Steven Ballmer Reflects on Missteps and Ponders the Future of Microsoft - NYTimes.com

Taking the long view

"“In the last 10 years, there are things that didn’t go so well,” Mr. Ballmer said. “We would have had a strong position in the phone market. The thing I regret is that we didn’t put hardware and software together quicker.”
The former Microsoft chief gave grudging praise to Apple, saying that it “has had a good run lately.” Mr. Ballmer also offered faint praise to Facebook on its recent acquisition of WhatsApp for up to $19 billion. “Is it a fad? Probably not,” he said, referring to Internet messaging services."

Steven Ballmer Reflects on Missteps and Ponders the Future of Microsoft - NYTimes.com