Ballmer on iPhone Marketshare

USA Today interviewed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer about his thoughts on the iPhone. While Ballmer gives credit to Apple's early move into the music arena, he doubts the iPhone will gain any significant marketshare:

Now we'll get a chance to go through this again in phones and music players. There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance. It's a $500 subsidized item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I'd prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get.

(Note that Ballmer assumes that the $500 iPhone is subsidized, but there has been speculation and rumor that this is not the case.)

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

0098386 Avatar
210 months ago
So Microsoft thinks it is Symbian all of a sudden.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tadunne Avatar
210 months ago
Great we now have the Ballmer blessing, nothing can stop us now!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Glenny2lappies Avatar
210 months ago
Won't get any market share...

Balmer's talking out of his hat! Typical of the sort of things "he would say".

Whether we like it or not (thinking delays to Leopard, etc.) it's going to be massive.

Hopefully Balmer will eat that hat.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GanleyBurger Avatar
210 months ago
Here he is...

.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jwa276 Avatar
210 months ago
Wasn't the iPod "destined to eventually fail" as well? :rolleyes:
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chris.niziolek Avatar
210 months ago
It figures that a Microsoft CEO would say that.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

gradiente iphone white

Brazilian Electronics Company Revives Long-Running iPhone Trademark Dispute

Tuesday May 19, 2020 1:06 pm PDT by
Apple has been involved in a long-running iPhone trademark dispute in Brazil, which was revived today by IGB Electronica, a Brazilian consumer electronics company that originally registered the "iPhone" name in 2000. IGB Electronica fought a multi-year battle with Apple in an attempt to get exclusive rights to the "iPhone" trademark, but ultimately lost, and now the case has been brought to...