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Microsoft puts kibosh on Ballmer-at-WWDC rumor

Also tweets: 'Nor appearing on Dancing with the Stars'

May 27, 2010 03:59 PM ET

Computerworld - Contrary to widespread reports on the Web, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will not show up on stage at rival Apple's annual developer conference, Microsoft said Thursday.

The Ballmer rumors were prompted by a research note from Wall Street analyst Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research, who told investors that a seven-minute stretch of Apple's upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference keynote had been set aside for Ballmer to promote Microsoft's Visual Studio 2010 developer tools suite to iPhone programmers.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs will take the stage at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on June 7 to kick off the WWDC. Analysts expect Jobs to talk about iPhone OS 4, the company's new mobile operating system, and to unveil the next-generation iPhone.

Microsoft quashed the Ballmer rumor today in a tweet from its official Twitter account.

"Steve Ballmer not speaking at Apple Dev Conf. Nor appearing on Dancing with the Stars. Nor riding in the Belmont. Just FYI," the tweet read.

The last time Apple and Microsoft executives shared a stage was in 2007, when Jobs and then-Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates were interviewed jointly at the D: All Things Digital Conference.

Ten years before that, Jobs introduced Gates at a 1997 Macworld Conference when Microsoft announced it was making a $150 million investment in Apple.

"[Apple] needs help from other partners," said Jobs at the time. "Relationships that are destructive don't help anybody." The 1997 audience booed Jobs' announcement amid scattered applause.

Ballmer might have been a fun fit for WWDC, if only because he has become famous for a 2000 Microsoft event in which he chanted "Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers!" while clapping his hands, pumping his fist and sweating profusely.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com.

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