If design is at the core of Apple’s competence, there is no reason why Jonathan Ive can’t take over for Steve Jobs in that capacity. That is, if Steve is forced to go.
Archive for January 14th, 2007
Merc interview with MSN head
January 14, 2007Merc interviews former Ask CEO Steve Berkowitz who now heads Microsoft’s online business group:
Q Why did you join Microsoft? In what areas did you think you could make a difference?
A I loved what I was doing at Ask but there was just a fundamental limitation to what I would be able to accomplish there in terms of my ability to influence the industry as a whole.
People know Ask, I am Mr. Ask, so people will start using MSN instead of Ask since I am here.
Q How do you see Microsoft turning around?
A The first thing is we start to move from an inside-out company to an outside-in company
Outside-in is better than right-side up or left-side down and all three are better than inside-in.
Q Why do you say that the best technology is not going to win?
A YouTube is a great example. YouTube is not the best technology. MySpace is not the best technology. They are adequate technologies.
Another example: Windows.
Q Where does Virtual Earth fit in?
A I think it’s just the beginning of this idea that graphics are going to be an important part in how you navigate the Web. We are going to have to move from a text-based version of looking at things to a more graphical way of looking at things.
We have no idea.
Q What do you think of the Elastic Compute Cloud, Amazon’s offer to provide low-cost computing on demand?
A The key for Microsoft to be successful is we have to be able to offer people a similar set of experiences wherever they go and on whatever device they use.
But, first, we have to get that OS thing right.
Q It sounds like you are going in a similar direction?
A We are investing heavily in data centers. We are investing heavily in storage.
We will use our monopoly to make sure we crush whatever is out there.
Q What are your immediate priorities?
A From a very tactical level, it is to increase the engagement of the MSN user with all the services we provide. I call it “stop people from leaving” by creating a much better experience for them.
No. 2 is to develop a Live services strategy that people can understand, to separate out what we call the live services platform from the live experience itself
We will offer people $$ to use us. #2 is trying to understand what the hell I am talking about.
Q What will Windows Live look like to a consumer in five years?
A It should be the entry point for people to enter the world of information in the cloud and on your device. If we’ve done it right, it will be the place where your social network is at. It will be the place where you go to search. It will be the place where you store your information. It will be your home. It gives you an opportunity to have a single destination that is much more broadly understood as the way you enter the world on the Web.
Google simple search page does only one thing: search. We aim to complicate, because people love bloat and if it’s one thing we know, it’s bloat.
