said this before on this site, Ballmer confirmed it in his statement to shareholders and now, the clues begin. In an interview he gave to the BBC today..
Steve Ballmer told the BBC: “Is it fair to say we’re going to do more hardware? Obviously we are… Where we see important opportunities to set a new standard, yeah we’ll dive in.”We’ve been getting tips galore about this for months. Some I can share and others I can’t. Hardware is coming and OEM’s have no one but themselves to blame. If they were making devices that flew off the shelves, Microsoft would have no leverage and absolutely no reason to rock the boat. Instead we have seen a lack of innovation in the areas of phones, laptops, All In Ones and more. Do you seriously expect Microsoft to sit back and have Apple kick the stuffing out of them for the next 5 years? I think not. Let’s cut the crap. Microsoft will not be making “reference devices” for OEM’s to follow. Microsoft will focus on making the highest level and quality of device that is possible. They will focus on being the Apple alternative and trying to give Apple nightmares. If other OEM’s can come along for the ride, all well and good. Those who can’t compete will die a slow and painful death. Don’t forget what they say about  what you need to do if you want to get something done right? – You do it yourself.]]>
Word!