Bill Gates
Latest
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XVIII - Gates sez Sony "bricks" would sell well
While we aren't sure if this is just another lashing from the lingering bitterness ole Bill is surely feeling from Sony's most recent criticisms, Mr. Gates has unwillingly volunteered himself for yet another episode of CE-Oh no he didn't. Shortly after praising Apple's iPod, he apparently felt a few brash phrases were in order to bring the world back into balance, and balance he did. In an interview with CNET, Microsoft's chairman explained that he knew very well the pain "of being a year late" -- presumably in regard to how belated the Zune is in hitting the iPod-filled DAP market -- but continued on by stating that he "wouldn't change positions with Sony in a million years" when referring to the Xbox 360's head start in the next generation console race. But fun and games turned staid when Gates remarked that "Sony could make 80,000 bricks, and people would buy them." While we can't quite decipher the true meaning of "bricks," we're fully aware that the stakes have been raised once again, but Sony might try fixing a few lingering problems of its own before crafting a rebuttal this time around.[Via 1UP]
Sony can make 80,000 bricks
In an interview with CNET News, Bill Gates discusses not only where the company is headed with Windows Vista, but also his feelings on where the Xbox 360 is headed. When asked about the demand for the Playstation 3 and how it effects the Xbox 360's sales, Bill stated that he "wouldn't change positions with them in a million years. I mean, we know what it's like to be a year late. We feel great about the position that we're in." Confidence in the brand and overall outlook... that's what I like to hear Billy! And what does the little analyst inside of you think? Is Microsoft handling the 360 how you would, or do you have some advice for the big wigs up in Redmond HQ?
Gates praises iPod, labels Zune a "modest" competitor
When we report on the sayings and sound bites of higher ups at technology companies, we tend to cover them from a negative angle because, as you well know, execs are pretty fond of belittling their opponent's products. The latest exception to this rule comes from none other than Bill Gates, who recently praised Apple's iPod, calling it "phenomenal, unbelievable, fantastic" in front of an audience at Stanford University, California. The timing of these words -- only a few days after the launch of Zune -- would be the most surprising aspect of his speech were it not for Gates' later musings on Microsoft's aim with the Zune. According to Gates, the plan with Zune is "more modest" than total domination of the portable media player market, with Gates elaborating that the company wants to "excite people about the concept" of sharing music and video wirelessly through Zune. Perhaps the company's "problems" in Europe and the lackluster reception towards the current iteration of Zune -- hence the focus on Zune's primary innovation, WiFi -- have calmed Gates, or maybe the iPod franchise has grown so huge that even its main competitors can't conceive of aiming for first place. Either way, we have a feeling that the words contained in emails exchanged between Zune HQ and Gates over the weekend won't be half as measured as those in this speech.
Sony vs Nintendo in the motion sensitive arena
There's been an enormous amount of brouhaha about whether or not Sony added the motion sensitive feature to their controller after Nintendo announced the Wii, or if they had been planning it all along. Now Sony fanboys are claiming, via the YouTube video after the jump, that they had motion sensitive controllers back on the original PlayStation, so Nintendo must have copied the idea from Sony. Nobody seems to notice that it wasn't Sony who made the motion sensitive controller back then. Since it was pre-2000, then it's ancient history, in Net-time.
Foxconn gets into the graphics card business. Huh?
Ok folks, let's do a little role playing: imagine you're some big manufacturing company in Taiwan. Just for argument's sake, call yourself Foxconn Technology Group. Now imagine that your company produces one of the world's most popular gadgets (call it the iPod) for a company in California (call them Apple Computer), and then two Chinese journalists also investigate and then your company later sues them for $3.77 million. Then, a British journalist investigates your factory and confirms that your workers are working in erm, questionable conditions -- and even Apple starts looking into the matter. Upon further reflection of the absurdity of your lawsuit your company rescinds the lawsuit and reduces the damages to one yuan (12 cents). So, here's the question: what is the next logical step in this crazy sequence of events? After studying every successful business guide that we could get our hands on and consulting with everyone from Bill Gates to Steve Jobs, we've discovered that the only possible, rational and meaningful subsequent business move would be to start selling Joan Mirò-inspired NVIDIA graphics cards. Yes, we knew they were coming as of a few months ago -- but no, we don't think that makes it a good idea now.
