Bungled Mobile Bet Will Be Ballmer's Swan Song

[wraggster]

'If Windows 8 and the Surface tablet flop, you'll see a shareholder revolt that will send Steve Ballmer packing by this time next year (http://www.infoworld.com/d/the-industry-standard/bungled-mobile-bet-will-be-ballmers-swan-song-206623),' writes InfoWorld's Bill Snyder. 'First it was the netbook, then it was the Ultrabook. Microsoft, Intel, and the PC makers keep looking for a way to convince buyers they don't need an iPad or Android tablet. Neither initiative gained much traction, so Microsoft bet big on Windows 8 and the Surface. ... Maybe we're wrong, and buyers will decide that the new OS and the Microsoft's first serious venture into hardware are what they want. It would be a huge boost for the industry if it happens, but I'm not optimistic. ... There's been a string of bad quarters, and the stock has been frozen for nine years. At some point — I think we're getting really close — investors are going to demand a shakeup. When they do, it's going to be good-bye, Ballmer.

http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/12/11/09/1620222/bungled-mobile-bet-will-be-ballmers-swan-song