What is Digg?284 Comments
- inactive, on 06/06/2008, -7/+110This article just once again shows that Steve Ballmer is an insane, naive man. All print dead in 10 years? Please.
- soowanbag, on 06/06/2008, -8/+110He also predicted that the iPhone wouldn't be a success.
- orlyfactor, on 06/06/2008, -6/+77That's funny, I was just predicting the death of fat-ass Balmer in 10 years, too.
- Filmore, on 06/06/2008, -5/+73Ever tried to read lots of print on a screen? Print media is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
- lunyboy, on 06/06/2008, -17/+80I wouldn't let this jackass host a bar-b-que, let alone run my company.
Microsoft is a Sell people. - inactive, on 11/13/2008, -1/+41And we'll replace toilet paper with 3 sea shells
- zerhynn, on 06/06/2008, -8/+44Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers.
- Amazetbm, on 06/06/2008, -4/+38Not gonna happen. We've been hearing that prediction for over two decades.
- ruest, on 06/06/2008, -5/+37Ballmer is a jackass
- bluechips23, on 06/06/2008, -12/+40He is the John McCain of the Microsoft. He has absolutely no idea what he is talking about 95% of the time. Didn't he say that iPhone will be a disaster? May be he needs to define his meaning of "disaster".
- Ryan0617, on 06/06/2008, -2/+28I predict the end of MS in 10years!
- mbauer14, on 06/06/2008, -4/+26While the print medium is surely declining, reading something online, on a computer screen, can not match the satisfaction of reading a printed magazine or newspaper.
- rwallen, on 06/05/2008, -3/+25While we have all heard this before the print medium is in a fast decline. I haven't purchased a newspaper or magazine in a couple of years, but I print a lot of stuff at work for media purposes.
- Kyrgizion, on 06/06/2008, -2/+22I do believe traditional "print" will go away... but not in 10 years. And it won't disappear, either. Instead it will evolve. There's this promising new technology called OLED which supposedly lets you "print" high quality screens on any surface, including foldables. THAT is where I think our traditional print media are headed. But it'll be decades before they are nothing more than a chapter in the history books.
Eventually it will be a lot cheaper, easier, faster and better for the environment. - EEdesigner, on 06/06/2008, -4/+22Almost makes sense, but since Balmer has said it, and given his almost 100% record of being wrong, I guess print will be around for awhile. Were I Balmer, I'd be worrying about Microsoft being around in 10 years.
- rodrigo74, on 06/06/2008, -0/+17..which could mean anything.
- timxpx, on 06/06/2008, -3/+19He really doesn't know what he's talking about.
I bet Ballmer, like so many other people, still tucks a magazine or newspaper under his arm when he goes to make #2 in the potty.
It's not going away for that reason alone. - bosssmiley, on 06/06/2008, -2/+16I'm still waiting for the paperless office we were promised a generation ago now.
*peers out at Digg over mounds of files* - eldinb, on 08/09/2008, -1/+14Ballmer is a douche bag
- jayscot, on 06/06/2008, -2/+15Ballmer still can't figure this whole mobile internets thing out.
- DangerMouse9, on 06/06/2008, -2/+15Just because you haven't purchased any magazines or newspapers in a couple of years does not mean most haven't. The print medium will not be going away in your lifetime, and if you have kids it won't be going away in their lifetime either.
- shakin, on 06/06/2008, -0/+11They are both idiots. Jobs happens to be a more aggressive idiot who tries more things. He fails a lot, but has enough successes to make himself look good. Failing is what successful people do best.
Balmer doesn't really succeed at anything because he doesn't take chances. Microsoft just plays it safe year after year. - JQP123, on 06/06/2008, -2/+13"Didn't he say that iPhone will be a disaster?"
I think what he said was that the iPhone had "no chance" to grab a significant portion of the market --- considering it was a $500 product. Apparently, Apple agreed and quickly slashed the price. - kalte, on 06/06/2008, -1/+12The older I get (only 32 now, but that's old enough for my point), the harder it is for me to stare at text on a screen. I used to code for 10+ hours a day and be right as rain, but now I print out articles I want to read, and take frequent "eye breaks" (read: Wii Sports). I enjoy newspapers and have two magazine subscriptions, and I agree with many of the commenters: print will be around for a long time.
- lolinyerface, on 06/06/2008, -2/+12That's cute. I recall someone else making a similar prediction 10 years ago.
- ayeroxor, on 06/06/2008, -3/+13Whoop-dee-*****. Ballmer has joined a long list of people that are so full of themselves they think they can predict the future. This comes from the same company that brought you "640k is enough for anyone"
- WomensUnderwear, on 06/06/2008, -5/+14I think he was referring to his hair
- RdOntheRun, on 06/06/2008, -4/+13Ballmer is an idiot and his stupidity is greatly illustrated by the Vista roll out. In 10 years things will probably be the way they are now, print media being offered on the internet as well. Print material just makes more sense in plenty of cases to no longer be available. And the fact that he's confused by Google's move into the mobile phone market shows this guys lack of fore sight.
- jf76, on 06/06/2008, -0/+9I predict Ballmer uses Linux in 10 years. What an ass. I wouldn't let this guy clean my toilets.
