This is how it's done Microsoft...

[JerseySal]

I think this will probably work out fine for Apple as a replacement for their retail operations executive, but this doesn't make any sense at all for Ballmer's replacement or anything else that MS is doing. I'm kind of lost on the "this is how it's done Microsoft" title of this thread. What part of this is MS supposed to learn from? Getting someone from the outside? I think they already know that is an option, but they also have a lot of very talented people internally that shouldn't be ignored. Beyond that, there is nothing useful in the strategy for MS. Hiring a fashion industry executive may work well for Apple because in many ways Apple is a fashion company first and a technology company second (or third...eh...forth?). MS on the other hand is unquestionably a technology company.

Personally, I would like to see another true geek like Gates in charge of MS for a while. A person like that would put a lot of emphasis on making sure all the cool little technology details were working consistently in each and every product. The marketing departments and sales groups can run themselves as long as the products themselves are good.

He's too busy poking Africans with syringes.

 

[ohgood]

Why didn't you say that in the first place? Would have just said "Yes I agree".

sorry, i'll keep it shorter next time, and more coherent. makes sense afterall.

 

[ohgood]

So you would rather see someone standing up in front of a crowd "dolled-up" in jeans and a turtleneck? Thanks but no thanks. I'll take the person will roll up their sleeves and get dirty.

jeans and a turtle neck, like jobs ? no, there was only one jobs. i wasn't implying that at all. the 'anyone but another balmer' was refering to -not- filling the slot with another corporate executive that has a golden parachute. i think i said that. or maybe thought it and redacted it.



'rolling up their sleeves' ? really ? have you ever seen the owner, ceo, cfo, or anyone in upper management actually get 'dirty' ? the monkey boy dance doesn't count, that was sweat, not dirt. they don't GET dirty, they talk a lot, and make wide sweeping phrases like "going to war!" amount to a snail fart in the real, physical world. or less.

if you still believe in people that use the phrase "rolling up their sleeves", and they don't happen to be a orthopedic surgeon, i'm sorry.



another corporate thinking suit will make another corporate move: for themselves first (the initial contract, and parachute) and worry very little about the carnage they reap on the company in the future.

what you -really-need- at microsoft is an infusion of new talent, not more 'rolling of sleeves' and gobbledy gook marketspeak. THAT is when it will turn a new.

 

[montsa007]

Considering the amount of steam this thread is generating, this image suits the thread.

Specially when you hire a fashion expert in a technology firm, wonder next phone will be made of clothes :s

 

[dkediger]

Meh - Nearest Apple or Microsoft retail stores are a 3 hour/200+ mile drive. Don't really care about the retail impressions outside of the carrier's displays.

Don't forget, the previous Apple Retail Chief was also a fashion industry "outsider."

 

[ag1986]

So you would rather see someone standing up in front of a crowd "dolled-up" in jeans and a turtleneck? Thanks but no thanks. I'll take the person will roll up their sleeves and get dirty.

WTF? Do you even try to research your statements before making them?

I'm no iFan myself, but Jobs was one of the MOST hands-on CEOs out there, to the extent that there are several high-level engineers and PMs who quit because of his interfering.

He got involved with EVERYTHING. The colours and designs for the icons. The default wallpapers and sounds. The depth of travel on Apple keyboards. The exact level of transparency on the display glass. Tactile feeling of hundreds of alloys for the iPhone/iPad casings. The exact degree of curvature for the 4 & 4S.

The guy was an obsessive-compulsive maniac, especially after the ONE project that he did not personally review and approve, failed i.e. MobileMe. I understand his defects, but please don't detract from the man's hard work.

 

[Cleavitt76]

He's too busy poking Africans with syringes.

I know Bill Gates isn't coming back to run MS. I'm just saying someone with that sort of background. In other words someone that has actually worked on technology at some point in their career. A developer, an engineer, or similar. Not just some generic no-it-all suit picked up from any random company that happens to be successful. A successful leader in one industry does not make for a successful leader in technology.

 

[Keith Wallace]

Learn Microsoft...instead of recycling old talent, get some fresh faces on board and start from Square 1...

You mean like maybe purchasing Skype and Nokia's hardware division for about $15 billion, putting yourself into two new markets, and having both companies end up with their respective CEOs as the potential replacement for Steve Ballmer?

"She has been credited with helping to turn the brand into a globally recognised name."

