Microsoft reboots

"Lucrative irrelevance" is the phrase Vanity Fair's Bethany McLean uses to elaborate Microsoft's future under Ballmer. With Ballmer gone, though, does new CEO Satya Nadella offer an alternative?

NADELLAGates and Nadella are adamant that's not the case, and they are both adept at the sort of big-picture corporate-speak designed to persuade people that the company not only has its act together but also has a vision. In their view, this new world of unlimited computing power, where your devices can connect you anytime, anywhere, should rightfully belong to Microsoft. They even have a catchphrase: "Re-inventing productivity."

How exciting.