Bill Gates thinks the iPad needs a keyboard, Disney CEO loves it as it is
By Vlad Savov 
posted February 11th 2010 6:24AM
posted February 11th 2010 6:24AM
Unimpressed by the iPad, Bill goes on to say that he considers it a "nice reader," but not something that made him wish Microsoft had done it first. Don't tell that to Disney CEO Robert Iger though, who brings out the dreaded "game changer" tag when describing the potential he sees in the iPad for the creation of "essentially new forms of content." Lest we forget, Steve Jobs also sits on the Disney board, so this could be just a friendly tip of the hat by Iger. Either way, we're curious to see what new content Disney might scratch up, as well as to find out who's right in this newfound binary question: keyboard-equipped netbooks or longevous, ultrathin tablets -- what say you?"You know, I'm a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen and a real keyboard - in other words a netbook - will be the mainstream on that."
who would you rather listen to?
Bill gates Founder and Ex-CEO of Microsoft, a dude who actually knows computers...
or Disney, the Producers of Grey's anatomy
...eh?
@Vanillacide Plus it'll help HTML5 embedded video spread. Mind you, what would you prefer the open source ogg theora or h.264? I'm on the fence for that one
@Raio
Could people stop this "it'll help spread HTML5" myth...I went to Vimeo, right clicked and was able to download a video. Youtube has better security, but not that much better. Until there's a foolproof way of protecting these files HULU and it's backers and even Disney will NOT use it for content delivery.
Netbooks FTW!
@Raio Bill Gates famous for his invention... BASIC programming language for the Altair. He knows computers.
How about the iPad has a keyboard... and then so its easier to carry around it can fold up? Brilliant. Microsoft NotePad Zune HD ediiton coming next fall.
@Raio
The current head of Disney as a content provider over the ex-CEO of a software/hardware company. Gates is a geek at heart anyway, and probably thinks a device should have as much stuff crammed into it as possible (without being aware of it). Just my 2 cents.
@jessicaroinz
Do you read what you write? a 10" Diagonal Camera is not something I am going to want to hold up and take pictures with. Also, if you are talking about a front facing camera, no one wants to see up your nose, it's not cool at all. The position you would be using this in, a front facing camera is not viable, and the size of the device, it's not a item you would use to take photos.
The Wifi 3G models do have AGPS built it.
As for cannibalizing sales, hardly. It's a complete different device for a completely different purpose. It's a sofa computer, or on the go but don't need a laptop computer. It's a I'm going to be on an international plane flight and I would like to read, but getting out my laptop and having to plug it in halfway to my destination is going to be noisy and a pain, i'll just use this really slim device that will last the whole way there.
Use your head for one second other than to hold your ears apart. Everyone wants a ... More no one wants to see up your nose, it's not cool at all. The position you would be using this in, a front facing camera is not viable, and the size of the device, it's not a item you would use to take photos.
@Vanillacide very true, but I don't see it being too much of hardship for the likes of the BBC to move to HTML5 video tagging since they already have the applicable h.264 streams. Anyway, HTML5 tagged video viewed on the iPhone/iPod touch is shoved into the built-in QT player. That's one of the benefits of not embedding everything in Flash. (Can you tell I'm not the hugest fan of Flash?).
@Tes
On a trusted platform like the iPhone or iPad there's not much need for local DRM. The app won't allow you to save the files. Apps to modify the original binary iPlayer or Hulu app (or whatever) for local saving wouldn't be allowed. That just leaves jailbreakers who are qualified enough to steal the content one way or another but they're a small enough minority that it doesn't really matter. They exist on the PC side bypassing high tech Flash DRM via the analog hole and other methods.
@Raio
well I remember when Bill Gates said the Internet would not be big but portals such as conpuserve and prodigy would the way it would go.... Lol
@(Unverified)
Then what on Earth has all this to do with Flash vs. HTML5? People keep flitting back and forth depending on what their championing on any given day. The BBC and Youtube both have iPhone apps...nothing to do with HTML5. People say the iPad will DRIVE HTML5 adoption...then cop out and say it'll be a native app and so therefore it doesn't matter. If it's not a native app, it'll have to be a website...one that's accessible to every web browser on Earth...including ones that will easily download content. Which is it?
@Raio
Bill Gates said the same thing about smartphones
@Raio Neither one of them.
Why? Because they just speak for their own good/profit.
Billie will always choose microsoft's side as the founder and ex CEO of it no matter how good or bad a product is and the disney dude is probably having orgasms on the idea that he can spread his disney-content through apple's closed environment with some nasty DRM.
So, no (ex-)CEO has to tell me what's the best device for my needs.
