Guest FourAces Posted January 27, 2012 Posted January 27, 2012 It shows a very quick peek at the two tech giants relationship. -------------------------------- In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Bill Gates sat down to talk, among other things, about his relationship with Steve Jobs. Gates recalled his often up and down relationship with Jobs changing somewhat after the launch of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2007: “Steve and I did an event together, and he couldn’t have been nicer…I got a fair bit of time with him in his last year.” When Gates ultimately learned of Steve’s medical condition, he wrote him a letter: “I told Steve about how he should feel great about what he had done and the company he had built. I wrote about his kids, whom I had got to know…There was no peace to make. We were not at war. We made great products, and competition was always a positive thing. There was no [cause for] forgiveness.” After Jobs’ passing, Gates said he received a phone call from Laurene Powell, Jobs’ wife, who told Gates Walter Isaacson’s biography did not accurately depict the mutual respect between the two: “She said: ‘Look, this biography really doesn’t paint a picture of the mutual respect you had.’ And she said he’d appreciated my letter and kept it by his bed.” Gates also talked about Jobs’ work in general, calling him an “incredible genius,” but also noting many times Jobs’ would say critical things about him: “Steve was an incredible genius who contributed immensely to the field I was in. We had periods, like the early Macintosh, when we had more people working on it than they did. And then we were competitors. The personal computers I worked on had a vastly higher [market] share than Apple until really the last five or six years, where Steve’s very good work on the Mac and on iPhones and iPads did extremely well. It’s quite an achievement, and we enjoyed each [other’s work]….He spent a lot of his time competing with me. There are lots of times when Steve said [critical] things about me. If you took the more harsh examples, you could get quite a litany. Quote
Guest EXPAT Posted January 27, 2012 Posted January 27, 2012 I think comparing these two men will be the study of many academics for centuries to come. Now everyone knows that I have a bias now toward Apple products and solutions and I can't stand anything Microsoft produces. But to be fair to Microsoft they have a huge legacy to deal with and that makes what they do much more difficult. But I think Microsoft is going to have to face the fact that they need to "re-start" their operating system at some point to make it much more secure. The difference in approach of Apple and Microsoft is also fascinating to me. Microsoft is now the giant legacy company that is limping along. I suspect that Apple may get there as well if they don't find a way to maintain creativity and that is the toughest challenge frankly that any high growth tech company has. It will be fascinating to watch. Meanwhile I tend to avoid Microsoft at all costs now that I'm fully an Apple convert. Quote
Members JKane Posted January 28, 2012 Members Posted January 28, 2012 For me it all comes down to the Gates foundation vs. the fuck-all Jobs has done for the world or even most of the people who made him rich. Quote
caeron Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 My opinion is that neither Apple nor Microsoft will be important for the next wave of computing (consumer/desktop anyway). It will all be browser based, and Google will be in the driver's seat. Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Once quantum computers are commercialized the I think another major company will emerge. There is nothing in my life that excites me than witnessing advances in technology. Quote
Members JKane Posted February 10, 2012 Members Posted February 10, 2012 For me it all comes down to the Gates foundation vs. the fuck-all Jobs has done for the world or even most of the people who made him rich. Anybody see the stuff about the FBI file on Jobs? Sounds like they drew some of the same conclusions I have... Quote
Guest EXPAT Posted February 10, 2012 Posted February 10, 2012 You are probably right about their philanthropic work. Be that as it may, Microsoft products suck and Apple products rock and they always work without all of the garbage that comes along with the MS environment. I will NEVER go back to anything Microsoft. They just have too much baggage that you need to deal with every time an MS system turns on. Never again. . . .IMHO Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 11, 2012 Posted February 11, 2012 Well once quantum processors are commercialized then I think another tech company will emerge as a new star. Quote
