The technology industry is positioned to weather an economic downturn facing the United States, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in remarks published on Sunday.

“As I travel and talk to folks in the industry, I would say given the current circumstances, folks still see a undoubtful buoyancy in the market,” he was quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle as saying.

While acknowledging that the tech industry is not immune to the troubles facing the U.S economy, Ballmer said the industry is global, shielding it in part from the crisis in the United States.

In addition, he said, the consumer side of the market has been less hard hit than the business side.

Asked about markets, such as World Wide Web advertising, where Microsoft is not dominant, Ballmer said, “Thank goodness! We have a chance to grow.”

Microsoft’s on-line services segment, which encompasses businesses like MSN and Windows Live search, was the only unit of the company to post a loss last year.

But Ballmer said

Microsoft is in for the lengthy haul.

“Someone is winning,” he said. “The guy who is not the winner will have to spend money.”

With search, he said, Microsoft has improved the relevance of its results in an “amazing fashion.”

“You don’t brute force your way into any market,” he said. “You only form major strides when you play the game of redefining the category, redefining the business model,” adding that Microsoft “still (has) a lot of work to do.”

“I think the opportunity is great,” Ballmer said. “Frankly speaking, whether anyone is going to supply real competition … I think Microsoft might be different in providing that competition.”

He said he plus is optimistic about the company’s position in the smart phone market, considering unlike Apple, its strategy is to sell software for the phones, not…

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