for an iPhone user then. That's also coming from THE MAN who did not believe (laughingly) that the iPhones would not sell at their introductory release prices...

[BroadwayJoe]

12:37 PM on 10/20/2011

Steve is really in deep denial about Microsoft's many failures and Android's successes. Why has Android proven to be so popular (competitive against Apple) if it requires a "computer scientist"

Ballmer is one of the worst CEOs not because he's an ign@rant loudmouth but because he lacks creativity and abhors innovation. Microsoft's problem has always been that it's too narrow-minded, lacking creativity and overly defensive. Unlike Apple, which seeks to innovate, Microsoft is focused on how best to inhibit innovation. Seriously, can you name one product that Microsoft invented in the last 15 years? I thought not. Now name all of the products and industries that Apple has created/transformed in the last 10 years.

In that sense, Microsoft is conservative while Apple is progressive.

Microsoft would do well to find another CEO who actually aspires towards creativity and innovation.

[garretmason]

01:03 PM on 10/20/2011

Apple has created 0, has transformed many.......before you go all "Apple" on me. Just name one thing Apple has invented.

[Onutz]

01:59 PM on 10/20/2011

((Apple has created 0))

Who cares, read a newspaper. You're out-voted.

[theveggiedude]

02:58 PM on 10/20/2011

You want one thing they invented? How about QuickTime. Before that, no one thought it was possible to play video on a pc without adding special hardware.

:P

[J242]

01:20 PM on 10/20/2011

Well, they had a GREAT future CEO in the form of Bob Muglia, the former Senior Vice President and head of their Office division (One area they have continued to excel, no pun intended) but Ballmer and his little b#++ boy Sinonfsky decided to can him (many shareholders were grumbling about removing Ballmer and putting in Muglia) so he wouldn't be a threat. Now the two most powerful people at MS are all for offshoring of jobs, performing as much triage and beta programs/services in China as possible and people are fleeing the company to Google, Apple, Facebook and a variety of other smaller companies.

Give it another year of them hemorrhaging jobs and getting lackluster sales and maybe the shareholders will finally call for Ballmer and Sinofsky's heads. The day THAT happens is the day they begin reversing the anti-US policies they've been getting more and more involved with.

Although I can think of ONE thing they came up with in the past 10 years and it's the Kinnect. I don't have an Xbox or 360, I refuse to purchase from MS but I will admit the mapping system, hardware and the open SDK for the device are indeed impressive and what 3rd party folks are doing with it is pretty amazing! :)

[SomebodySpecial]

12:33 PM on 10/20/2011

"You don't need to be a computer scientist to use a Windows Phone. I think you do to use an Android phone,"

Apparently Mr. Balmer doesn't know what a computer scientist is. I suppose that explains the sorry state of Microsoft's products.

[Brian McDonald]

12:42 PM on 10/20/2011

Given that I don't have any problems at all using my Android phone, I think I just earned myself a resume upgrade. As of now, I am officially a computer scientist.

Quick, somebody tell me something I already know how to do is "rocket science", so I can get a job at JPL.