Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer addressed the masses this week in an attempt to shape new directions for the folks in Redmond. The software giant is dealing with key departures and Ballmer is intent on forging a new path for Microsoft. In an email Ballmer sent to employees this week he addressed what they are confronted with given the rise of Apple market share:
“In the competition between PCs and Macs, we outsell Apple 30-to-1. But there is no doubt that Apple is thriving. Why? Because they aregood at providing an experience that is narrow but complete, while ourcommitment to choice often comes with some compromises to theend-to-end experience. Today, we’re changing the way we work withhardware vendors to ensure that we can provide complete experienceswith absolutely no compromises. We’ll do the same with phones–providingchoice as we work to create great end-to-end experiences.”
When I saw this statement from Ballmer I immediately thought of my 90/10 rule. I have written about this rule in the past and it’s good to see that Ballmer is thinking of it now. The 90/10 rule applies not just to Apple (and Microsoft) but comes into play for all high-tech products. Consumers, and I use that term rather than users to make it clear who I am talking about, spend 90% of their time using the core 10% of a technology’s functions. That applies to phones, computers, audio players, you name it. That’s because in reality most folks do certain things every day and those rarely vary much. I use the term "consumers" because I am definitely not discussing power users of any type here. Sure we sometimes wish we could do some special function more easily no matter what technology we are using but 90% of the time we’re just doing what we normally do. This core 10% of functionality is what in large part shapes the consumer’s product experience, and this is why we often refer to Apple’s customers as "zealots" or "fanboys". The experience is much more positive with Apple’s products than with Microsoft’s, and is no doubt playing a big role in Apple’s rising market share in both the PC and smartphones categories. Apple is more narrow-minded in that respect, and Ballmer gets it.
This 90/10 rule is what Ballmer is talking about and he’s dead right. Apple usually gets that right and Microsoft doesn’t. Now, Microsoft almost always makes more sophisticated products, whether it’s Windows or Office or any other MS product. But as Ballmer says this sophistication "often comes with some compromises to the end-to-end experience". The 90/10 rule raises its ugly head, and quickly. It is great that Ballmer is openly discussing this phenomenon and I have high hopes that he can do something about it. This is not a function of fanboyism, I am not saying Apple’s products are better than Microsoft’s as they almost never are if you look at features. But the narrow out-of-box-experience (OOBE) that Apple provides, like Ballmer himself admits, is almost always better than Microsoft’s.
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