Palatine Financial Report: Microsoft Looks to Target a Larger Consumer Audience with New Products

Online, July 30, 2010 (Newswire.com) - ROME- Microsoft held an exclusive meeting Thursday with over 200 financial analysts to discuss their future plans on addressing their lack of consumer targeted products.

Chief Executive Steve Ballmer laid out a stellar lineup of Products to help with the consumer struggle including - an upgrade to their gaming platform Xbox, a renewed look to their search engine Bing, the benefits and accolades of Windows 7, and the approaching Fall release of Windows Phone 7. Microsoft has tried with each of these products to be appealing to "mall shoppers."

"From time to time, in discussions I have with some of you, we talk about the consumer like its broad, airy-fairy," Ballmer said. "In our case, the consumer investments and innovation and work that we're doing really focuses in a few areas."

With holiday shopping season approaching Microsoft is excited to offer the gaming market, which has shown it has tremendous selling potential, a new product to go along with their Xbox 360 system. Kinect is a sensor add-on to the system which allows people to play games free of controllers.

Bing, Microsoft's search engine, which drew much scrutiny last year over performance, has jumped 5 percent to 13 in its market share, but Google Inc still remains at the top.

Where analysts have criticized Microsoft the most has been their inability to come up with a slate device to rival Apple's iPad, which has not sold over 3.25 million devices in only 4 short months. Ballmer said Microsoft will be pushing hard to create a slate that runs on their new OS of Windows 7, and stated that "they will ship as soon as they are ready."

"Microsoft has strayed away from what made them great and makes Apple so strong now, a strong consumer base that is loyal and excited about future product" said Palatine Financial Chief U.S. Economist Theo Dabinsky.

To reach consumers, Ballmer said Microsoft will open three more retail stores: in Bellevue Square, the Mall of America in Minnesota and Oakbrook Center in suburban Chicago.

For more information, please contact Jason Mancini at +39 06 9926
6524 or visit http://www.palatinefinancial.com