Steve Ballmer knows that Microsoft needs a mobile miracle, and he's not afraid to say so.
"We were ahead of this game and now we find ourselves No. 5 in the market," Ballmer told
Walt Mossberg at the All Things Digital D8 conference this week. "We missed a whole cycle ... I've been quite public about the fact that I've made some changes in leadership around our Windows Phone
software."
Still, "Ballmer is certainly right that Windows is far behind competitors, notably the surging Android OS," notes
Computerworld's Preston Gralla. Worse still, "I'm not sure that Microsoft will be able
to compete effectively in mobile ... Android shows signs of becoming the dominant smartphone OS, and Apple won't be going away any time soon, either."
Ballmer even admitted that
Google's Android mobile OS has proven in the smartphone market, though he doubted whether it would have similar success on other platforms. "Not that Ballmer should be feeling too confident himself,
with Android and especially the iPhone outshining Windows [on smartphones]," writes
Mobile Beat.
As GigaOm explains, a recent management shift -- which saw Robbie Bach retire from his role as president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division -- has left Ballmer directly
responsible for the company's mobile success. "This means that win or lose, Ballmer's neck might be on the line.
What's more, mobile has emerged as a key battleground for software and
hardware makers, alike. "Perhaps the most evident sign of that shift is exemplified by Apple's market capitalization recent surpassing that of Microsoft's,"
GigOm notes.
Despite the lower profit margins, however, Ballmer remains committed to desktop PCs, notes
The Telegraph. "I think the PC as we know it will continue to
morph in form factor," Ballmer said at D8. "People are going to be using PCs in greater and greater numbers for years to come."
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