Microsoft Goes Head-to-Head With IBM 274
conq writes "BusinessWeek has a piece on Microsoft's latest announcements that it is going after large-business computing, a realm that IBM currently has a stronghold on." From the article: "In both cases, the company has fashioned 'enterprise' versions of the products with additional security and collaboration-enabling features for sale to large businesses. Microsoft has spent $20 billion over the past three years on these upgrades, and Ballmer says it will spend $500 million over the next year marketing them to corporations. 'We're unlocking the next wave of growth for Microsoft,' Ballmer predicted during a press conference after his speech." We've previously discussed Microsoft's plans for IBM.
But... (Score:5, Funny)
When Microsoft Goes Head-to-Head With IBM, (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I should have gone into advertising... (Score:5, Funny)
But yes, with your keen eye to detail you should have gone into advertising. Not so much an emphasis on things like 'facts' in that industry.
GWB should hire Microsoft ... (Score:5, Funny)
They have a Google killer.
They have a Java killer.
They have an IBM killer.
Microsoft has a killer for everything!
Dubya should hire Microsoft to develop a terrorist killer! War on Terror would be victorious!
Re:I should have gone into advertising... (Score:3, Funny)
Microsoft's Result (Score:5, Funny)
Please wait for your airline reservation while critical update download completes.
"We're gonna fuckin' kill IBM!" (Score:2, Funny)
And I'll even sell it to you for only $100 Million.
(That's less than your current yearly office furniture budget...)
Innovation (Score:5, Funny)
Oooh, they implemented OLE in Outlook! How 1995 of them.
Re:But... (Score:5, Funny)
Oh my.... (Score:2, Funny)
Ballmer's Homer (Score:2, Funny)
The only difference was that a chair was thrown towards the center of the press conference.
The Akira model (Score:4, Funny)
Microsoft getting bigger? I only have one word for that:
Tetsuooooooooo!
Re:I should have gone into advertising... (Score:4, Funny)
Is that the sequel to Million Dollar Baby?
Pumping the stock (Score:1, Funny)
Microsoft still doesn't get it (Score:4, Funny)
Could this just be a $500M ploy to make people think they aren't paying attention?
Blah blah blah, heard it all before (Score:5, Funny)
Re:GWB should hire Microsoft ... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:But... (Score:5, Funny)
CEO: That's the 3rd reboot this week ... (Score:2, Funny)
IT Guy: Because that's how you fix most Windows problems! You wouldn't want me to reinstall or rebuild, would you?
Never get involved in a land war in Asia (Score:3, Funny)
In related news ... (Score:4, Funny)
"When I woke up this morning and saw my kid's pony's severed head in bed next to me, I just knew it was Balmer. When I went down for breakfast and found all my coffee dumped on the floor, I knew he meant business."
At least he didn't threaten with chairs and profanity.
Seriously, after IBM exited the desktop PC hardware business, any usefulness they had to Microsoft vanished, and they became just another competitor -- one with considerable corporate influence and a bigger source of Java legitimacy in the corporate world than Sun (who is on a short leash to Microsoft in any event), AND the biggest legitimizer of Linux for corporate use around.
The miracle is that Balmer wasn't throwing chairs and spewing profanities during the interview.
Re:GWB should hire Microsoft ... (Score:2, Funny)
They have a Google killer.
They have a Java killer.
They have an IBM killer.
Microsoft has a killer for everything!"
Especially computers!