Hits of Microsoft's Ballmer era

          Poor Steve Ballmer. The burly MHits and misses of Microsoft's Ballmer eraHits and misses of Microsoft's Ballmer eraicrosoft CEO, who announced Friday that he will retire next year, has been the victim of some unfortunate timing.

When he took over leadership of Microsoft in 2000 Ballmer had to follow iconic co-founder Bill Gates, who had built the software titan into the most valuable company in the world. Then Ballmer was blindsided by the swift rise of Steve Jobs and Apple, whose iPod, iPhone and iPad led a mobile revolution and made Microsoft appear slow and out of touch.

On a more positive note, Ballmer has been credited more recently for re-imagining the company's core product with the bold Windows 8 operating system and leading a 2013 revival of Microsoft's once-flagging stock.

Under his reign, Microsoft has a mixed record of success with its consumer products. Here's a look at some of the company's more notable hits and misses of the Ballmer era.

Hits

Windows XP -- This version of Microsoft's desktop operating system was released in 2001 and used on more than 80% of PCs at its peak. The software also showed surprising staying power: Many IT managers, frustrated by the buggy Microsoft Vista, downgraded to the older but more reliable XP. Today, 12 years after its launch, XP still runs almost 39% of the world's desktop computers.

Xbox -- Launched in 2001, the venerable video gaming console and its successor, the Xbox 360, have sold more than 100 million units. Some blockbuster games, such as the "Halo" and "Gears of War" series, are available only for the Xbox. Its Kinect system was hailed as a step forward in motion-control gaming, while Xbox Live, Microsoft's online multiplayer gaming network, now has more than 46 million members worldwide. Microsoft will release its next-generation console, the Xbox One, in November.

Bing -- Ballmer in 2009 introduced Microsoft's Bing search engine, which drew praise for its attractive visuals and predictive-text features that produced search suggestions before users were done typing queries. It won't challenge Google's dominance any time soon, but Bing has emerged as a credible rival. It has gradually increased in popularity and now commands almost 18% of the U.S. search engine market.

Windows Phone 7 (and 7.5) -- With this launch in late 2010 and early 2011, Microsoft completely rebuilt its mobile operating system from the ground up by adding a more intuitive interface, better social-networking tools and a high-def screen with colorful "live tiles." It was a radical move for a company that for years had been playing it safe.