Microsoft exec avoids confirming Vista release
We should start off by saying that this could be nothing but cautionary corporate-speak, but rather than confirming the scheduled January ship date for Windows Vista -- which is what everyone at the company's annual analyst meeting wanted to hear -- Microsoft exec Kevin Johnson seemingly opened up the door to fresh delay rumors by telling attendees that the beleaguered OS will be released "when it is available." Johnson's comments came as a response to analysts who wanted to know if Vista was still on track for a January release; instead of a simple "yes," however, he told the group that "we are going to ship the product when it is ready, and we are going to take it milestone by milestone." Now, what sounds like a non-denial of further delays could simply be part of a new policy to avoid making specific promises, but following Bill Gates's recent "statistical analysis" that Vista is only 80% likely to ship in January, this development is troubling to say the least. At this point we don't really know what to expect anymore, and since our current XP-powered setup already does everything we need it to, we're getting pretty close to not caring if Vista is ever released at all.
Wil Shipley offers $10,000 bet to Gates that Vista doesn't ship by January
Bill Gates recently stated that he felt Vista had an 80% chance of shipping in January. He even said he'd be glad to delay it if beta testers say so. Apparently, this latest talk of Vista getting kicked back yet again was the last straw on Wil Shipley's back, as he has offered a $10,000 bet to Bill Gates that Vista doesn't ship by January. As you can see from his post, Wil doesn't have a very large spot in his heart for Microsoft, and - discussion of whether Bill will even see this, let alone respond, aside - I think it's a riot that someone has called out the world's largest (and, unofficially: most tardy to the party) software pimp on the planet like this.By Gates' claim of 80%, Wil has 4 to 1 odds. Anyone feel like starting up a GuessVistasReleaseDate.com? Oh wait, Microsoft already did that.[via Daring Fireball]
Gates to headline CES 2007
The Consumer Electronics Association has confirmed that Bill Gates will be a keynote speaker at CES 2007 in Las Vegas. Motorola's Ed Zander and Disney's Robert Iger are also on the keynote playbill. The Microsoft chairman recently announced that he will be stepping down from his daily role in the company at the end of next year, but will continue to work part-time for the software giant he co-founded. Just make sure you report any "part-time" or supplemental income to the unemployment office, Bill!
Vista forecast: 20% chance of delays
If you're one of the many folks eagerly awaiting the January release of Windows Vista, then there's a small-but-not-insignificant chance that you may be in for a letdown -- a 20% chance, actually, according to outgoing Microsoft CTO, lifelong Engadget reader, and occasional video pirate Bill Gates. During a presentation in Cape Town, South Africa, Mr. Gates informed his audience that although there's an 80% probability that the next-gen OS will ship as scheduled, "we've got to get this absolutely right," and stressed that "if the feedback from the beta tests shows it is not ready for prime time, I'd be glad to delay it." Now, we can't imagine that anyone would want to purchase buggy software, so it's reassuring to see that Microsoft is committed to only pushing a polished product out the door, but we have to say that Gates' choice of words here makes him come across as just a little cavalier. Because if he's "glad" to continue frustrating us with these tragi-comic delays, then there's probably quite a few people out there who will be just as glad to stick with their copies of XP out of spite -- or even worse, make the dreaded leap over to Leopard or Linux.[Thanks, Matt and Oliver O.]
Let's face it: Steve will have to step down sooner or later, too
With Gates' bombshell announcement last week that he will be stepping down from his full-time role at Microsoft in 2008 to spend more time with his Gates and Melinda Foundation charity org, I finally came to wonder: how much longer does Steve have at Apple? Both companies were started around the same time and have helped shape the industry as we see it today. That has to be exhausting work, especially for someone like Jobs whose design and management obsessions are now the stuff of legends. Steve already stepped down from his other company, Pixar, so he could spend more time at Apple - but I'm wondering how long that's going to last, and what it means for Apple's future.Plenty of articles are analyzing the impact of Gates leaving Microsoft, as it's a slightly different situation. Bill is their Senior Software Architect, not the CEO - that's Ballmer, and he'll apparently be staying on and doing the same, shall we say, 'bang-up job' he's been doing since he took that throne. But Steve Jobs is Apple's CEO, and famous for the amount of control he exacts over bringing his the company's visions to life. So what would a two-week's notice from Steve mean to Apple and its burgeoning market?Honestly, I don't know, and since I am but a lowly blogger, I'll leave it up to those six-figure analysts who 'are people who know people' to pen those pieces. But before those analysts start earning their keep, TUAW wants to hear your thoughts, dear readers: what do you think it will mean for the future of Apple and their products when Steve needs to call it a day?
