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the corporation · Feb 17, 2005, 02:59 PM

I always find Gates' response to Apple questions funny.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=506354&page=3

JENNINGS: On the subject of music, I read somewhere that about 80 percent of Microsoft employees who have a music playing instrument or a music playing device use an iPod.

GATES: Well, I doubt that's the case. Certainly, the iPod's a great success.

JENNINGS: Do you have one?

GATES: No, I'm not an iPod user. I use the Creative Zen which is a fantastic product. That's another space where, even what we have today, whether it's iPod or the other things are only the start of what we're gonna have in a few years. People are gonna want choices. These things are going to be smaller or better, cheaper. So, music has changed. The age of the CD is really coming to an end.

JENNINGS: The public likes this tension between you and the others as I'm sure you know. So people want to know do you have an iPod. You say you don't have. Did iPod beat you in this issue?

GATES: Oh the iPod did a great job, but what Apple's done there is typically what they do. It's their, only their one music store, only their device. What we're doing is providing choices. So it's like the Apple computer versus the PC. With the PC you can buy from many companies so you get cheaper prices, you get more variety and here with music devices we're coming in with the same. But they're a strong leader in the space and I think as we gain share, people will be surprised.

JENNINGS: But, it isn't hard for you is it to stand back and compliment somebody else?

GATES: No, particularly Steve Jobs who's done a lot of amazing things in our business.

brapper · Feb 17, 2005, 03:04 PM

how humble of him..

d4nth3m4n · Feb 17, 2005, 03:06 PM

didn't gates pick up 27k or something worth of ITMS songs?

the corporation · Feb 17, 2005, 03:18 PM

Something tells me his kids probably have iPods, though; even more, Gates probably made his wife take them to buy them, too, seeing as how to him, stepping in anywhere to buy an iPod would be like buying tampons made of holy water.

pooka · Feb 17, 2005, 03:50 PM

Originally posted by the corporation:
would be like buying tampons made of holy water.

Hmm.. that give me an idea..

Superchicken · Feb 17, 2005, 04:16 PM

Hehe, I love hearing Steve and Bill talk about each-other... they HATE each-other but they're so... reasonable... twich twich

Kenneth · Feb 17, 2005, 04:21 PM

Is it me or what? I actually enjoy reading the interview. BTW, it's not a DELL Dj. I read from some forums, people either got the iPod or Creative MuVo or DELL Dj.

malvolio · Feb 17, 2005, 04:56 PM

Hehe. I noticed that whenever Jennings asked a tough question, Gates started his answer with "Well,..."

nredman · Feb 17, 2005, 10:20 PM

Originally posted by the corporation:
I always find Gates' response to Apple questions funny.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=506354&page=3

JENNINGS: On the subject of music, I read somewhere that about 80 percent of Microsoft employees who have a music playing instrument or a music playing device use an iPod.

GATES: Well, I doubt that's the case. Certainly, the iPod's a great success.

JENNINGS: Do you have one?

GATES: No, I'm not an iPod user. I use the Creative Zen which is a fantastic product. That's another space where, even what we have today, whether it's iPod or the other things are only the start of what we're gonna have in a few years. People are gonna want choices. These things are going to be smaller or better, cheaper. So, music has changed. The age of the CD is really coming to an end.

JENNINGS: The public likes this tension between you and the others as I'm sure you know. So people want to know do you have an iPod. You say you don't have. Did iPod beat you in this issue?

GATES: Oh the iPod did a great job, but what Apple's done there is typically what they do. It's their, only their one music store, only their device. What we're doing is providing choices. So it's like the Apple computer versus the PC. With the PC you can buy from many companies so you get cheaper prices, you get more variety and here with music devices we're coming in with the same. But they're a strong leader in the space and I think as we gain share, people will be surprised.

JENNINGS: But, it isn't hard for you is it to stand back and compliment somebody else?

GATES: No, particularly Steve Jobs who's done a lot of amazing things in our business.

"It's their, only their one music store, only their device. What we're doing is providing choices."

microsoft - thats all they do is provide choices. my ass.

sugar_coated · Feb 17, 2005, 10:56 PM

We all know what happens when a skunk decides to announce its presence.

Person Man · Feb 18, 2005, 12:04 AM

Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:
didn't gates pick up 27k or something worth of ITMS songs?

What would he do with 27,000 songs?

Ghoser777 · Feb 18, 2005, 12:11 AM

Listen to them.

MacGorilla · Feb 18, 2005, 10:14 AM

By choices he means, "Microsoft choices" and by cheaper hardware, he means "We love hardware manufacturers paying us licensing fees while they kill each other with price wars".

Link · Feb 18, 2005, 06:54 PM

Microsoft ALWAYS provides choices, even if the choices are all the same place.

It's like the episode of I love Lucy where they go to remarry and the same guy that runs the hotel is the sherrif, runs the gas station, and is the fire chief.

Sure, apple only provides one store, but I think it's better than a bunch of the same thing.

Agasthya · Feb 18, 2005, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:
didn't gates pick up 27k or something worth of ITMS songs?

Nah, that was a joke.

During one of the MW Keynotes when Jobs was outlining the success of the iTMS he mentioned that the #1 user on iTMS had bought $27,000 worth of songs and he said that for their privacy he would withhold their identity and someone from the audience yelled "It's Bill Gates, isn't it?"