Ballmer on Macs: why pay $500 more for a logo?

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 20 Mar 2009 at 09:54

Steve Ballmer has launched a verbal volley at Macs, claiming they are overpriced and fast going out of favour.

Alluding to recent reports that Mac sales are declining, the Microsoft boss claimed consumers had grown tired of paying extra for Apple branding.

"Apple gained about one point, but now I think the tide has really turned back the other direction," Ballmer said, according to a report on TechFlash.

"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."

Apple isn't the only computer manufacturer to be suffering from sloping demand, however. A Gartner report published earlier this month claimed that PC shipments would fall by almost 12% worldwide in 2009, with desktop sales dropping by almost a third.

Apple does, of course, have other eggs in its basket. But when asked whether he owned any of the company's other products - a sneaky iPod perhaps - the Microsoft boss remained resolute.

"No, none. I don't, my sons don't, my wife doesn't," Ballmer replied, to laughter from the audience. "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."