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Friday, January 9, 2009
So Apple has left its heart in San Francisco with Tony Bennett singing farewell to the Keynote crowd on Apple’s behalf this year at Macworld Expo 2009. So what’s on tap for next year? Who will do the keynote? Will there even be a keynote? What is IDG, Macworld Expo presenter, going to do? Think anchor. As in one for a mall and not one that sinks a ship… Next to Apple, what company in the South Hall has the money, brand recognition, and guts to take center stage in Apple’s place? Microsoft.
Imagine it. Steve Ballmer up on stage smacking out some of its own sales figures. You know, how it sales more office productivity applications than any other company in the world? How it is number one in sales for things like mice and stuff of that nature. Want big announcements? Maybe X-Box integration with the Mac? ‘Watch X-Box Live content on your Cinema display through your Mac,’ Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, could tell the crowd. Or how ’bout, ‘Today we’re announcing Office Live for the Mac. Do all you can on Windows on your Mac. Today. For free.’ Microsoft could pull it off.
Now granted, Microsoft isn’t well known for innovation as of late, look at the Zune for an example of copy-cat failure, but it is well known, period. Putting up Ballmer, of even Gates, to speak before a crowd of emotionally injured Mac faithful could turn the tide for the Redmond-based computer company. Just the fact of Microsoft stepping in for arch rival Apple would be enough to cause the media to stomp over each other in the West Hall to get good seats for the keynote. Mac fanboi’s may hold to their code of loyalty, but there would be a lot more curious showing up to see how it all plays out in their place. Think about it, Microsoft at the All Things Mac expo. The center of the Macintosh universe…and Microsoft is right there in the middle of it all! Without a doubt, a Microsoft anchor at the 2010 Macworld would cause a flurry in the industry and best of all, for Microsoft, piss off Steve Jobs to no end. Just watch Triumph of the Nerds for a Jobs reaction to when he’s burned by Microsoft. You know, Macworld 2010 has potential…
January 9th, 2009 at 12:01
Course they will. All Apple have to do is announce the Beatles on iTunes!!!!
January 10th, 2009 at 10:25
genius.
I would pay cash money for that show!
but msft just does not have the imagination or the guts to attempt something with that scope.
msft can’t figure out that they stand to make heaps of dough when macs break through into the enterprise in the same way that they have burst into consumer space (20%).
January 10th, 2009 at 11:03
gates not ballmer!
remember that the main purposes of the $300m advert campaign:
1) the comedy bits with seinfield helped lift the public approprobrium for gates (as a convicted cyber gangster / robber baron) by humanizing him – his philanthropy is the other component of that strategy
2) the riposte by msft customers – “I’m a PC” – helped hapless msft customers feel better about themselves (after the drivjng by apple and – let’s face it – the unavoidable buyer’s remorse with windows).
3) try to re-position the windows brand so that vista 2.0 has a fighting chance when it is reaunched (windows7) after a decade of debacle.
the campaign has achived some limited success with first two objectives – to save the reputation creator and the consumer – and it had had some middling success trying to rescue the prodpects of the product.
however, a full-on embrace of the mac by gates at macworld would demonstrate by deed not by word that msft is truly trying to atone for the sins if the past.
and the cool thing is that walking into the lions’ den doesn’t require an abject apology or a contrite confession …
just a demonstrated committment to doing business.
if msft can get past its myopia and false pride, it will be suprised just how much slack people are willing to cut it … even it’s ert-while blood enemies
but half-measures will convince no-one …
eg the shift in msie8 to defaulting to W3C standards needs to be buttressed by a shift to authentic (nit paid for) ISO standards for office (ie ODF as the default format) …,
… and macworld would be a great forum to announce such a conversion on the road to Damascus!
that kind of industry-shaking announcement (along with 100% parity for apps & services between mac & windows) would a significant step along the path of msft’s rehabilitation.
January 26th, 2009 at 15:08
Wow~ I guess he knows what picture to use for next years Christmas card already. That’s a doozy.
February 10th, 2010 at 6:23
The war between apple and microsoft will never stop.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:23
Well, after the CES keynote, it’s a good thing Ballmer didn’t take my advice.