@Vanillacide
"No it does, BBC iPlayer's HTML4 page simply recognises an iPhone/iPod and streams H.264 to the trusted device if a thumbnail is pressed; unlike if it detects PCs/Macs when it presents H.264 via Flash plug-in"
Right and this has been exploited every-which way. This is why sites like Hulu don't use these methods. If you visit a site like DigitalSpy, you'll see the BBC is constantly plying catch up with the ripping software. See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT_ozJKaKgc&feature=response_watch
For them it's a game of cat and mouse, but because the content must remain free to UK licence payers there's only so much they can do. Do you really see Disney allowing their content to be so freely accessed?
@Raio
G-G-G-Gaaaaame Chaaaaangeeeeeer......
@Raio
The very fact that Bill Gates has to come out and make such a comment tell me he is concerned that Apple is likely going to have another winner on their hands, while MSFT is running around like a chicken with it's head cut off when it comes to a viable mobile strategy.
Let's not forget Bill Gates also didn't think much about the iphone or ipod for that matter. Apart from Windows, MSFT isn't really blazing a trail anywhere else. The xbox has been subsidized by $billions and is probably the only other platform outside of windows where Microsoft has some presence.
Also, IF netbooks really are the future, then Microsoft with Windows 7 does not have the advantage here. I'd say the balance tilts to Android and Chrome which will be free to hardware vendors...and as well well know, netbooks are all about being the cheapest.
So what exactly is MSFT's game plan here?
It's easy to see that Apple is much better prepared to handle the mobile devices market than microsoft. Apple is doing better with getting the content on their platform and their devices are more appealing to a wider range of people.
While the focus as been on Google v. Apple, the biggest impact of Google will be felt on Microsoft. Apple is a hardware vendor that makes software that is optimized to their system. Apple is hence more like Sony and less like either MSFT or Google, who are primarily software companies.
@Vanillacide
I'm not sure exactly, but it seems to rip the mov file right out of the player. Now obviously, to play on your iPhone it's unprotected. Hulu would never have that.
As it stands Hulu can guarantee to it's content providers that their stuff is safe. Being "better" for us isn't really the point is it? Yeah it would be great for us to have companies try new things that benefit us, but the bottom line is they will do things to protect themselves first. The BBC has a HD option, but this is, quite tellingly, disabled on it's movie content.
People are sitting here trying to second guess the big TV providers. Realistically, not what you would LIKE to see...do you think they would switch to a system where they could not protect their content as much as possible?
@jaffreywali
Yes Microsoft is just too slow and complex to keep pace with Google (Their direct competitor). Look at Android how many updates it had so far. And Apple will always get the gen consumer to take notice of their new toys, something MS been strugling just to do.
@Raio: Robert Iger FTW!
@Raio
Not Bill, that's for sure.
@jaffreywali
-- WinMo is doing just fine. A little long in the tooth but still the favorite for those that are power users. Come Monday we will see the next generation of WinMo. How about reserving judgment for a few more days.
-- I would say that Project Natal is pretty game changing. Whether it gets adopted widely is something we will need to see about. Same goes for the early model of Courier. Both are examples of doing something totally unique and different. Microsoft innovates all of the time.
-- Netbooks have been incredibly successful while the iPad has received a lukewarm reception at best. As Netbooks continue to beef up specs (capability of playing 1080p, more tablet versions with touchscreens, etc) they will find even wider adoption.
-- Sure, some people are fine with Chrome. However, a lot of people are looking for a laptop replacement. Chrome won't cut it. They need access to their suite of Windows based software, VPN capabilities to secure servers, Exchange support, etc. For anyone buying a netbook with aspirations of more than surfing the web and updating their Twitter account, Win7 will be the OS of choice.
@Vanillacide why do you hate on flash? flash is good, and just because hulu runs on the ipad doesnt mean it is any better.
it still cant view half the internet, a netbook killer it is not.
@Raio I think the comparisson is kind of moot, to think of lining up a Disney CEO on a field not on his league. As for the post, One of the reasons why Apple didn’t put the ‘things that we dream about’ for the iPad (GPS, Camera, keyboard, etc) is because it loves dearly — its other products so much (iPhone, iPodtouch, iPod) — Imagine, if Apple put all the ‘good stuff’ inside the iPad? For sure, it’ll cannibalize the sales on their other iDevices, perhaps even on MAC PC/Notebook.
Remember? When iPod touch was release, and people were disappointed ‘coz it has no camera and a GPS. Reason? If Apple put those things, the only difference between it, and the iPhone is the ‘Call/SMS capability’ . Obviously, it’ll hurt the sales of the iPhone.
