Some Things You Just Can't Package zdnet.com
Esteemed ilk sister Mary Jo Foley weighs in on "Kinder, Gentler II: Bill Sings!". Somehow, she shares my skepticism.
On 20/20 in an interview with (the equally unpackagable) Barbara Walters last Friday, Gates tried to put aside the bad attitude which has made him famous and be just one of the guys. Through gritted teeth, Gates talked kids and marriage and even religion. His short-lived rendition of "Twinkle, twinkle" is likely to replace his ill-fated Connie Chung chair jumping spectacle as the CEO's most embarrassing made-for-TV moment.
Oh dear. I actually thought it was cute, after a fashion. At least he didn't do a trio with Barney and Bob. The Three Microsoft Amigos Ride Again!
But there's one big fault in Microsoft's PR logic. Gates is not everyman. He may drive his own car and claim (not all that convincingly) that "my priority in my life is my family," but Gates and his cast of multimillionaires in the making are not just a bunch of boys and girls that wanna have fun.
Those are powerful claims, but they don't jibe exactly with what third-party software vendors and Microsoft's own hardware partners are telling reporters "off the record." (See our first issue cover story on "Microsoft's Secret Power Broker" for all the gory details. ) (http://www.zdnet.com/sr/breaking/980202/980202a.html if you missed it) Hardware vendors are telling tales of Microsoft forcing their hand via software licensing contracts that call for steep price increases and bundling and marketing requirements that stifle innovation and competition.
Steep price increases? But Larry Sullivan has assured us that can't be true! Who are we to believe? Hardware, half the price it was a year ago, and those guys actually have manufacturing costs. Software, going up, except for "free" IE, like "free" beer or cigarettes. Or Reggie's chosen analogy, "free" drugs like you get from your friendly neighborhood pusher. I feel my IE hangover coming on again.
Cheers, Dan. |
