Is Ballmer delusional? Calls Android 'cheap,' doomed

This is the direct quote of Ballmer from the original article referenced here:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/19/ballmer_disses_andro...

“The biggest advantage we have over Android is that you don’t need to be a computer scientist to use a Windows Phone,” he said. “But the cheapest phones will be Android, and we are going to have to look at bringing the cost of our handsets down.”

If you actually try to comprehend that 2nd part, Ballmer is clearly saying the lowest COST phones will be Andriod, probably because it's cheaper to develop on (almost free) and has lower hardware requirements (almost none), and Microsoft needs to decrease the COST of WP7 hardware to compete in the low end market.

This has NOTHING to do with the quality of Andriod, which is what the author is implying here with the title "Calls Andriod 'cheap'".

Outside of the handful of people dogmatically committed to open software (whatever that may be), practically nobody actually loves Android.

It's simply a cost effective alternative to iOS. However, Microsoft's patent portfolio has raised its cost and Google's lack of B2B orientation and "if it's on the web, it's in the public domain" approach to IP create an uncertain roadmap for manufacturers and the rest of the industry.

And Google's weaknesses are exactly Microsoft's strengths. Throw in the perception of potential conflicts surrounding Google's purchase of Motorola's mobile division and the preferential release of Honeycomb, and WP7 becomes even more favorably positioned among phone manufacturers.

Microsoft appears to have a coherent long term strategy - my mother will probably buy the phone that works like her computer - the one likely to have a Metro UI in the not too distant future.

Despite spin to the contrary, consumers overwhelmingly vote with their wallets when it comes to Microsoft products and manufacturer's tend to prefer supply chain partners willing to understand their needs rather than being left to their own devices and guessing at the development roadmap.

I do think that if Nokia can get our a great WP7 phone soon, I believe it'll be a top 3 phone.

You do not get to grab additional resources within an organization by talking up the competition, especially when the competition is in a market-dominating position relative to your own division. You get resources by trash-talking them and promising to topple them with just one more push.

So my gut feeling is that Ballmer is not delusional; he's just being fed an unrealistic line by his subordinates, and doesn't have either the time to second guess them himself or the sense of urgency necessary to set up an independent business intelligent unit to give him the necessary no-bullshit sanity check (to learn if his generals are reporting their victories on the battlefield accurately ... or not).

In other words: he's more likely being actively misled by others than personally delusional.

Ballmer: iPhone has 'no chance' http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/04/30/ballmer.on.iph...

No, this is intentional and something he has always done. He plays up Microsoft's products while downplaying all competitors.