During a recent conference, Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt had some interesting things to say about Microsoft and Apple. According to Schmidt, Microsoft was built around control, and not around the consumer.
When comparing Apple with Microsoft, Schmidt believed that there was a “difference in ability.” Microsoft was built around control, and was organized around the industry structure, not around the consumer, Schmidt suggested. Schmidt states that he didn’t believe this until he began working for Google. Microsoft apparently exposes that complexity, but Apple just hides it. Schmidt states that has a computer scientist, he loves that complexity, but he knows that consumers do not want to see it.
Schmidt makes a good point. When you think about it, Microsoft thrives on selling products by showing what a consumer can do, as opposed to Apple, who sells products based on what the consumer can do with it. A little less controlling on Apple’s side.
Schmidt also stated during the conference that Mark Zuckerberg, of Facebook fame, will be seen as one of the great leaders of the technology industry for “making great decisions about things like competing with MySpace and not selling the company.” Schmidt also states that eventually we will have another leader in the mobile and social area, but it is currently impossible to predict who it will be.
