Tag: Ballmer

“Declaring that Microsoft and its partners had in the past “ceded some of the boundary between hardware and software innovation” to Apple, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told CRN on Monday that the company’s Surface tablet marks a new era in which the computer software giant will leave no “stone unturned” in its innovation battle against Apple.

“We are trying to make absolutely clear we are not going to leave any space uncovered to Apple,” said an exuberant Ballmer in a 30-minute interview after addressing some 16,000 partners at the company’s annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto. “We are not. No space uncovered that is Apple’s.

“But we are not going to let any piece of this [go uncontested to Apple],” shouted Ballmer. “Not the consumer cloud. Not hardware software innovation. We are not leaving any of that to Apple by itself. Not going to happen. Not on our watch.”

Who’s On Watch and Exactly What are They Watching?

Now if one were a cynic, one might well ask Ballmer: “If Microsoft is not ceding anything to Apple on your watch, then who exactly has been on watch for the past dozen years?” But let’s not go there.

Instead, let’s focus on the rest of Ballmer’s statement because, in my opinion, it epitomizes exactly why Microsoft has been struggling of late.

Eyes Not On The Prize

Do you think, for even one-second, that the executives at Apple ever sit around and talk about not leaving “any space uncovered to Microsoft?” Of course not. That would be counter-productive. Apple spends its time implementing its strategy and doing what it does best, not “covering” what its competitors do best.

Chasing, Not Leading

Trying to “cover” what Apple is doing is not new behavior for Microsoft. Over the past ten years, Microsoft has followed the same strategy of not leaving anything Apple does uncovered by attacking the iPod with the Zune, attacking the iPhone with Windows Phone 7 and now, attacking the iPad with the Surface. The results, so far, have not been encouraging. The Zune was officially discontinued this year. Come to think of it, Windows Phone 7 was officially discontinued this year too. That only leaves the Surface and, while it may hit the ground running in October, it’s already ceded a two and a half year lead to Apple’s iPad. And that’s too long.

Play to Your Strengths, Not to the Strengths of Your Competitors

The problem, as I see it, is that while Apple is forging ahead on the path that they’ve mapped out for themselves, Microsoft is following Apple around and playing catch up. Instead of acting on their strengths, they’re reacting to their weaknesses.

Further, instead of creating new and innovative devices of their own, Microsoft is playing a game of one-up. They see what Apple has done, they study it, they come up with a differentiated product – perhaps even an arguably better product, and then–two years later–they bring their one-up product to market and declare themselves the victor. Only thing is, by the time they bring their product to market, Apple and the market have already moved on.

Microsoft needs to stop trying to one-up the competition. Apple didn’t one-up the competition with the iPod–they re-invented the MP3 market. Apple didn’t one-up the competition with the iPhone–they re-invented pocketable computing. Apple didn’t one-up the competition with the iPad–they created a whole new category of computing.

A Word of Advice

Microsoft, a word of advice: If you’re so insistent on doing Apple one better, maybe Apple’s attitude toward their competition is just the kind of strategic advantage that you should be adopting and improving upon. Stop worrying about what Apple is doing on your watch. In fact, stop watching Apple altogether. It seems to me that you’ve been watching Apple far too long and far too much already.

Instead…

• Stop focusing on doing the competition one better and focus, instead, on doing what you do best.
• Stop focusing on not leaving anything uncontested and focus, instead, on only entering those contests that you’re best suited for.
• Stop focusing on what you’re going to do TO the competition and start focusing, instead, on what you’re going to do FOR us, your customers.
• Stop chasing the competition and, instead, start chasing your dreams.