J Allard Leaving Microsoft? Pouch Him! Somebody!

J Allard has been largely responsible for Microsoft's Xbox effort.  Because of this move, Microsoft has a sneaky way of getting into the leaving room when all the other efforts have not been successful.  Well, they're downright failures but that's another blog entirely.

The word is that J is unhappy with the lack of Microsoft's response to the iPad.  Well, there is a response but probably not the one J was looking for.  Redmond killed off Courier.  

The prevailing theory among bloggers and most Apple fans is that after Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad and what it can do is widely publicized, Microsoft shelved the Courier project and like went back to the drawing board or is just waiting for Windows Phone 7 to be ready to mount a challenge.

Whatever the reason, J, while officially still listed as Microsoft employee, isn't going to return after a leave of absence.

So, if I'm Google, HP, or even Apple, I'll find out the circumstances of this development and do everything I can to get him to join up.  WebOS, Android, and iPhone will be hacking out for years to come and having someone of J's caliber, smartz, and experience would be a huge asset in current mobile war and the coming living room war.  

Yeah, I think he's that important and he can change the tide really fast.

For HP, J's experience could be invaluable to anything they want to stick WebOS in.  Tablets, phones, netbooks.

For Google, J can help shake the hardware development.  I'm sure a true gPhone is an option at Mountainview.  Oh, and there's Google TV that J's Xbox experience can really help out a lot.

For Apple, J can really transform Apple TV and bring it out of its hobby shell.

So, it'll be really interesting to see where our good friend J Allard ends up.

More at Electronista.