Has anyone seen this man?

Apparently last seen storming from Ballmer's office screaming 'Build the damn thing, or I quit!'

Answers to the name 'J' and since this photo was taken he may have grown a beard and some hair.  If you have any idea as to his whereabouts then please contact Mary Jo Foley; she is extremely worried about him.

I read Mary Jo's article earlier this week.  I am curious as well to see where J Allard is post-courier. 

Interesting article concerning Allard, Ozzie, Sinofsky, and Ballmer over at Businessweek from 2006. 

 Interesting quote: "Even Ballmer, once pigeonholed as a micromanager, seems increasingly willing to distribute power and let those underneath him try new approaches. "I would have been hell-bent and determined six years ago to call Xbox the Windows Game Machine," he says. "My natural tendency would have been to call Zune something that was related to Xbox, since we had some consumer franchise. And yet we're really building consumer marketing muscle, and those guys are really teaching and educating us on new ways to do things."

RLO said:

I read Mary Jo's article earlier this week.  I am curious as well to see where J Allard is post-courier. 

 

Interesting article concerning Allard, Ozzie, Sinofsky, and Ballmer over at Businessweek from 2006. 

 

 Interesting quote: "Even Ballmer, once pigeonholed as a micromanager, seems increasingly willing to distribute power and let those underneath him try new approaches. "I would have been hell-bent and determined six years ago to call Xbox the Windows Game Machine," he says. "My natural tendency would have been to call Zune something that was related to Xbox, since we had some consumer franchise. And yet we're really building consumer marketing muscle, and those guys are really teaching and educating us on new ways to do things."

 

Mmmm.

Engadget (via the WSJ) reckons this is part of a wider reshuffle at the Entertainment Division.

Ray7 said:

RLO said:

*snip*

Mmmm.

 

Engadget (via the WSJ) reckons this is part of a wider reshuffle at the Entertainment Division.

 

 

 

 

 

Ray, I just don't know what to say to that.   I am afraid we are going to hear more talk about "partners", "three screens", and "cloud".  Apple is beating MS without any of those things.   How did that partner thing work out with HP?  Oh, right.  The Partner bought a competing OS and is planning on using it on everything from slates to printers.   

Pretty much confirmed now. J Allard and Robbie Back going. Ballmer getting more of an oversight in E&D... Gah....

I fear for the one part of Microsoft that was actually doing some cool stuff now with Ballmer more involved. Cancelling Courier was entirely idiotic, yes it was vaporware but have you seen how people have reacted to its cancellation even on traditionally Apple biased sites like Gizmodo and Engadget?

Ballmer just doesn't strike me as getting it - he's all about Windows, Office, Servers etc - which is not such a bad thing, but Microsoft has shown they can do very cool stuff (X-Box, Zune, Surface, Tablet PC's, Courier), but they just don't seem to know what to do with them when they do....

I still want a courier! Hell, if the iPad came with a wacom digitizer as well as the touchscreen, then I'd find that very useful - and I really don't like Apple products much...

RLO said:

Ray, I just don't know what to say to that.

Yes, kind of sad really. The people with vision and imagination have left, and Ballmer is now overseeing the division. 

Bugger ...

RLO said:

I am afraid we are going to hear more talk about "partners", "three screens", and "cloud".  Apple is beating MS without any of those things.

Because Apple realised long ago that no one knows or cares what these things mean.

RLO said:

The Partner bought a competing OS and is planning on using it on everything from slates to printers.

Actually looking forward to seeing what WebOS does from printers.

Oh no, J Allard, where are you.

magicalclick said:

Oh no, J Allard, where are you.

It's official--  Allard's gone for good.

CannotResolveSymbol said:

magicalclick said:

*snip*

It's official--  Allard's gone for good.

A damn shame but it looks like there has been some hysteria and exaggeration going on, at least if you read this quote from the ars technica article:

It looks like he won't be leaving Microsoft entirely behind; in an e-mail to Microsoft employees announcing the reorganization, Steve Ballmer said that J Allard would continue to work with him in the future as an adviser, "helping incubation efforts, looking at design and UI, and providing a cross-company perspective on these and similar topics."

exoteric said:

CannotResolveSymbol said:

*snip*

A damn shame but it looks like there has been some hysteria and exaggeration going on, at least if you read this quote from the ars technica article:

 

It looks like he won't be leaving Microsoft entirely behind; in an e-mail to Microsoft employees announcing the reorganization, Steve Ballmer said that J Allard would continue to work with him in the future as an adviser, "helping incubation efforts, looking at design and UI, and providing a cross-company perspective on these and similar topics."

A little more light has been shined with Allard's Goodbye.

"For those of you reporting into one of my organizations, I am committed to working through all of the transition issues and assure you that The Tribe remains committed to the work you are doing and our purpose going forward."

A good read, now let's see what E&D is made of.

You guys maybe forgot about the $1 Billion mistake made in the Xbox division?

Charles said:

Minh said:

*snip*

J Allard will be working 5% of his time on special projects, reporting directly to Steve Ballmer. So, we won't lose his capabilities to think outside of the box. In terms of re-orgs and re-shuffling of large divisions, Windows underwent this procedure and Windows 7 came out... This is a good thing for Microsoft. I sense E&D will grow stronger and more focused since we HAVE to succeed in this domain if we are going to play the game.

 

We are in it to win, not just play. That's the message.

 

Welcome change,

C

Mmm. I think I'll have to see some evidence of that before I believe it.

Microsoft looks suspiciously like a company circling the wagons and moving towards the IBM model of business software and services. 

Not that this is not a bad thing for a company of MS's age. They can ride Windows/Office/Sharepoint for the next twenty years. 

Ray7 said:

Charles said:

*snip*

Mmm. I think I'll have to see some evidence of that before I believe it.

 

Microsoft looks suspiciously like a company circling the wagons and moving towards the IBM model of business software and services. 

 

Not that this is not a bad thing for a company of MS's age. They can ride Windows/Office/Sharepoint for the next twenty years. 

 

 

Agreed.

I see the niche that the iPad filled, and it looks like a sweet product(sans the koolaid)...

What my issue is, that I've had a slate Tablet PC for the past 5 years(a Motion Computing LE1600) and Microsoft hasn't innovated at all in that area. UMPC looked like they were taking steps, but it seems the hardware industry wasn't fully awake and paying attention. Courier looked like they were finding a direction...and it's cancelled. Even the Surface seems to be stagnant.

Tablet PC still doesn't have an Education/Experience pack for Windows 7 tablet users. Doesn't create consumer confidence =(

Harlequin said:

Ray7 said:

*snip*

Agreed.

 

I see the niche that the iPad filled, and it looks like a sweet product(sans the koolaid)...

 

What my issue is, that I've had a slate Tablet PC for the past 5 years(a Motion Computing LE1600) and Microsoft hasn't innovated at all in that area. UMPC looked like they were taking steps, but it seems the hardware industry wasn't fully awake and paying attention. Courier looked like they were finding a direction...and it's cancelled. Even the Surface seems to be stagnant.

 

Tablet PC still doesn't have an Education/Experience pack for Windows 7 tablet users. Doesn't create consumer confidence =(

Yup.

As Jobs once said, 'The Mobile Wars are over, and everyone but Microsoft won.'

... or something like that.

Harlequin said:

Ray7 said:

*snip*

Agreed.

 

I see the niche that the iPad filled, and it looks like a sweet product(sans the koolaid)...

 

What my issue is, that I've had a slate Tablet PC for the past 5 years(a Motion Computing LE1600) and Microsoft hasn't innovated at all in that area. UMPC looked like they were taking steps, but it seems the hardware industry wasn't fully awake and paying attention. Courier looked like they were finding a direction...and it's cancelled. Even the Surface seems to be stagnant.

 

Tablet PC still doesn't have an Education/Experience pack for Windows 7 tablet users. Doesn't create consumer confidence =(

This is what happens when Microsoft decides not to develop things and let its partners do the work.  The track record on MS and Education is a story of half-expletive solutions that relies on "Partners" to do the heavy lifting.  All the while MS keeps losing Volume Licensing agreements for the office flagship with institutions turning to Google and Apple.

Where's the MS version of iTunes U?  What happened to Semblio?  What happened to PowerPoint producer? What happened to Student?  What happened to Class Server? 

