Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, is certain that yet to be released cell phone models will finally be the iPod killer that he has been hoping for. heise online reports that Mr. Ballmer shared his views on Apple's iPod during a management forum in Berlin.

Mr. Ballmer commented "We will soon witness a lot of innovations and changes in portable devices. Portable music is not limited to iPods."

Microsoft has been looking for a product to dethrone the iPod as the dominant portable digital music player, but so far no one has been able to unseat Apple. The company has teamed up with electronics manufacturers in the past to produce MP3 players, and to date, all have come up short.

This time, however, Microsoft thinks things are different. It has already hinted that it will release new products within the next 12 months that have the iPod directly in their sights.

The idea of a powerful and easy to use cell phone and music player combination does have its merits, but right now there are also a few drawbacks. Cell phones tend to have clunky and unfriendly interfaces, and their battery life isn't long enough for extended music listening. Rumors persist, however, that Apple is working on its own iPod cell phone that may be released within the next year. If so, the device would likely be designed with Apple's typical flair and set the bar very high for other cell phone manufacturers.

It is possible that Microsoft, or some other company, will release a product that performs better than the iPod/iTunes Music Store combination, but based on the attempts made so far, that's not likely to happen. Until then, the iPod will get to keep its music player crown.