Aaah, good ‘ol Steve Ballmer. You’ve got to love the guy. I mean, to say things like they’ll win the competitive battle against Google, “the good old-fashioned way, with innovation,” is really a tummy twister. I mean, come on Steve, when was the last time you guys really innovated anything? Windows95 was a copy of the Mac OS, X-Box a copy of Sony PlayStation, Window Mobile (CE) a copy of Palm, and — well, you get the point. The stuff that does appear original is also someone else’s innovation sold to Microsoft for a dime or two. DOS wasn’t theirs. Word wasn’t theirs. Outlook wasn’t theirs. Even the latest “cool” software from them, Microsoft Anti-Spyware, isn’t theirs (look at your process table for the true giant revelation.) But hey, let’s talk about that innovation that’s coming. Luckily Steve gives a list of some those awesome and amazing items to come such as, “Vista, Office, Windows Mobile, (Internet Explorer) IE 7.”

So let’s break this list of innovation down. Vista has dumped WinFS, the new files system that the next version of Windows was to have, along with four other major components. What Vista is left with is “glass” and “areo” interface enhancements along with tighter security. Can we all say “Windows XP Service Pack 3″ together?

Okay, what was the other one — oh ya — Office. From what I’ve seen of Office, I see a new UI and nothing much more. Those that have played with it have found little new features that would be considered “innovating”.

Then there was Windows Mobile. Well, early reports is it’s buggy as heck and for the most part, it’s still yet to be seen in the masses. Adding soft buttons and a bunch of features third-party software vendors have had out for a couple of years isn’t innovating.

The final example was IE7. Wow, that amazes me that Steve would even use that as an example of innovation since everything it has is either a security fix of IE6 or added features other browsers have had for four years (like tabbed browsing…talk to Opera on innovation, Steve.)

To sum all these wonderful items up, Steve said, “We are in the middle of the best pipeline we have ever had as a company.” What?! The best they’ve ever had? Oh man, Steve, what are you doing up there in Washington? Dude, review my above list for a take down on that comment.

Basically this is Microsoft’s problem and the reason they don’t get Google’s and Linux’s success. Instead of seeing and listening to the consumer, they continue to ram down their ideas and wax them off as gospel. They live in their wonderland and think it’s all great and dandy until a Microserf puts in his two weeks and prepares for his new job down their in Mountain View at the worlds hottest little search engine company. Instead of becoming enraged at that ex-employee, Steve, I’d put down the chair and ask one simple question, “Why?” You might be surprised by the answer. It just may be, “Because you don’t innovate.”

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