Business strategist Adam Hartung says that Microsoft's dependence on its Windows operating system and Office productivity suite, combined with its inability to gain traction over the holiday buying season with its
mobile products and a continuing decline in PC sales, "mean nothing short of the ruin of Microsoft."
Hartung -- a former executive with Computer Sciences Corp., PepsiCo and DuPont who has worked as a consultant to General Dynamics, Air Canada and a host of other large companies -- said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's commitment to "fight to the death" to defend Windows against an exodus to Apple's
iOS and Google's
Android operating system is an unwinnable battle.
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Hartung says Microsoft simply isn't making an impact in the mobile market, which is where the sales growth will be in the future, and believes the company's cloud efforts will reflect the company's historical experience with its Zune MP3 player and mobile phones.