Gates to pull back on role at Microsoft in 2008
This isn't specifically Mac news, but it is a name we all know well. Bill Gates has announced that he will be stepping down from his full time role at Microsoft, something that I certainly didn't see coming. So, who will take over? Ballmer? We should be so lucky (think of the comedy potential). No, it looks like the torch has been passed to Ray Ozzie. So long, Bill, and thanks for all the fish.
Gates to spend more time with Bono
Microsoft announced today that Bill Gates will be transitioning out of his current role at Microsoft effective July 2008, though he will maintain an advisory role in a part-time capacity. After his departure, Gates plans to work full time on his chartable foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates, his wife Melinda, and U2 lead singer Bono were jointly awarded Time's Persons of the Year in 2005 for the foundation's humanitarian efforts. Speaking of the move, the webslinger richest man in the world had this to say: "I believe with great wealth comes great responsibility - the responsibility to give back to society and make sure those resources are given back in the best possible way, to those in need ... It's not a retirement, it's a reordering of my priorities." New responsibilities were also relegated to Ray Ozzie -- who will become chief software architect -- and Craig Mundy -- who will take on the role of chief research and strategy officer. Mundy and Ozzie, realizing the comic nature of their names, plan to begin shooting a buddy comedy -- appropriately titled Ozzie and Mundy -- in the fall of 2009.* * That last bit is a joke and not true. Best of luck to Ozzie, Mundy, and Gates.
Bill Gates dropping the day-to-day MSFT grind
Microsoft announced today that Bill Gates -- who's been steering the Microsoft ship for over 30 years -- will be transitioning out of Microsoft, beginning with leaving his day-to-day duties behind to concentrate on playing more Xbox his charitable foundation. Sure, Bill just went to his first E3, and he doesn't have a constant presence in Microsoft's relatively detached Xbox division, but we do know he fields at least five to ten e-mails a week on their gaming plans. I mean, that's gotta count for something. While we're not sure if Sir Bill is a Joystiq reader (yeah, yeah, yeah, we know he reads Engadget), we'd like to think he stops by every once in a while. Maybe he even flames us in the comments (is that you Bill-ionaire360?). Now that he won't be burdened by the drudgery of the day-to-day, maybe he'll kill some time kicking it at Xbox HQ, or rocking Halo 3 at Bungie's new digs. No? Alright, we'll settle for just reading Joystiq daily. See you on XBL, Bill![Via Engadget]
Bill Gates quitting day-to-day duties at Microsoft
We've been harping on Bill Gates and company ever since we learned how to add "M$" to our clever newsgroup diatribes, and he's been doing his geeky thing for much longer than that. But after more than 30 years at Microsoft, Bill Gates says he's going to quit his day-to-day Microsoft duties in 2008 in order to concentrate on the charitable work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He'll stick around as chairman, and we're sure we haven't seen the last of him in a broader sense, but he's not going to be doing any more software architectin', and probably won't have as much time for continuing his series of Engadget interviews. Don't worry Bill, we won't forget about you. We just hope those charitable efforts don't take you away from your true passion: reading Engadget daily like every good knighted billionaire ought.
Sony's Stringer reveals "obsession" over Xbox 360
Making it perfectly clear that even the mightiest CEOs sit up at night fretting over their competitors' products, his highness Sir Howard Stringer recently confessed to having an "obsession" with Microsoft's Xbox 360 after inadvertently mentioning the PS3-rival in an interview with the Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg. Stringer's admission followed what can only be described as a classic Freudian slip, in which he substituted the words "Xbox 360" for "X-Men III" when bragging about the success of Sony Pictures' The Da Vinci Code. After some prodding from Mossberg, Stringer even went on to pay Microsoft founder Bill Gates something of a backhanded compliment, admiring Gates' ability to put a positive spin on setbacks like the constantly-slipping Vista release date while still managing to take shots at the PS3 for its own delayed arrival. So, the obvious question that now presents itself is: who would win in a fight, Gates or Stringer? Comments are on and awaiting your thoughtful analysis.