Let’s just see how this one plays out. An eye opener: http://bit.ly/the-apple-ipad-scrutiny
@Vanillacide
Yepp, in the first print of his book "The road ahead" he didn´t even mention the internet. Bill Gates predicted, in 1996, that the CD-ROM was the future for publishing digital content... turned out not to happen... =)
@Vanillacide There is no source for that quote, and it certainly is not in The Road Ahead. Around the time that book was published was when Bill Gates wrote a very real and very documented memo to everyone at Microsoft called "The Internet Tidal Wave" which is pretty much the exact opposite of what your erroneous and likely fake quote would suggest.
@Tes
It doesn't matter how the content is delivered. With flash, HTML5, or any other technology, there's still the analogue hole.
@Vanillacide
"Back in 2004 Bill Gates said "There's nothing that the iPod does that I say, 'Oh, wow, I don't think we can do that," when he was dismissive of the iPod."
How is that a prediction of the iPod's performance? All he was saying is that Microsoft could do the same thing (and by and large, it has).
You may be right about his dismissal of the internet, but I think you just misinterpreted him on his opinion regarding iPods.
Disney likes the iPad? That's just Goofy!
I'll be here all week.
@Devin They might be taking the Mickey.
I'm here all week too :D
@Devin
@r3loaded
i think you can't duck the charge that the both of you are daffy
i'm leaving now
@Devin
nobody is going anywhere with this mad snow! its like 2ft in philly now
Yaba daba do!
Netbooks FTW! Love my iphone, but will never buy an iPad
@Marko Never say never... :-)
@Marko
Both.
Boring argument, can we move on and just get on with making sexy gadgets. Thanks.
@Marko Are you kidding!!??
lol
I love the ipad!! cant wait to get one!!
And i cant believe how apple have made it so cheap!! (compared to other apple devices! Lets hope it starts a trent!!)
@theevil:
Either you're being sarcastic....or you love an oversized version of a device that already exists (2 times btw) that you've never touched but I imagine once the glory wears off you will realize is just way too limited in every way to allow itself to ever have any sort of usefulness.
Enjoy having to lay the device down flat, rendering it unreadable and covering your screen...or carrying around a bluetooth keyboard and having two large devices to keep track of...or having to dock it thereby completely voiding the idea of a portable pad - all in order to enter some text.
@Marko
I'd take an ultra thin tablet IF AND ONLY IF it runs a real OS and has industry standard input and output interfaces.
@Jordan Just a big iPod Touch?
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2010/01/31/ten-myth-of-apples-ipad-1-its-just-a-big-ipod-touch/
@Marko
Well.. I think iPad will never replace netbook. But netbook won't do what iPad does. They are two different product with different purposes. I have a laptop so I won't buy a netbook but I'm considering iPad for casual internet browsing, gaming, etc.
@trainwrecka
Using roughlydraftwd as some evidence is one step away from quoting Steve Jobs. Even Applinsider would be more unbiased than them, but not by much.
@balthazar
It's not evidence, you fool.
Just another editorial point of view.
@trainwrecka: Thanks for not burying a Roughly Drafted link in a bit.ly wrapper. I might have accidentally clicked the link to crazy town.
Seeing as how netbooks have grown year over year by well over ~150%, I would say that netbooks obviously the mainstream attention.
Well, you can get a keyboard for it, Bill.
I think it's fine as it is. And yeah, I HATE netbooks. They're shitty, plastic notebooks. They are better at NOTHING at all. They cannot do a anything that a laptop can't.
They're just much smaller, some even too small, and are just cheap, stripped versions of netbooks.
@mtnDewFTW And what exactly can iPad do, a netbook can't?!
@mtnDewFTW
As a college student I'm going to have to disagree. Netbooks are MUCH more portable, and the battery life supplies a full day's use without having to find an outlet. And to any who might argue against a netbook, you find me one that starts at $500 for a base model and doesnt compete with the iPad's capabilities. And no, 5,000 fart apps is not an advantage.
An iPad on the other hand is portable but could very easily suffer the fate of the iphone and shatter easily in the college atmosphere (i sell mobile phones and I love the iphone but i see prob a dozen a week shattered)
@Marko Last for 10 hours, mutitouch PCI display, 140,000+ instantly downloadable apps, replace heavy textbooks for students (in some cases help improve they're back muscles), has that simple iPhone UI that people love. /should I keep going?
@mtnDewFTW
Looks like Steve's got himself an engadget alias
@schultz Moreover, a Netbook at least keeps the screen safe when I tuck it in my bag - though I wouldn't expect the iPad to just break, the exposed screen would make me paranoid no end.
And yes, I DO like that I can work on a document while returning an E-mail to my tutor, thank you very much.