In an animated discussion with Washington Post editors and reporters yesterday, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer offered his far-ranging views of upcoming changes in technology and the media. Here’s a slice:
Q. What is your outlook for the future of media?
A. In the next 10 years, the whole world of media, communications and advertising are going to be turned upside down — my opinion.
Here are the premises I have. Number one, there will be no media consumption left in 10 years that is not delivered over an IP network. There will be no newspapers, no magazines that are delivered in paper form. Everything gets delivered in an electronic form.
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“There will be no newspapers, no magazines that are delivered in paper form.” That being delivered by the CEO of a software company that only is where it is by brute force. As many programmers that they employ and R&D budgets that dwarf many small countries annual budgets and still they put out a piss poor product riddled with big gaping security holes and massive, sluggish, code base. Oh, and they missed the internet gravy train and are still trying to catch up.
It may not exist in it’s present day ubiquity, but the print industry will still be important. Time and time again, it has been proven that folks like print. They like the tactile feel of books, magazines, etc… They like to curl up in bed with a book, not a laptop or e-reader. It is a big assumption that folks are looking to technology to permeate all areas of their lives. There is still a little luddite in all of us, even though we may not acknowledge it. Also, there are still a whole lot of folks who do not choose to go online for anything. There are still a whole lot of folks who cannot afford to go online. Eat or internet access? Food will always win out for a family living below the poverty level.
well said, Fortyver. couldn’t agree more. further evidence of microsoft’s distorted reality and desperate attempt to seem visionary.