Steve Ballmer says he should have invested more in smartphones

Mar 4, 2014 19:46 GMT  ·  By

Steve Ballmer is no longer Microsoft’s CEO, so he now has more time to reflect on this tenure at the software giant, especially because he was often criticized for some of the decisions he made while at the helm of the company.

Speaking at an event at Oxford University, Ballmer explained that Microsoft made “tons his mistake” while he was a CEO, and admitted that he would invest more in the smartphone business, if he were to start his job as company boss all over again.

“Devices will continue to change so [you ask] do you give up, or do you get ready for the next wave of change?” he said according to The Telegraph.

“If you really want to bring a vision to market it is helpful to be able to conceive and deliver the hardware and software. And our company's in the position of building new muscle, so that we're not just thinking about building things like tablets.”

Ballmer also admitted that while Microsoft is unlikely to lead the tablet market in the coming years, the company would continue investments in this sector, especially because the Surface family is expected to receive some new members anytime soon in the next few months.

“Does that mean for sure we'll lead the next generation, no, but we're there working hard to make sure that that next wave, we're there,” Ballmer added.

Microsoft has launched the second-generation Surface tablet in October, but the company is already working to expand the tablet family with some new members and tablet models.

Word has it that Microsoft is also working on an 8-inch Surface Mini tablet that could launch sometime this year and compete with the likes of iPad and Nexus 7. Of course, the tablet would come with Windows 8.1, most likely in RT form, and would provide advanced connectivity options such as Wi-Fi and USB 3.0 ports.

At the same time, the software giant is also preparing an LTE SKU of the Surface tablet that would finally allow users to connect to the Internet on the go without the need for a Wi-Fi connection.

The Surface tablet with LTE has recently passed FCC certification and is expected to launch in just a few months, even though the company is still keeping everything secret and refusing to comment on any new member that could be added to the Surface product range in the coming years.