????鮑爾默聲稱(chēng)的根本性轉(zhuǎn)變不是夸大其辭。我們?cè)?012年的微軟身上幾乎已經(jīng)看不到20世紀(jì)90年代末期時(shí)微軟的影子,。正如鮑爾默承認(rèn)的那樣,，微軟已經(jīng)屈服于其最強(qiáng)大的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手所建立的商業(yè)模式。如今的微軟不再是行業(yè)的領(lǐng)頭者,，而成為了追隨者,。微軟身上再也看不到當(dāng)年壟斷時(shí)的霸氣。它經(jīng)過(guò)37年的發(fā)展,，現(xiàn)在開(kāi)始學(xué)著向部分開(kāi)發(fā)商開(kāi)放了源代碼,，友好對(duì)待外界。

????既然鮑爾默已經(jīng)徹底走出了比爾?蓋茨的陰影,，那么他能成功嗎,？這是一個(gè)大問(wèn)題。作為CEO，鮑爾默當(dāng)然得為過(guò)失承擔(dān)主要責(zé)任,。據(jù)說(shuō)微軟的公司文化已經(jīng)支離破碎,、毫無(wú)組織、有時(shí)甚至殘酷無(wú)比,。微軟每一次小小的成功之后（微軟的必應(yīng)搜索在市場(chǎng)占有率達(dá)到了四分之一）,，都有一次令人失望的挫敗（Windows Phone 7 在智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)的占有率持續(xù)下滑）,。每一臺(tái)Kinect背后,，都有一臺(tái)Zune。

????然而,，這些產(chǎn)品都沒(méi)有Windows 8這么重要,。目前為止,，這款新產(chǎn)品的大體反響還算不錯(cuò),，盡管有些用戶(hù)似乎被全新的界面搞得暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向。不過(guò)一切都還沒(méi)有見(jiàn)分曉,。Windows 8能否成功將在很大程度上決定史蒂夫?鮑爾默所領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的微軟將走向何方：是成為云經(jīng)濟(jì)時(shí)代的領(lǐng)袖,，還是成為比爾?蓋茨創(chuàng)立的微軟的一個(gè)謙和有禮、但是碌碌無(wú)為的不肖子,。

????譯者：嚴(yán)匡正

????The fundamental shift Ballmer speaks of isn't corporate hyperbole. The Microsoft of the late 1990s wouldn't recognize the Microsoft of 2012. Because, as Ballmer acknowledged, Microsoft has capitulated to a business model created by its greatest rival. It's not an industry leader, it's a follower now. It's not anything like the monopolistic bully it once was. It's as friendly to open standards as it's been in its 37-year history.

????Now that Ballmer has fully stepped out of the shadow of Bill Gates, will he succeed? That's the big question. As CEO, Ballmer has certainly made his own share of missteps. The corporate culture inside Microsoft is often said to be fragmented, disorganized and sometimes cutthroat. And for every modest success Microsoft has seen (Bing searches account for a quarter of the total market), there is a disappointing setback (Windows Phone 7 has seen its share of the smartphone market shrinking). For every Kinect, there is a Zune.

????None of those products, however, will matter as much as Windows 8 will. So far, the new software is winning mixed-to-positive reviews, although some users seem confused by the new interface. Much hangs in the balance: The success of Windows 8 will largely determine whether Steve Ballmer's Microsoft can become a leader in the cloud economy, or whether it's just a kinder, gentler -- but impotent -- successor to the company Bill Gates built.