Confronted with a public request that came out of the blue, Microsoft’s CEO agreed to sign a student’s MacBook rather than stomp on it or slam the notebook brand that he otherwise enjoys to criticize for being overpriced. Yes, we have a video to prove it.
While Steve Ballmer was attending a technology council meeting at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee earlier this week, a student approached him and asked outright if he would sign his MacBook. The inquiry generated laughs from other students, including the CEO, while a student quickly added, “It’s got Windows on it. I promise.” Ballmer wholeheartedly laughed at this remark, pulling a marker and putting his signature on the MacBook’s back. The autograph, posted online, came with a witty note: “Need a new one?”
Luckily, someone was clever enough to capture this unique moment and post it on YouTube, for the whole world to see. As you can see from the video, Ballmer evidently enjoyed the inquiry and seemed pretty relaxed signing a MacBook. Who knows, maybe the signature and the autographed MacBook prove valuable enough on eBay to earn this student a scholarship for the next semester.
While some folks in tech circles appreciate Steve Ballmer’s outrageous persona, others dislike his overly enthusiastic but otherwise electrifying stage action at corporate events. The billionaire CEO has angered loyal Apple fans quite a bit thus far, most notably when he laughed off the iPhone and deemed it too expensive right after Steve Jobs unveiled the handset in January of 2007.
Furthermore, Ballmer recently played down the iPhone momentum, provoked by Apple’s adverts that slammed Windows 7 ahead of the October 2009 launch. Ballmer also made the news last September by pretending to stomp on an employee’s iPhone at a corporate event, allegedly provoked by the fact that a guy dared snapping the CEO’s stage entrance with an iPhone. Some folks, however, have dismissed this incident as a PR stunt.
A recent story bordering an urban legend alleged that Ballmer fired an employee for not saying “Bing” with enough enthusiasm, even though nobody has confirmed this incident yet. For better or for worse, Microsoft’s CEO is as equipped to grab headlines with his jazzed-up stage action as Apple CEO’s charisma and Hollywood-styled presentations keep fans glued to their seats while he’s unleashing a reality-distortion field.
If the amount of reporting is any indication, the MacBook autographing will score Ballmer a few respect points with the Mac people. Here’s some food for thought: Do you think Steve Jobs would react the same in a similar situation and put his signature on an HP notebook or a Windows Vista box? Chime in with your comments below.
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