Filed under: News, Windows, Microsoft
Microsoft's Ballmer expects Windows 7 effect on new system sales to be "not huge"
by Jason Clarke Oct 11th 2009 at 4:00PM
Microsoft's Steve Ballmer is not known for a lack of enthusiasm or hyperbole. It's surprising, then, to see him downplaying the expected effect of Windows 7's release on new system sales. Reuters quoted Ballmer on Wednesday at a news conference in Munich as saying "There will be a surge of PCs but it will probably not be huge." Certainly this is not a doom and gloom statement, but considering the source it's also not the inflated PR-speak that we've come to expect.
Does this mark a new approach for Ballmer? Are the days of the monkey-boy dance, or the developers, developers, developers chant gone? Or will Steve return to his shilling ways soon enough? Only time will tell.
A video of Ballmer selling Windows 1.0 like it's a used car is embedded after the break.
[via X-bit labs]
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Let's start with the premise itself: Groundhog Day meets Memento. The game experience revolves around 'days': you explore the world and the clock slowly ticks towards the evening. You bounce around picking up gems and talking to the denizens of 'Level Upland'. Eventually you feel tired and head back to ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dark Morford said 4:24PM on 10-11-2009
What does he have against Nebraska?
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camtheguitarist1 said 5:12PM on 10-11-2009
"A video of Ballmer selling Windows 1.0 like it's a used car is embedded after the break"
No it's not.
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Brian said 5:40PM on 10-11-2009
I would rather see a matured Balmer at the helm of MS than the cheerleader Balmer.
He must be more intelligent than the public gives him credit for... Windows was no NeXT.
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bill cant fart said 5:49PM on 10-11-2009
Not to be a weenie, but the video is before the break...
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Jon said 7:14PM on 10-11-2009
I think he will let Win 7 Speak for itself ...
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kojo87 said 7:55PM on 10-11-2009
probably a smart move. the "speak softly and carry a big stick" approach prevents you from looking like a jackass. and Windows 7 seems to be one hell of a big stick.
Jordan said 8:38PM on 10-11-2009
Yeah, they learned. Remember, "the wow starts now" campaign they ran for Vista? It hurt in the end.
phobic99 said 10:08PM on 10-11-2009
Well the "wow" did start for Vista just not the way MS intended.
Andrew Pollack said 10:14PM on 10-11-2009
The thing is, from the brief work I've done with it so far -- it looks solid and it looks like something end users will really like. I think a lot of people are underestimating the repressing effect of Vista. There may be a larger number of consumers who haven't wanted to buy a new machine because they've heard bad things about Vista than anyone realizes.
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Apfelgluck said 4:19AM on 10-12-2009
Perhaps one thing Ballmer has learned from Google is a sleeker communication behaviorism. Less enthusiast less sincere less spontaneous, but radically more efficient to the extend of hypocrisy implied. It's not that Google is more intelligent but rather that they are smarter in terms of seduction, like "follow me if you want, as you like it, I don't care". It works!
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