Man Who Launched The Xbox Game And Xbox 360 Jumps Ship Or Was He Pushed ?
Robert J. Bach, commonly known as Robbie Bach, the Microsoft executive who launched the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 is leaving Microsoft at the end of this year
Online, May 29, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Bach says he is leaving for personal reasons. Bach claims that it was his choice and he was not asked to go. However the gaming and mobile devices division which he ran for Microsoft has struggled to get the market share in smart phones that it was aiming for. Rumour has it that his leaving may well be due to the poor results.
Adding to the speculation is the news that J.Allard the Chief Technology Officer is also leaving. CEO Steve Ballmer will have direct control over Microsoft's struggling sectors (namely its Zune and Windows Mobile). Ballmer stated the following in a company email announcing the departures:
"Transitions are always hard. Robbie has been an instrumental part of so many key moments in Microsoft history - from the evolution of Office to the decision to create the first Xbox to pushing the company hard in entertainment overall. J as well has had a great impact in the market and on our culture, providing leadership in design, and in creating a passionate and involved Xbox community, and earlier being at the center of our work seizing the importance of the Web for the company..."
Mr Bach, 48, had been with Microsoft for 22 years. He ran the entertainment division for four years after the successful launch of the Xbox gaming console.
He led the division that is responsible for the Xbox 360, Zune, Windows Games,Windows Mobile and the Microsoft TV.
Although he undoubtedly had some great achievements with Microsoft he will always be remembered for his involvement with the XBOX game. The Xbox was released on November 15, 2001 and was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market.
The Xbox 360 was first seen on Mtv on May 12, 2005 and was the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's Playstation 3 (PS3) And Nintendo's Wii.
Some major features of the Xbox 360 are Xbox Live where players compete online, download arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, music and films. The Xbox 360 also offers access to media streaming services such as Netflix in the USA and Sky in the United Kingdom.
According to the Retail research firm NPD Group, for the first quarter only 10 percent of smart phones sold in the US ran Windows software. Well behind Apple with 21 per cent, Google with 28 per cent and the BlackBerry maker Research in Motion with 36 per cent.
Perhaps the icing on the cake was the disastrous launch of the Zune, a digital music player that failed to mount a decent challenge Apple's iPod.
Ironically the Xbox game remains as popular as ever. As of April 2010, there are over 40 million Xbox 360 game consoles worldwide.