Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, walked away from a Yahoo deal on Saturday still looking for an answer to his company’s fundamental problem: its time-tested recipe for success isn’t working against Google, the leader in the current wave of Internet computing.

interesting article but i'm rather dubious about the assertion

as the center of gravity in computing continues to move away from the personal computer, Microsoft’s stronghold, and to the Internet.

i think it's more valid to assert that computing has more than one center of gravity and i would certainly argue that it is of benefit not to have one company dominate all the spheres but rather to continue the metaphor a series of solar systems

Microsoft’s Failed Yahoo Bid Risks Online Growth - New York Times