Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ company may constantly belittle Microsoft in its ads, but in all accuracy, there’s a lot of love between the companies. A large number of Macs run Windows installs via boot camp. And a large number of Windows users interact with Apple products such as the iPods and iPhone.
Tag Archive: Bill Gates
Bill Gates Says Steve Jobs is Inspirational
Will the PS3 Slim Restore Sony and Change the Gaming Industry?
With sales sharply down this year for all gaming consoles, even the surprisingly successful Wii, I’m starting to wonder if the market for consoles is fundamentally changing again, and whether folks are, like they did about a decade and a half ago, simply shifting their interests elsewhere.
One of the ways to restore excitement in a hardware market is to refresh the hardware and come up with something new and sexy. But game consoles aren’t like traditional hardware. They historically exist in a razor-blade-thin segment where the software (games) subsidizes most of the hardware. The Wii was the exception, in that it actually wasn’t a loss leader. Even at its aggressive retail price, it actually made money for Nintendo, which appeared to generate more profit than Sony and Microsoft combined. This really makes me wonder if the old model is dead.
CES Kicks Off
Las Vegas is itself a symbol of hope, blooming in the dry Nevada desert. But as the credit crunch continues to bite hard, the Consumers Electronics Show 2009 promises to shine bright among the economic blight.
Gary Shapiro, head of the Consumer Electronics Association that stages CES, told the BBC:
"It will be a bright spot compared to the uncertainty in the rest of the economy."
Some 130,000 people are expected to attend, down 10,000 over last year, but still an impressive figure. Over 2,700 companies have paid to be exhibitors in the 1.7 million square feet of space CES will occupy – although later today will see how many show up.
Logitech Produces Billionth Mouse
A billion of anything is a lot, and the billionth computer mouse has rolled off the production line at Logitech, as the device itself celebrates its 40th birthday next week.
Logitech’s general manager Rory Dooley told the BBC:
"It’s rare in human history that a billionth of anything has been shipped by one company. Look at any other industry and it has never happened. This is a significant milestone."
The company has begun a competition to find that billionth mouse, with clues as to where it is posted on the company blog, and $1000 in Logitech products going to the winner.
Obama Will Appoint U.S. CTO
Chief technology officer has a ring about it. But the US will have one soon, as President-elect Barack Obama confirmed he will create the post after taking office. It’s a promise he made during his campaign.
The US CTO will have to ensure the government systems adhere to policy and function well, in addition to planning for the nation’s technological future.
The Obama team said:
“Obama will appoint the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to ensure that our government and all its agencies have the right infrastructure, policies and services for the 21st century.”
Windows 7 Gets Pre-Beta Release in October
Microsoft has confirmed that attendees of its upcoming WinHEC and Professional Developer Conference will receive “pre-beta” versions of its forthcoming Windows 7 operating system. The Professional Developer Conference (PDC) is scheduled for October 27–30 in Los Angeles; WinHec follows a week later.
“Attendees will be among the first to receive the pre-beta build of Windows 7,” write Microsoft marketing manager Denise Begley in a PDC blog. “Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to attend 21 different sessions that drill down into the details of developing for Windows 7.
Microsoft Ads Embrace Apple’s I’m-a-PC Tag
After rolling out a pair of commercials featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld in somewhat offbeat—and somewhat poorly received—sketches, Microsoft is kicking off the second stage of its $300 million attempt to recapture the public conversation about the Windows brand. And the ads will do it by embracing the "I’m a PC" label created by Apple in its long-running Mac vs. PC advertising campaign, in which PCs have been (ably) personified by comedian John Hodgman.
Is That The Conquistador? They Run Tight.
Well, you’ve got to give Microsoft one point: they didn’t produce a conventional television ad.
Software giant Microsoft has kicked off its $300 million ad campaign to promote its Windows Vista operating system with a spot featuring comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Microsoft founder Bill Gates having a chance meeting at a fictional store called Shoe Circus, Seinfeld helping Gates into a pair of size 10 “Conquistadors,” and Bill Gates “adjusting his shorts” as a signal Microsoft has big things in the works. The ad is available via Microsoft’s Web site using the company’s Silverlight technology; copies are also popping up on YouTube.
Steve Jobs’ Obituary Sent Out By Mistake
In one of those Mark Twain moments, the news of Steve Jobs’ death has been greatly exaggerated. His obituary was accidentally sent out to clients by Bloomberg News wire, marked “Hold for release – Do not use.”
But the Apple boss, who was treated for pancreatic cancer in 2004, is still very much alive.
The 2,500 word piece, which left the age and cause of death blank, described Job as a man who “helped make personal computers as easy to use as telephones, changed the way animated films are made, persuaded consumers to tune into digital music and refashioned the mobile phone.”
IE8 Beta 2 Now Available
There’s no final release date set yet, but Microsoft has made the Beta 2 of its new IE8 browser available for download by consumers – folling up on the promise by Bill Gates that it would be available before the end of August.
With a smart address bar that uses previously typed URLs to predict a requested address, better tabbed browsing and the previously-disclosed In Private privacy feature, IE8 offers a lot of improvement over its predecessor, and will be more standards compliant.
James Pratt, a senior product manager in the IE development team, told Computerworld:
