Apple? Your dreaming again

Personally though I don't think Bill Gates would allow this. He likes the XBox and Bing brands and is still a major heavy on the board of directors. Elop would have to get the support of a large majority of the shareholders to do this and I don't think he'd get it. MS is making a ton of money right now, they can afford to have some side projects.

Perhaps some kind of alliance/mutual relationship with Nintendo I could see since Nintendo of America operates right next door to MS and perhaps in such an agreement, MS could get Nintendo to allow Windows RT/mobile onto future Nintendo handheld devices. That would be a considerable win for them I think, getting a lot of kids hooked onto Windows mobile before they buy a Android or Apple smart device.

My suggestion for Microsoft to be relevant in the Long Run and still be highly profitable and respected and even loved...

1- Unite the Windows Phone and RT Platforms; make them 100% fully compatible with each other and the Windows 8 Metro Platform

2- Create 2 versions of Future of Windows, one for the touch and app-based scalable interface, for all tablets, phones, and touch laptops; the other one being the regular loved and productive desktop interface. On a tablet and phone, the touch (metro) interface must be the ONLY interface, but On a Laptop it must run in an On-Demand Virtual Machine (much like the hypervisor on Xbox One).

* I love many ideas coming from Microsoft, they are just terribly executed in the stupidest way. Surely MS has the skills, but it has the dumbest corporate structure as well obviously.

3- Stick to highly streamlined annual OS update schedule for a reasonable but eventually optional fee (around $30, there will be a lot of price discrimination opportunities). You don't need to keep re-inventing the freaking wheel. We are happy with the Windows 7 interface. Just optimize it, make it more efficient, more future-proof, more zippy, more responsive, more stable, more secure, more flexible, more customizable... and that's it. The third parties will take care of the rest.

4- Develop touch-centric apps. You want people to use your tablets? Then develop touch based Office for the Lord's sake! How can I (or any third party developer) take you seriously, even if you don't take the platform seriously yourself??? Look what Apple is doing, with dozen apps tailored and developed purely for touch use!

5- Don't put a desktop OS on a tablet. We don't want the freaking bloat. Better go with the Windows Phone 8 and scrap the entire RT disaster.

6- Develop office and all other Microsoft software for all the platforms, including your legacy OS (Yes I mean Windows XP). You are only shooting yourself on the foot by screwing people.

7- Drop the freaking XBox, Direct 3D and all other propriety shit. Become a Windows, Office, Cloud, Services Company.

* Put your windows everywhere (Laptops, Desktops, Phones, Tablets, even future consoles). Not by bullying but being the more technically superior choice. If you develop the sleekest, most functional, and most efficient OS, and price it right, everyone will choose you!

* Put your office everywhere. Windows, Android, Linux, IOS, OSX. Make mad money!

* Exploit the Cloud and Services. Harness the power of Office 360, Skydrive, App Store, Music Store etc...

.....

If only MS was wise enough, they would be not only making tons of money, but also secure their future and be loved and highly regarded company as well.

Further proof that the Xbox devision is yet to turn up a profit. You don't sell devisions that are profitable, unless you're hurting for cash and that's not an issue for Microsoft.

Sell Bing and not Xbox.

Microsoft selling the Xbox business sounds like a fanboys wet dream.

Wetdream or not, Elop is considering it. And if the shareholders find this attractive, they will hire him. The enforcement of DRM was once deemed as an impossibiltiy as well. Then we saw how Microsoft almost did it a couple of months ago. If you visit threads from a year or two ago, you'll see how no one was believing in such a thing.

Elop is a real persons name?

Ever heared of Finland?

He's Canadian :D