Former Apple CEO Says Microsoft Is Tone Deaf To What Consumers Want

Former Apple CEO, John Sculley, has had some harsh criticisms to say about Microsoft’s strategy in a recent interview with Bloomberg. Sculley believes that Microsoft has been out of touch with consumers for quite some time, the result is that they haven’t given consumers what they really want. Instead they’ve chosen to focus too heavily on the enterprise market.

“Where they had not done a good job is where it has to do with consumers. They’ve been totally tone deaf.”

In drawing comparisons to his former employers Apple, Sculley said that Microsoft could never be like Apple because Microsoft isn’t shaped by consumers:

“You have to start with the vision that Ballmer has laid out. The question is: do they have any evidence that they can do well in that. I don’t think they’ll ever be like Apple. Apple is a culture as much as it is a product technology company. There’s nothing inside Microsoft that suggests they’re going to be a consumer shaped company.”

With Steve Ballmer stepping down it is possible a new CEO could take Microsoft in a different direction, but we’ll have to wait and see on that one.

Image courtesy of Getty