Web 2.0 Summit

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer pulled no punches in his appearance here at the Web 2.0 Summit Oct. 18, livening up a relatively controversy-free show by poking fun at Google's Apps cloud collaboration software, Android mobile operating system and even Apple's iPhone.

Web 2.0 Summit Co-host John Battelle asked Ballmer if search is as important now to Microsoft as it was three years ago, given all of the information discovery users are doing on social networks just as Facebook and Google+.

He as well pointed out that Skype, which Microsoft just acquired for $8.5 billion, adds significant social connections via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). "The acquisition of Skype is a big step along that path in other words all about connecting you to other people," Ballmer noted.