MS CEO Ballmer says ‘One iPad is more than I want to see’

Outspoken Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the Microsoft brand holds value for users, more than rival brands. He also said he is seeing more iPads in the real world than he wants to see.

Ballmer sat down with Cnet news.com's Ina Fried and he was asked about the huge selection of Windows 7 phones hitting the market this week.

“I think you clearly have a lot more variety than Apple has. There's really only one choice in the Apple world,  I think the problem, if you don't have a minimum kind of standard ….. the brand means nothing to the user. Our brand means something to the user. It means something to the developer. It implies a certain level of consistency and high quality, which I think is important for the Windows Phone.”

Fried asked him about the iPad adoption rate and he said “You certainly see more than I would like. One is more than I would like. Certainly someone who wants to sit and do an interview and take notes and scroll around, they are unlikely to find that device very comfortable. It doesn't stand up on its own. It doesn't have a big screen and keyboard.”

Ballmer has been hit hard recently as he lost half of his bonus due to the board saying his performance in the mobile sector was subpar this year. He also has been heard during an analyst meeting as saying that creating an iPad rival is Microsoft's number 1 priority. Fried pushed him on the intended release date for the Microsoft tablet.

“Like I said, you will see a set of things from our partners, essentially around the holidays, And then they will get an enhancement (next year) , which I highlighted, from Intel, which will be very valuable, as we get their next generation Oak Trail processors. It's also an important part of our road map.”

KitGuru says: Can Microsoft create a challenge to the iPad? It ain't going to be easy thats for certain.

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