Student Gets Ballmer’s Autograph on His MacBook

Although some members of the media will surely bash Steve Ballmer for this move, Microsoft’s CEO showed quite some character by signing an Apple MacBook computer, this editor believes.

Ballmer is well known for his occasional slip-ups, an oscillating temper, and his easy-going nature, which is why he is sometimes cataloged as a bit of a doofus. However, he is Microsoft’s CEO, and while he’s not usually caught on tape using the fanciest of words, he does have quite a distinct personality. And the video of him signing a Mac is a clear testament to that.

At a meeting in Trevecca Nazarene University, Ballmer is approached by a bunch of students eager to say hi (the actual footage can be found at the bottom of this article). One student, clearly the boldest of the lot, hands Ballmer his MacBook asking for an autograph. Good old Ballmer simply can’t resist being part of this hilarious episode and, laughing his lungs out, he accepts! He doesn’t just settle with writing “Steve Ballmer” on the thing, proving that there’s more to the guy than the general population believes. He also adds the following words: “Need a new one?”

Whether Ballmer was referring to an upgrade consisting of a laptop running Windows, or whether he guessed the student would fetch a good price for the autographed device and ultimately get a better Mac is unclear. What is clear is that Ballmer has a terrific sense of humor. Steve Jobs wouldn’t be caught dead signing an autograph on a copy of Microsoft’s Windows. Again, this is just one editor’s opinion.

The second picture above is a snap of the MacBook in question. It was posted on the student’s blog alongside a couple of lines of text saying, “I met Steve Ballmer at a meet and greet this morning and asked him to sign my laptop. My apologies for the impending apocalypse.”

Well, the beginning-of-the-end will not be kicked off by Softpedia. If anyone else is eager to fulfill the prophecy, they may do so in the comments. No questions asked.