The iPad is giving Microsoft a run for their money.

Funny.. I'm reading this thread typing away at my iPad as my windows7 machine attempts to make a blue screen of death repair while it was rebooting!

Balmer, Microsoft is a software publisher. Here's an idea: Why not make a true cloud version of Office?!? (Not the crippleware you offer now.) Use Office on your Mac or PC, upload to the cloud, view and edit in the cloud (in ANYONE's browser) (all of it, not just a ridiculous subset), view and edit with fully functional software on phones and tablets, have everything sync across all platforms automatically. In short, sell usable software on other people's devices - ride their coattails - make lots and lots of money.

See, here's the thing: it's possible for BOTH Apple AND Microsoft (and Google) to be wildly successful here. It isn't an either/or proposition. Windoze or nothing is the same rabbit hole decent that led to distant 3rd in the search business (and tell me why, exactly, Microsoft HAD to dominate or even be in that market???).

The iPad Envy started well before the iPad Announcement. Check back to CES in Early January when Mr. Ballmer announced what he calls Slates.

This Blog has the entire 2010 timeline of how the iPad changed the industry. bit.ly/bXDNNy

Why does MS think beating the iPad is "job one urgency"? About six months ago, Microsoft was laughing at Apple when it introduced the iPad, saying that the iPad was a crippled piece of hardware with half an OS and that it was totally useless. They claimed that no consumer would ever buy something as useless as a purely touch-based tablet. They were swearing to their mother that the iPad would be a massive failure because it didn't use a stylus. So why are they changing their tune?

Microsoft had been trying to sell Windows-based tablet computers for almost ten years to consumers without success and maybe sold about a million over that ten-year period. Now MS is saying that it can help build a Windows 7-based tablet much better than the iPad in just a few months. I can't believe the arrogance of Microsoft. What does MS know now that it couldn't figure out in ten years? How to copy whatever Apple does? Why does MS even want the tablet market with such a huge market share for Windows desktop computers? Greed? Microsoft should just refine Windows 7 for netbooks by trimming the OS's code bloat.

I still don't get why Microsoft thinks all of a sudden consumers are going to love a Windows 7 based tablet. That OS will be just a pig on a skinny underpowered tablet. I'm sure curious to see what Microsoft is going to do in a couple of months.

Microsoft has a real problem in producing a viable competitor to the iPad. Namely, their absolute dependence on the Intel x86 architecture. While the Atom processor is decent, it is not even in the same ballpark as the A4. I have both a netbook running Windows 7 on Atom and an iPad. The iPad blows the netbook away in battery life, performance and form factor/ease of use. It wouldn't be hard to guess which device gets used 95% of the time and which gets used for perhaps about 5%.

Windows 7 won't be ported to the ARM architecture easily either. But Microsoft should be able to do this with their incredible resources. Not sure they can do it in a prompt manner though.

Intel's prospects in matching ARM's performance to power characteristics, much less surpassing them, seem pretty dismal also.

As for one of the previous comments regarding the xBox 360, Microsoft lost a great deal of money in launching their gaming platform. The iPad, however, is providing Apple nice profit margins. Moreover, the iPad has become a runaway success whereas the xBox is a distant number 2 behind Nintendo's Wii.

Ballmer is either mixed up or a liar. He criticizes the iPad then spends all his time talking about creating an iPad killer. What a nut job. The truth is he is extremely envious of the iPad and wishes Microsoft could make something as good, but knows they can't. Microsoft is an imitator, not a innovator.

Gerard: I am a regular guy with a passion for Microsoft products. I got my first PC back in 1994 and never bothered to get a Mac - despite using it at friends, schools and libraries. I love the simplicity of Windows and the fact that I can get my job done quickly without paying for over-priced glossy hardware. Agree that the Mac hardware and software work harmoniously - but Windows 7 isn't any less cool.

Certainly in recent years, Microsoft has fallen back and isn't doing as well. However, you need to sit back and think - what is Microsoft not doing well with? Phone? Tablets? Microsoft does not manufacture hardware for these like Apple. Hence there should be no comparison. You can compare the Mac OS with Windows 7.

Why don't you write an article about XBox 360?! Where is Apple with gaming and why can't they compete in that segment? Why do you guys always pick on Kin or Zune? Windows Phone 7 is coming this fall. Then we can go to war with iPhone vs. Windows Phone. Further, in my opinion, Zune interface is much better than iPod.