Microsoft’s Ballmer: Android phones are boring, overcomplicated

By on Oct 19, 2011 at 11:15 AM
mobile October 19, 2011

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has never been one to mince words, and the executive shared a few choice thoughts on Google’s Android platform while speaking at the Web 2.0 conference on Tuesday. “You don’t need to be a computer scientist to use a Windows Phone, but I think you do to use an Android phone,” Ballmer told Federated Media founder John Battelle during an interview on stage. He continued, “It is very hard to be excited, for me, about the Android phones.” Despite the platform’s innovative user experience and its slick UI, sales of Windows Phone handsets have not been impressive thus far. Microsoft has been hesitant to share hard numbers and partners have followed suit, but recent estimates suggest Microsoft’s share of the smartphone market may have hit a new low in the second quarter of 2011. Nokia is expected by many to be the catalyst that helps establish Windows Phone as a major player, however, and Ballmer confirmed that Nokia is set to unveil “a bunch” of new Windows Phones at Nokia World next week.

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  • http://profiles.google.com/islander1974 peter kelly

    LOL!! This is quite the swipe coming from a company whose smartphone OS’s are fighting with WebOS for last place in the smartphone market.

  • Anonymous

    Well, my 3 1/2 year old figured out how to unlock my android phone, open the app drawer, and play games.  They sure are complicated and hard to use.

  • Whatever

    Boring? Ugly? Confusing? This from the who said the iPhone would basically flop. Also recently said Android is for geeks. I just realized it was a Jock that started Microsoft. I can totally picture Balmer as this loud mouthed womanizing bafoon with the ability to just talk and wave his hands frantically and not possess any real substance.

  • Anonymous

    No shit ballmer. We have known this for sometime now douche.

  • Burramer

    This is the first time I ever heard Ballmer say something smart. Android is an outdated linux distro running on a monolithic kernel along with windows ME

  • Jonathan Morgan

    Remember in Pineapple Express when Ted calls the Chinese Mob leader to tell him he had taken his guy out but by the end of was screaming that he was coming for him with everything he had?  The lady copy says “Do you have any idea how weak you just made us look!?!?!?”

    Ballmer=Ted

  • Anonymous

    WP7 is as boring as Symbian, the OS it is replacing. Get outta here Baldmer!

  • Anonymous

    “Steve Ballmer said I was a computer scientist” is going on my resume.

  • Anonymous

    how does one invoke the task manager in Windows Mobile…??.. u know when the phone freezes and you have to kill a gazillion unknown programs that run in the background 24×7?

  • Anonymous

    Similarities between Balmer and Limbaugh anyone?

    Both are bald

    Both think shit-talking will make whatever it is they are selling, more popular.

  • Ralph

    some things on android are more complicated than on ios. but balmer shouldnt be the one to talk when windows makes everything more complicated than it has to be compared to mac osx

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/VCBEBTYM2XLKT7WBH4OWJ5QUZ4 commonsenseplease

    Um, hello…The O/S is bendable, flexible, scalable.

    And that translates into completely utterly customizable…versus a static line of icons, and…well, tiles.

    Yup, I completely see why he thinks Android is “boring”.  GTFO.

  • Dean

    Steve Ballmer must wake up every day and thank God that a moron like him could hook up with Bill Gates and Microsoft and be successful.

  • http://www.facebook.com/aedebiri Airen Edebiri

    It’s funny that he says you have to be a computer scientist. For basic functionality, everything is quite obvious on any OS. They are all designed for anybody with basic reading skills to be able to find what they want.

    On most Android launchers, near the bottom there is shortcut to the phone app, maybe a shortcut to the text messaging app, a shortcut to the contacts app, and a shortcut to the app list. From there you can open up any app you want. If you want to download more apps, you go to the Android Market.

    On Windows Phone 7, there is a shortcut to the phone app, a shortcut to the test messaging app, a shortcut to the contacts app, and a shortcut to the app list. From there you can open up any app you want. If you want to download new apps, you go to the Marketplace.

    On iOS, near the bottom, there is a shortcut to the phone app, a shortcut to the mail app, and all the other apps are right in front of you on the homescreen. If you want to download more apps, you go to the App Store.

    So, which part do I need  to be a scientist for?

  • Maliq

    So, WindowsPhones are for uncomplicated people? For retards? Or just for Mr Ballmer? If he cannot learn to use Android, why he speaks for other people? What an arrogancy.

  • Xxblazdogxx

    My cousin who is 5 can use an android phone, this guy must be freakin prehistoric.

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