Michael,
I posted this on the Intel thread and there was very little comment there. I think some important and significant comments were made and wonder what this thread might have to say about this.
"Gates Law"
biz.yahoo.com
Wednesday December 31, 8:30 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Diamond Technology Partners
New Magazine Unveils 'Gates' Law,' Bill Gates' Vision of the Future Ubiquity of Information
Context, a new business magazine focusing on the impact of technology on business,
features Bill Gates' perspective on the future of technology
CHICAGO, Dec. 31 /PRNewswire/ _- With 1998 rapidly approaching, experts predict the
pace of technological change will continue to accelerate during the coming years,
having widespread implications for how corporations will conduct business. Context, a
new quarterly business magazine focusing on the strategic uses of technology, features an
exclusive interview with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates in the cover story of its premiere
issue. Gates discusses his views on the coming widespread availability of information
and how this will fundamentally change the way businesses compete in the future.
Dubbed ''Gates' law'' by Context editor-in-chief Paul Carroll, a partner at consulting firm
Diamond Technology Partners, the article states that within a decade, business information
will become available to everyone, transforming the way corporations compete.
If you've followed information technology, you're bound to have heard of Moore's law,
which states that the processing power ofcomputer chips will double every 18 to 24
months. When Gordon Moore, Intel's chairman emeritus, made this observation back in
1965, he had no idea just how accurate it would be. But now, more than 30 years after he
formulated it, we can see that Moore's law has been incredibly accurate.
''Unlike Moore's law, which has taken several decades to prove itself, we'll know whether
Gates' law proves as accurate much sooner than many businesses would like,'' says Carroll.
''Those companies that fail to keep up with the breakneck advances in information
technology will find that the new millennium could bring the end instead of a new
beginning.''
Gates' law
''Imagine,'' Gates tells Carroll, ''that information was just totally available. All the information you wanted about what is going on with customers, the market, resources, and possible partnerships was totally available to you. In 10 years, you'll just take it for granted.''
''Knowing something your competitor doesn't can provide critical advantages in a highly
competitive environment. With Gates' law of ubiquitous information, it will be very difficult
for one company to have access to information that its competitors don't,'' says Carroll.
''So the companies that survive and prosper will be those that do the best jobs of using this
information to their advantage.''
Will all of this information be free? No, according to Gates. But executives ''will be able to
take advantage of the incredible building blocks that are out there'' to make changes to
improve business, such as making it easier for customers to give them feedback and
tailoring their dealings with customers, suppliers, and others to become more responsive
and efficient. ''It's not like just one company will figure out how to do it. But between now
and 10 years out, there will be a few who get it faster than the others,'' says Gates.
Myhrvold's Corollaries
Along with Gates' law of ubiquitous information, the article also offers a sidebar of
observations by Microsoft's chief thinker-in-residence, Nathan Myhrvold. Myhrvold makes
three predictions:
First, all electrical appliances will become ''smart,'' i.e., have a central processor, some
memory, and so on. Second, much as today, users' expectations will continue to outstrip
reality, so customers will continue to gripe about their computers' performance. And third,
even more than today, the demands that software makes on computing resources will
continue to be just beyond what is available.
SOURCE: Diamond Technology Partners
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Barry |
