Historical quotes by Bill Gates, may 31 1999
At the same time—and many who doubt the PC's staying power
miss this point—the PC itself will be getting more powerful,
more reliable and simpler to use.
Miss the point. LOL. LOL again. And again. And again.
But I'm betting Microsoft's future on it.
And he lost!
Those who want to read the whole story, it's
below. Bill really don't understand what the net is all
about. A few weeks ago I told that the net is not about
connecting, it's about integration. The internet gives
us ONE virtual computer.
He is talking about functionality. What Oracle's model
is about is cutting away every inch of redundancy on almost
all level. Oracle's model offers exactly the same possibili-
ties and functionality the PC can, only about 100 times easier
to maintain, 100 times cheaper, 100 times more reliable and
I can go on and on.
Bill's statement shows that he really don't understand the
difference between a PC and a NET-PC. Those are really
different things. But the NET-PC is the same as a NC.
He's touting that more PC's have sold this year. NOT!
This year more net-pc's and thus network-computers are
sold. Apple's Imac is a sort of network computer, only
with a nice design.
Why on earth is Michael Dell jumping into total other
business-area's (auction, free ISP's) if the PC (the
real one) has a bright future.
Anyhow, he lost. Have fun reading the stuff!
Computers will take many forms, but there will always be a
place for the all-purpose machine we've come to depend on.
By Bill Gates
Editors Note This article is from Newsweek, May 31, 1999.
© 1999 Newsweek, Inc.
Predicting the imminent demise of the personal computer has
become an annual ritual in recent years—and each year the PC
has defied the prophets of doom.
This year looks set for a repeat performance. Predictions for
first-quarter global sales were bad; the PC era was finally
ending.
In fact, sales grew at a healthy 19 percent annual
rate. Worldwide, well over 100 million PCs will be sold
this year. That means the world now buys almost as many PCs
as color TVs.
The PC has given the average American the kind of computing
power that 10 years ago was found only in large corporations.
Yet people now take this for granted—and want more. They want
to do many of the things they can do on their PC regardless
of where they are or what device they are using—whether
it's a palm-size computer, a Web-enabled cell phone, an Auto
PC or a smart television like WebTV.
A combination of sophisticated software, powerful
microprocessors, wireless technology and high-bandwidth
connectivity, it's about integration is starting
to make that a reality.
For most people at home and at work, the PC will remain
the primary computing tool; you'll still want a big screen
and a keyboard to balance your investment portfolio, write
a letter to Aunt Agnes, view complex Web pages, and you'll
need plenty of local processing power for graphics, games
and so on. But the PC will also work in tandem with other cool devices.
You'll be able to share your data—files, schedule, calendar,
e-mail, address book, etc.—across different machines; you
won't have to think about it; it will be automatic.
If you want to find the best price for a new car—and check
out your budget to see if you can afford it—you'll be able
to do that at the dealership, on the device you have with you. Wherever you are, whatever you want to do, you'll have all the information you need.
At the same time—and many who doubt the PC's staying power
miss this point—the PC itself will be getting more powerful,
more reliable and simpler to use.
Even though the underlying hardware, networks and software
will become more complex, that complexity will be hidden
from users. There will be a simpler user interface that
adapts to your needs, with voice recognition and natural
language processing. There will be "instant-on," so
you won't have to wait for your PC to come to life. When the
PC is at the center of a home network (probably connected to
a broader network that will constantly monitor performance,
update software and download device drivers and the like),
it will be incredibly easy to administer, automatic in
operation and maintenance-free. And the PC will morph into
many new forms, such as book-size "tablet PCs." But they'll
still be PCs underneath, with all the benefits of the universal
PC model.
That model will play a vital role in this new world of any
time, anywhere computing. The PC's high-volume, low-cost
approach will be adopted by many of the new smart devices,
because it offers amazing value to consumers. The
most of innovation is spread widely, so everyone benefits
from billions of dollars of R & D. And the PC's broadly
accepted technical standards—and open Internet standards—mean
that when you buy a new device, you'll know it will
function with your existing equipment.
In this new "PC-plus" era connectivity will be king, and the
PC model's common standards will be more important than ever.
PCs gave the world a whole new way to work, play and
communicate. The PC-plus era will be just as revolutionary.
It will take the PC's power and make it available almost
anywhere, on devices that haven't yet been dreamed
up. Given my job, it's hardly surprising that I'd say this.
But I'm betting Microsoft's future on it. Yep, and
lost.
All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the copyright laws
of the United States. The laws prohibit any copying, redistribution or
retransmission of this material without express written permission from
Newsweek.
|
