Ballmer's "I'm a PC" ad: The madman schtick is getting old

You knew it had to happen: Steve Ballmer has cut an "I'm a PC" video in which he does his usual madman-on-amphetamines screaming shtick. The routine is getting very old, though, and it's one more example of why it's time for Ballmer to go.

As part of its "I'm a PC" ad campaign, Microsoft has begun posting online-only ads and videos. Steve Ballmer, of course, has cut one, as you can see below, and it's his usual routine, if a bit worse. This time around, he reminds one of nothing so much as an asylum escapee who's forgotten to take his medication.

Ballmer's done this kind of thing so many times that you know it's nothing more than shtick. There's the infamous monkey boy dance, which you see below, which was the first of his greatest hits. There have been many others as well.

The whole routine has become stale and old. More than anything, the latest "I'm a PC" madman video is kind of sad, kind of like an old rocker who's lost his mojo, playing his greatest hits, but at half speed, because that's all he's capable of.

And that's the point, really. Ballmer's antics simply don't work anymore. All the screaming in the world can't hide the fact that the market was unhappy with Vista, and Microsoft isn't sure which way to go right now. Microsoft needs a visionary right now, someone able to figure out how to keep the company growing in the face of a world in which the Internet is increasingly more important than the operating system.

Internet Explorer 8 is a step in the right direction, but apart from that, it's unclear where Microsoft is headed. Ballmer's phony madman antics don't help give the company direction. It's time for him to retire his routine --- in fact, time for him to retire --- so the company can get back on track.

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