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Former Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer reveals mobile regrets

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

March 9, 2014 | 2 min read

In a revealing talk to students in Oxford this week, Microsoft veteran Steve Ballmer admitted that the company had failed to capitalise on the mobile boom by not putting "hardware and software together soon enough".

Ballmer, who relinquished his role as CEO at the software giant a month ago, told an audience at Oxford University's Saïd Business School that Microsoft "would have a stronger position in the phone market today if I could re-do the last 10 years".

He is widely quoted as saying: “If I look back with 20-20 hindsight, the thing I regret is that we didn’t put the hardware and software together soon enough.

“It was almost magical the way the PC came about with an operating system from us and hardware from IBM. There was a little bit of magic too for Android and Samsung coming together. But if you really want to bring a vision to market, it’s helpful to be able to conceive and deliver the hardware and software.”

On the hardware front, Ballmer went on to say he believes Microsoft is catching up now - and he argued that the business won't be left lagging again: "Our company is in the process of building new muscle so that we’re not just thinking about things like tablets in advance and letting Apple commercialise them," he said.

"Does that mean for sure that we will lead the next generation? No, but we’re there working hard to make sure that in that next wave, we’re there, we’re catching it, we’re driving.”

Ballmer's Microsoft career spanned 34 years and he told the audience he remains a "very interested board member".

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