NetMarketShare’s desktop Operating System Market Share metrics for December 2011 show the Mac OS slipping back another tenth of a point on the month, with Windows posting exactly the same share for two consecutive months. Linux made another proportionally significant gain, continuing its recent positive streak.

NetMarketShare has posted its Operating System Total Market Share metrics for the significant players for January, 2011 (December ’10 figures in parentheses) tracking changes over the the past month. Perhaps the most significant metric this month, at least psychologically, is that Windows has dropped below 90 percent share for the first time in a very long time. The Mac OS gained just short of a quarter of a point over the month, while the iOS’s share increased significantly for the second month in a row.

Gizmodo broke a story about a Microsoft dual-screen, multitouch table currently in the “late-prototype” development phases, dubbed “Courier”. This means that the prototypes are working and being refined, and the design concept is now being shared with other agencies who might have a hand in development, such as third party software vendors, channel partners, or testers. While the device certainly looks cool, long time Apple fans and more recent converts will feel an eerie sense of deja vu watching the video (after the jump).

Could Steve Ballmer get any more confusing? He laments the lack of openness in the iPhone OS and Google’s Android, will swear up one side and down the other that proprietary walled gardens are better, but then publicly contemplates an open future for Microsoft’s flagship browser! At the Power to Developer’s conference in Sydney, Australia, Ballmer was conducting a Q & A session with the audience, when a student in the audience posed this rather interesting question:

“Why is IE still relevant and why is it worth spending money on rendering engines when there are open source ones available that can respond to changes in Web standards faster?”

Ballmer’s response, though rambling, began with typical corporate stall tactics: “That’s cheeky, but a good question, but cheeky.” Ballmer continued…

Is Microsoft setting its sights on Research in Motion? By Steve Ballmer’s own admission, the iPhone is as much a threat to Windows Mobile as Google is to Microsoft’s search efforts. Windows Mobile has seen its market share eroded by fresher, more nimble competitors like RIM and Symbian-based smartphones. Given the lack of excitement around any new Windows Mobile devices or versions, is buying RIM a cheaper alternative?

A few years ago, Microsoft had managed to capture almost a quarter of the smartphone market with Windows Mobile. But uninspiring versions of the operating system, and several lackluster devices from various partners, have cheapened the experience, causing Windows Mobile to lose almost half of its market share to competing devices. Microsoft, in the face of actual competition, never succeeds in dominating markets—Windows took control in the post-Apple era because there was a lack of any serious competing operating systems. It is not difficult to imagine Steve Ballmer sweating over the erosion of the Windows brand in all its forms—since the Microsoft/Yahoo merger never happened, RIM could plug a hole in the (somewhat) leaky SS Windows.

Would this buyout make sense?

Steve Ballmer, already famous for his dancing skills, has pulled off a spectacular 180º pirouette in his position on Apple. In an email earlier this summer, Ballmer addressed Apple’s rising threat to Microsoft’s operating system dominance, telling staffers Apple’s success was:

Because they [Apple] are good at providing an experience that is narrow but complete, while our commitment to choice often comes with some compromises to the end-to-end experience. Today, we’re changing the way we work with hardware vendors to ensure that we can provide complete experiences with absolutely no compromises. We’ll do the same with phones—providing choice as we work to create great end-to-end experiences.

In the interview with Ann Winblad, a partner at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Ballmer neatly about-faced this position. Discussing current market-leader Nokia’s 30% position, Ballmer stated, “If you want to reach more than that, you have to separate the hardware and software in the platform.” This, obviously, is the same model that propelled Microsoft to dominance in desktop computing with the Windows OS, and it is exactly what Ballmer vowed to Think Different about in his memo!

Back to our regular stream of iPhone posts for a minute, but if you’ve been wondering how the iPhone sizes up to the competition, we’ve put together a comparison using Sizeasy. Enjoy.