Ballmer critiques Apple: “$500 more to get a logo”

When the economy is down, the gloves come off, and we’ve always suspected Steve Ballmer harbored deep-seated grudges about the perceived value of a partially-eaten apple. The Microsoft CEO struck out at Apple during a conference in New York this week, describing the company’s products as “$500 more to get a logo”.

“Apple gained about one point, but now I think the tide has really turned back the other direction. The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment — same piece of hardware — paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that’s a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be” Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft

The comment came in response to a question regarding Apple’s momentum in the desktop and notebook computer market, which prompted Ballmer to highlight a recent report that suggested the Cupertino company had seen its market-share drop. Ballmer was then asked whether he or his family own any Apple products, to which he explained to the audience that he was particularly brand-loyal.

Writing off Apple’s appeal as merely a logo choice seems a little short-sighted, what with the significant difference these days being the software – i.e. OS X versus Windows – rather than the hardware. While most are used to Ballmer’s outspoken comments, the tension between Apple-lovers and Microsoft-fans means it’s likely to restart old arguments about differences between the two companies.

[via BoingBoing Gadgets]