Steve Ballmer quizzed about Windows Mobile

Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer got quizzed about Windows Mobile during a shareholder meeting this morning:

QUESTION: Just a really short question. I’m a rather new shareholder and I would like to know why Microsoft can’t beat, together with Nokia, Apple iPhone, and Google’s Android. What are you going to do about it?

STEVE BALLMER: Very good question. Small and important fact, we have greater market share than Google’s Android. I remain dedicated to keeping higher market share. We actually have quite a bit higher market share than Google’s Android. It’s a brand new product. Of the smart phone market, which is the way these things are normally would normally be computed, we’d be 10 to 12 percent, Google would be 3 percent, Apple would be about 20 percent or so, Blackberry would be about 25 percent, Nokia would be some place around 45 percent, Just to give relevant share.

Certainly, our objective is to have the leading position amongst these players in the long term. It’s a competitive game. We have just recently launched the new generation of Windows phones with new software. We’re going to keep investing. I think we have a lot of opportunity to improve our products, and our market position. I think we’re early in the game.

I think we’re on the right strategy, which is to focus in on the software that goes into phones, as opposed to building phones. I think that will allow us to offer a diversity of Windows phones, just as there’s a diversity of Windows PCs, which is superior to anything you’d see from RIM with the Blackberry, or with Apple. We hope to, over time, see what we can do with Nokia. We have a limited partnership with them to start, where we’re working together on Office Mobility. We spend a lot of time with them very much focused in on that aspect, but not at the Windows level. So, there’s more work to do there.

Undoubtedly, we’ve got our work cut out for us. We’re very focused. We’ve really injected a ton of additional talented Microsoft employees, very good thinkers, very good innovators into that area. And we’ve got our heads down to do our best.

The answer he gave is similar to what he has been saying the past weeks/months, see here & here. Reorganisation has taken place in the Mobile Communication Business division and everybody is now focused on delivering a good OS.

You can listen to the whole webcast here

Source: Microsoft via TechFlash