MS reader has been in use for years.  Why in the heck didn't MS come out with a dedicated device years ago?  Why?  They relied on their partners.  There goes the eBook market to Apple.

MS  had an ecosystem for music players.  What happened?  They relied on Partners.

MS doesn't want to make its own phone, and instead reveals a half hearted attempt with Kin.  Why?  They didn't want to offend their Partners.

MS reveals a white paper on Business Intelligence for schools.  (Something they have been promoting as the learning gateway for years.)  If you look at the paper, what happened?  Partners did the work.

Touch Pack for Windows 7 was released to create demand for touch.  Who got it?  Partners!  How did they use it?  Not at all.

In case you haven't figured it out, Partner is a dirty word in my book.

MS needs to MAKE IT, MARKET IT, SELL IT!

Right now, Ms makes it, and sells it, but only if it doesn't offend their partners.  They need to let go of that mindset if they are going to succeed.  Unfortunately, that's only half the equation.  MS needs to market too.  What happened with Bing?  Hmm, you marketed it on Television where most of the buying public exists.  For some reason, market share has increased.  Windows 7 is released.  You marketed it on television.  Once again, sales have increased.  Zune was released, hmm you didn't market it.  Go fig.

The problem with relying upon third parties for your success, means that if third parties fail, so do you.  Your destiny as a company is controlled by others interests.  Sounds very unstable to me.

Charles, I trust that you have seeen more than any of us in the hallways of the MS campus.  If this change means that Microsoft is taking success seriously, then its a good thing. Build it, Market it, Sell it! 

RLO said:

Harlequin said:

*snip*

This is what happens when Microsoft decides not to develop things and let its partners do the work.  The track record on MS and Education is a story of half-expletive solutions that relies on "Partners" to do the heavy lifting.  All the while MS keeps losing Volume Licensing agreements for the office flagship with institutions turning to Google and Apple.

 

Where's the MS version of iTunes U?  What happened to Semblio?  What happened to PowerPoint producer? What happened to Student?  What happened to Class Server? 

 

 

MS reader has been in use for years.  Why in the heck didn't MS come out with a dedicated device years ago?  Why?  They relied on their partners.  There goes the eBook market to Apple.

 

MS  had an ecosystem for music players.  What happened?  They relied on Partners.

 

 

MS doesn't want to make its own phone, and instead reveals a half hearted attempt with Kin.  Why?  They didn't want to offend their Partners.

 

MS reveals a white paper on Business Intelligence for schools.  (Something they have been promoting as the learning gateway for years.)  If you look at the paper, what happened?  Partners did the work.

 

Touch Pack for Windows 7 was released to create demand for touch.  Who got it?  Partners!  How did they use it?  Not at all.

 

In case you haven't figured it out, Partner is a dirty word in my book.

 

MS needs to MAKE IT, MARKET IT, SELL IT!

 

Right now, Ms makes it, and sells it, but only if it doesn't offend their partners.  They need to let go of that mindset if they are going to succeed.  Unfortunately, that's only half the equation.  MS needs to market too.  What happened with Bing?  Hmm, you marketed it on Television where most of the buying public exists.  For some reason, market share has increased.  Windows 7 is released.  You marketed it on television.  Once again, sales have increased.  Zune was released, hmm you didn't market it.  Go fig.

 

The problem with relying upon third parties for your success, means that if third parties fail, so do you.  Your destiny as a company is controlled by others interests.  Sounds very unstable to me.

 

Charles, I trust that you have seeen more than any of us in the hallways of the MS campus.  If this change means that Microsoft is taking success seriously, then its a good thing. Build it, Market it, Sell it! 

And what are the partners doing now? 

Either releasing phones running their own operating system, or releasing tablets/phones using Android.

Ray7 said:

RLO said:

*snip*

And what are the partners doing now? 

 

Either releasing phones running their own operating system, or releasing tablets/phones using Android.

 

Competing directly with their "partners" would result in good things. It would let everyone know that they are serious. It would result in better products. It would also push everyone else to step up there game, which is good for the consumer.

Microsoft has lots of smart and talented people. They need to let some of these people loose. Go forth and innovate!