Steve Ballmer is ditching iPads at LA Clippers in favor of Windows

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer purchased the Los Angeles Clippers last month for $2 billion, and now he’s hinting at some changes for the basketball team. Ballmer’s not dropping coach Doc Rivers or any star players, but he is planning to get rid of iPads in favor of Windows. "Most of the Clippers are on Windows, some of the players and coaches are not," explains Ballmer in an interview with Reuters. "And Doc kind of knows that’s a project. It's one of the first things he said to me: 'We are probably going to get rid of these iPads, aren’t we?' And I said, 'Yeah, we probably are.' But I promised we would do it during the off season."

The switch away from iPads to Windows-based tablets could be an opportunity for Microsoft’s Surface tablets to make an impact at the NBA alongside the NFL, but Samsung will stand in the way of seeing any Microsoft tablets courtside. Samsung signed a $100 million deal to become the official handset, tablet, and TV supplier for the NBA late last year. That won’t stop Ballmer from switching behind the scenes, but he might be forced to stick with Android-powered Galaxy tablets elsewhere.