I actually had to go and look up what the heck Burberry is, and it's a British clothing store? We're really using THIS as an example of what Microsoft needs to do?

 

[gsquared]

You mean like maybe purchasing Skype and Nokia's hardware division for about $15 billion, putting yourself into two new markets, and having both companies end up with their respective CEOs as the potential replacement for Steve Ballmer?

"She has been credited with helping to turn the brand into a globally recognised name."

I actually had to go and look up what the heck Burberry is, and it's a British clothing store? We're really using THIS as an example of what Microsoft needs to do?

I had to do the same. Maybe the ladies know who Burberry is off the top of their head.

 

[rex.reyesiii]

I know Bill Gates isn't coming back to run MS. I'm just saying someone with that sort of background. In other words someone that has actually worked on technology at some point in their career. A developer, an engineer, or similar. Not just some generic no-it-all suit picked up from any random company that happens to be successful. A successful leader in one industry does not make for a successful leader in technology.

If the guy who wrote this article is correct. Then I'm all for Mullaly of Ford Cars.

 

[wpn00b]

If the guy who wrote this article is correct. Then I'm all for Mullaly of Ford Cars.

I saw this speculated on then denied within a couple of days but for just a moment I thought...wow! I've been a Ford fan for years and saw what he did. Even when people wrote them off and said they had nothing left in the tank, so-to-speak, they cut costs, refreshed a few designs and used Ford of Europe as a testing ground and then exploded in the US with proven designs. Now that I think about it, the way Ford let the old design Focus stay around in the States with a minor refresh while they built the new platforms and shared parts with their partners bought them time to get it right before they brought it back home, reminds me of what MS is doing now. Anyways, Alan Mulally turned around a dying brand and could potentially work wonders with all the puzzle pieces Microsoft has left lying around. The company has everything they need to be a modern rather than just a historical success. I really hope that they bring someone in that still wants to make a real, lasting impact...not a few "get rich quick" quarters and then crash and burn. The golden parachute scenario mentioned earlier in the thread is likely what most of these potentials will be after.

 

[anony_mouse]

MS should get Rupert Murdoch in.

 

[X0LARIUM]

You mean like maybe purchasing Skype and Nokia's hardware division for about $15 billion, putting yourself into two new markets, and having both companies end up with their respective CEOs as the potential replacement for Steve Ballmer?

"She has been credited with helping to turn the brand into a globally recognised name."

I actually had to go and look up what the heck Burberry is, and it's a British clothing store? We're really using THIS as an example of what Microsoft needs to do?

You just don't get it do you? I will make it pretty simple for you. I was into advertising for a good 5+ years. You know what sells your product? Publicity. Good or bad, is subjective. But the fact that I KNOW your product exists, and that it has all I want, is enough for me to pull the trigger. Now, coming to the article. Apple needs to grab eye-balls. That's what's it been from the very start. It looks beautiful. Otherwise, what's the difference between an iMac and a desktop by Windows? Nothing. They both do the same thing. Exact same thing, give a couple of things here or there. But in the end, at the core, they are the same.
So why do people still pick an iMac over a desktop? Looks. They look pretty. This is exactly what Apple will be doing with her. They will make her design stores that look aesthetically pretty to LURE customers, something our MS team needs to take a page out of Apple's books yet.

It's all about how your product looks in that little shelf in the shop that counts for a lot of regular masses even today. And this WILL boost their sales. Tim Cook may know nothing about design, but he surely knows a lot about business.

 

[zicoz]

Isn't Burberry clothing company that has changed the least throughout time? I guess that could be a good match for Apple.

 

[X0LARIUM]

Isn't Burberry clothing company that has changed the least throughout time? I guess that could be a good match for Apple.

Hah! That's EXACTLY why she's at Apple now.. :

 

[jmshub]

I'm just not sure how hiring an executive from a company I never heard of makes Apple a significantly more powerful force to be reckoned with. Even if she were the right choice at Apple, it doesn't mean that someone like her would be useful to Microsoft.

 

[X0LARIUM]

I'm just not sure how hiring an executive from a company I never heard of makes Apple a significantly more powerful force to be reckoned with. Even if she were the right choice at Apple, it doesn't mean that someone like her would be useful to Microsoft.

nope..I never said that..I said, this is HOW it is done...this is what they need to do ..I am not saying copy the actions, I am saying do something so you will have the same reaction...SELLING MORE UNITS DAMNIT!!

That's all.....