Stringer: The Xbox 360 is an "obsession"
Well, you know what they say about what to do when you have nothing nice to say ... erm, say that the competing gaming platform (in this case, the 360) is an "obsession"?That's exactly what Sony CEO Howard Stringer had to offer in an interview with Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal recently. While sharing how The Da Vinci Code from Sony beat up on "X-Men 3" (aka The Last Stand) over in Europe, he seemed to mistakenly throw in "Xbox 3" in the stead of Fox's great summer blockbuster hope. Following Mossberg's correction, Stringer is reported to have retorted, laughing, "There's an obsession!"We don't know if he's referring to the media's obsession with the corporate gaming rivalry, his own obsession with the console that would dethrone the PlayStation, or some combination of the two (irony really doesn't help here), but he does seem to at least outwardly admire Bill Gates' salesmanship (as well as his hypocrisy in delaying Windows Vista while lambasting the PS3 delay). Of course, a lot of supposed compliments could go both ways, so we've provided a few handy links below to check out what other "nice" things hardware execs have had to say about their competitors lately. We're sure it's all in good fun.[Thanks, JC & SickNic; also via GameDaily BIZ]See also: Nice words -- "Thanks," "flattered," and "flattering." Not-so-nice words -- "Plagiarism," "no need for PC," "not mainstream for most games," and "same old experiences with new graphics."
Gates on PS3 controller: "not mainstream for most games"
The big man himself piped up about Sony's new controller, and he shares a mentality not uncommon to the rest of the gaming community (judging from the reaction of Tekken 6 using such features).In an interview with MTV, he believes it isn't mainstream enough for most games saying, "It's tough because sometimes you move the controller, and you don't [mean] to fly into the ground. You just want to put the controller down... People aren't that good at totally standing still. Even pilots actually sit in a chair when they do their flying. So there's a lot to be learned about these controllers."Apparently there is. Microsoft would know, considering that they tried it already with the Sidewinder Freestyle Pro which was flagrantly mediocre. Sony's got their work cut out for them with this one. It'll be interesting to see how it's integrated with all of the "mainstream" titles, if at all.
Yes Martha, he looks Bill Gates-ish
When Apple rolled out the new ad campaign, a number of you sent in the tips (thanks!). I hopped online and saw the "virus" ad, which is what Apple apparently wants you to see first. And like most of us, I saw a guy who reminded me of Bill Gates. It's not exact by any means, and there's some guilt by association to be had here (can you mutter Windows PC without thinking of the guy?). Give him credit, Bill does a great job of being Nerd Prime. The actor in the commercial, aside from doing a terrible Bill G-money imitation, does a great job of being an understated Windows geek. OK, so the guy looks as much like Gates as the smiley on Apple's Get A Mac page looks like Microsoft's Bob icon... Now let's see those awesome parody videos/comebacks, Windows lovers!
Steve Jobs: capitalist, Bill Gates: philanthropist
Say what you will about Bill Gates (and I am sure you can say many things), but the man is concerned about the world, and he puts his money where his mouth is. Using the Gates Foundation, Bill has given away more money than either you or I will ever make in our life times (unless you're Bill Gates and you're reading this in your massive mountaintop retreat). But what about his Steveness?Leander Kahney, of Wired News, wonders if Steve deserves his rock-star-like status, given that he isn't known for his charitable works (Leander grants that Jobs might give anonymously). Sure, you have to admire Jobs for having a vision and sticking to it, but shouldn't Gates get more credit for his work?What do you think, readers: are we cutting Steve too much slack, or does he deserve to be put on such a high pedestal?Thanks, AJ Ballou.
Bill Gates runs like a girl
G4TV may be a shell of what TechTV was, but Attack of the Show still has the power to make me laugh out loud (that's LOL for you Internet addicts out there).They recently produced this little skit (Warning: it plays automatically) that spoofs a Stevenote and knocks both Bill Gates and Google. How can you not like it?The Steve Jobs' impression could use some fine tuning but it is still darn funny.Thanks, Jeffbot.
