Ballmer: A tidal wave of idiocracy
John Gruber posted this on his blog and I just had to comment. It seems that Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s ever so talented CEO, has stuck his foot in his mouth once again:
“Apple gained about one point, but now I think the tide has really turned back the other direction,” Ballmer said, via webcast. “The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment — same piece of hardware — paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that’s a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be.”
Wait a minute. Hold on. So, what Steve is trying to say is that the typical Apple computer is $500 more than what everyone else is charging for a similar PC? Really? Last time I checked, a PC with the same processor, same amount of memory, same amount of hard drive space, similar video card, and such was within $100 of what Apple was charging. Simply put, Apple sells premium computers with premium parts; not cheap ass sub $1,000 crap computers. Granted, you can get a Mac Mini for under $700 and a MacBook for $999 but, even then, they’re still great computers and you get what you pay for and then some.
Plus, what Ballmer fails to realize is that you’re not just paying for a name. People don’t buy an Apple computer and/or pay more just because it has a pretty logo on it. An Apple computer is more than just a computer and an operating system. It’s about providing a seamless experience between the hardware and software. Without the OS, an Apple computer isn’t an Apple computer anymore. Same applies to putting the Mac OS on hardware that is different than what Apple sells. It’s the combination of the two that distinguishes an Apple computer from a PC.
Figure it that your average computer buyer only upgrades a computer about once every three to five years or so. Regardless of the economy, people want their dollar to stretch. Would you pay $700 for a PC that will last you maybe three years? Or would you pay $1,200 for a computer that you know will last you five years or longer? People buy Apple computer simply because they are of higher quality and simply last longer.
Ballmer just doesn’t get it. If he actually used an Apple computer for three months without touching a PC then maybe he would understand. I think this quote says it all though:
“You’re talking to a guy, though, whose dad worked for Ford, and once Ford sold Land Rover and Jaguar, we’re selling the cars to get Fords, so you may have a weird outlier in me.”
Yeah, because Jaquar is so anti-American, right? Why would it matter who owns the Land Rover line if they’re still manufacturing a quality product? Has Ballmer even driven a Jaguar? Hell, I’m a big VW guy and it doesn’t bother me at all that Porsche has a controlling share of both VW and Audi. If a company is highly innovative and producing a quality product, who cares who owns them?
While price matters, quality also matters. If you’re not producing a quality product, it doesn’t matter how cheap it is people simply won’t buy it. I don’t know about Ballmer, but I’m more than willing to spend a little more if it means getting something I’ll be more satisfied with in the long run. A quality product is a quality product, even in a bad economy.
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