- dacunni1, on 06/06/2008, -1/+10Magazines aren't going anywhere.... You can't sell People Magazine online... You sell it to soccer moms at the cash register.
- JSatt, on 06/06/2008, -1/+10I think he defines disaster as "the opposite of the Vista launch"
- Wornstrom, on 06/06/2008, -0/+9yeah I call BS on Ballmer... nothing beats a good book. What with the whole putting all you eggs in one digital basket and waiting for a huge solar flare to come and wipe out all current knowledge.
- fuzzlog, on 06/06/2008, -0/+9With the advances of OLED technology, I could see the news prints being taken over by thin flexible, foldable devices on which you can download e-magazine or e-news or e-books or e-anything. But I don't see paper leaving for good, try convincing a serious reader to give up good old books
- kahrn, on 06/06/2008, -1/+9Bill Gates never said that. It was a rumour that escalated out of meaningful proportion and people believed it because it's what they wanted to believe.
- zippy757, on 06/06/2008, -4/+12Idiot....correction... rich idiot.......
- samoscratch, on 06/06/2008, -1/+9If there is any doubt that Ballmer is insane just watch the video
- KibibyteBrain, on 06/06/2008, -1/+8R&D engineers in many fields have to do almost everything in print or even writing for legal purposes. It sucks.
Also, I think Ballmer underestimates the power of old people. There are lots of old people in the world, they seem to do a great deal of reading, and few of them I know would ever want to switch from print. - Wakuko, on 06/06/2008, -0/+7Ballmer is a ***** retard.
Tell him to come open my mailbox everyday to see all the garbage I get.
MORAN! - secrity, on 06/06/2008, -0/+7And no DRM
- inactive, on 06/06/2008, -3/+10If you are sitting on the toilet long enough to read you should probably eat the newspaper rather than read it. You're seriously lacking fiber in your diet.
- skidooer, on 06/06/2008, -0/+7You mean other than holding software advancement back decades?
- warlokaz2004, on 06/06/2008, -1/+8I'm tempted to agree on SOME Print media -- traditional newspapers will have to radically change since things ranging from craigslist to online news sites are co-opting their 'nice' , and magazines will have to consolidate to be relevant -- but books? I think books will never go out of style...people need to travel on planes and read something, people need to be able to have something they can reference while on the road, away from 'signal', people want to read something that won't flash a 'low battery' sign while they are at the beach. Mind you, for 'practical' uses, books can be replaced by E-Books -- no need to have a library filled with books on Tax law when a single E-Book can suffice -- and imagine the savings to a college student if he can get his textbooks in the form of a free 'download' every semester -- but books as a leisure activity? Folk will still want something you can hold, bookmark, write in, and pass on the friends, vs data.
- skidooer, on 06/06/2008, -0/+7How can he be confused about that? I thought it was obvious to everyone that mobile searching is the next logical progression in both the mobile and search markets.
No wonder everything Microsoft produces seems out of line with what people really want. - inactive, on 06/06/2008, -1/+8Longer than that. When radio first came around, everyone said print was dead.
When Americans were putting TVs in their living rooms, people said newspapers would disappear.
Now we have the internet, and the same stupid people telling us that in a few years no one will even think of reading words on a piece of paper. - zadadka, on 06/06/2008, -0/+7Good to see the man at the top of one the most influential business empires on the globe has his finger on the pulse.
Does he also include workplace printing in his "vision"?
"Pffft" either way.
Sorry, I was clearly in error in my first sentence, as that finger of his I mentioned, is firmly jammed elsewhere. - DanMiller, on 06/06/2008, -0/+7I'm with you on everything but the free textbook downloads for students. It won't matter if it's physical or electronice, those jerks at the publishing house will gouge you $100 for your Bio book no matter the form.
- Yodacola, on 06/06/2008, -0/+7Source: http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management ...
Q: People get passionate when Apple comes out with something new — the iPhone; of course, the iPod. Is that something that you'd want them to feel about Microsoft?
A: It's sort of a funny question. Would I trade 96% of the market for 4% of the market? (Laughter.) I want to have products that appeal to everybody.
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.
In the case of music, Apple got out early. They were the first to really recognize that you couldn't just think about the device and all the pieces separately. Bravo. Credit that to Steve (Jobs) and Apple. They did a nice job.
But it's not like we're at the end of the line of innovation that's going to come in the way people listen to music, watch videos, etc. I'll bet our ads will be less edgy. But my 85-year-old uncle probably will never own an iPod, and I hope we'll get him to own a Zune. - inactive, on 06/06/2008, -0/+6I heard computers were going to get rid of all paper back in the 80s. Now they just print 10X more paper. Perhaps they need to get rid of dumb old Ballmer. But energy costs may cause high prices to deliver newspapers and lets face it....thay aren't much worth it at todays cost as old news anyway.
- ttam, on 06/06/2008, -0/+6 I predict the death of microsoft in 10 years
- JAFFA, on 06/06/2008, -0/+6In the UK book sales are up. And there has been a steady climb for a number of years. Newspaper/magazine delivery will probably migrate to an electronic delivery method. But Ballmers comments about ALL print media is stunningly out of touch with the industry he's referring to.
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