PodcastsGallery iPhone Matters
search


Microsoft won’t shut up about iPhone

Posted October 28, 2008 9:59 AM by Chris Seibold
Categories: Microsoft 

imageYou remember what your mother told you when you were a kid: “If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, wait until they are out of the room”. Microsoft never got that message. It started with the Ballmer classic where he laughed at the iPhone before it came out. You’ve seen it, but can you see it too many times? No you can not.

Oh, Steve, man you kill me. 12 million iPhones later and that still cracks me up. Apparently Microsoft didn’t learn its lesson because Robbie Bach (if you’re over ten it should be Rob or Robert) said:

Apple had a big launch of a new product, and they launched at scale in a lot of new countries with a lot of new operators. This quarter, RIM is having its big launch, and at some point we’ll have our big launch. We’ll have to see where things normalize.

So Apple beating RIM is no big deal because Apple launched a new model in new countries. Hey, whatever makes you sleep at night but it is a huge deal. Apple has been going at it for 15 months and is taking a slice of the smartphone pie. Apple likely won’t be able to keep the pace up (of course that is what everyone said about the iPod) but that the company is even up there with the pack leaders is remarkable.

Side note: Confused about what Microsoft’s big launch is? Get in line. You’ve got the G1 that already launched (a big deal) the touch screen Blackberry (big deal) and… Well that’s it. If you know what Microsoft’s big launch is drop us a line.
via Businessweek

Permalink | Email This | Comments (5)

Comments

  1. It’s called Vista Too… ya heard it here first.

    Posted by Ricky Badger on October 28, 2008 10:50 AM

  2. “Confused about what Microsoft’s big launch is? Get in line.”

    I know this is iPhone Matters, so I can see how you would be confused.  Microsoft’s next big launch is Windows Mobile 7.  Of course, it has been delayed until late 2009 and I’m sure all of the slick stuff (eg gesture recognition) will be cut out (Windows Mobile 8 sometime in 2013?).

    Posted by Peter on October 28, 2008 12:14 PM

  3. I would think that as long as the global economy turns around, iPhones should be able to sell in quantity equal to it’s earlier pace.  It’s really not all that expensive (although the data plans are).  I would think that the iPhone could continue it’s selling pace for a couple of more years before being replaced by some newer device.

    There are rumors that mention that Apple could still lower prices and retain decent profit margins if sales slow down considerably.  If the economy hadn’t turned sour earlier in the year, Apple might have been able to sell a million or so more iPhones this past quarter.  Unfortunately, I think Apple is going to miss out on one of it’s best quarters ever this upcoming holiday season due to a shaky economy.  A real pity.

    I don’t know what MS has to combat the iPhone unless it buys RIM and calls it the Microsoft BlackBerry.  But it would have to give RIM free control of it’s devices and just supply them with unlimited funds.  That would certainly hurt iPhone sales because RIM would build about five or six different handsets of every sort (from dirt cheap to ultra expensive) with the best hardware money could buy against one model iPhone with sub-par hardware.  Apple would have a miserable time updating it’s OSX Mobile OS just to keep pace.

    Posted by Constable Odo on October 28, 2008 3:09 PM

  4. Microsoft’s big launch is a year or so away with Windows Mobile 7. In the time up until then, Android will have taken a lot of market share away, provided Android adopts Exchange support.


    @Constable Odo; “That would certainly hurt iPhone sales because RIM would build about five or six different handsets of every sort (from dirt cheap to ultra expensive) with the best hardware money could buy against one model iPhone with sub-par hardware.  Apple would have a miserable time updating it’s OSX Mobile OS just to keep pace.”

    Of course you’re assuming Apple will only ever offer one model of the iPhone and that they won’t continue to evolve the platform overtime. OS X is already a very portable OS, running on three different CPU’s; Intel x86, PowerPC, and ARM. Also running on three different products from Apple; AppleTV, Macs, and the iPhone/iPod touch. Also, Apple has a long history of rapid development; iPhone OS 3.0 may very well be out before WM7.

    You also have to remember Apple is still relatively new to the mobile space and as such is still learning as it goes.

    Posted by Michael on October 28, 2008 9:02 PM

  5. Thanks Peter!
    Odd, I had never heard of Windows mobile seven before. I guess I missed out on all the excitement. My mistake. I knew about windows 7, but windows mobile 7? not me.
    Though I must be the only one. I drove by an early vote place and people were standing in line. At first I thought they were standing in to vote but now, yeah, it is Windows 7 mobile they were waiting for.

    Posted by Chris Seibold on October 28, 2008 9:14 PM

Submit Comments

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Forums | About | Contact | Press | Privacy

©2007 sterndesign, LLC. All rights reserved. All trademarks and copyrights remain the property of their respective owners. Proudly powered by ExpressionEngine. Dedicated hosting by pMachine Hosting