“Count Melinda and Bill Gates out of the Apple Watch craze,” David Goldman reports for CNN Money.
“Asked by a TMZ reporter this week if she has ‘any interest in the Apple iWatch’ (his words, not ours), Melinda Gates smiled on camera, laughed and said, ‘No, I’m not going to own one,'” Goldman reports.
“Undeterred, the reporter asked about whether her Microsoft-founder husband would be hitting an Apple Store any time soon,” Goldman reports. “‘Does Bill? I mean, you guys have got to check out the competition, right?’ he asked. ‘No, we use Microsoft products,’ Gates answered, still smiling… mostly. ‘Exclusively?’ ‘Exclusively,’ she said.”
MacDailyNews Take: So, one can have all of the ill-gotten gains in the world, give away lots of it in a vain attempt to build a stairway to heaven (even be praised for it by some), and still be a vindictive, pig-headed sore loser.
Bill GatesSo, the man on the street has an iPhone, an iPad, and a MacBook, his wife has the same, his kid has an iPad mini and an iPod touch, and this past Christmas he bought a 27-inch iMac for the family. But, Bill Gates, the world’s richest person, is not only forced by his own ego to use some piece of crap Windows Phone phone (Microsoft never was any good with names), a discontinued Zune, third-rate music services, and an OS that’s an upside-down, backwards Apple Mac knockoff, but his ego also forces him to doom his wife and children to the same frustrating fate. Clearly Melinda envies her friends who allow themselves to use superior iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and soon, Apple Watches.
Gates can afford to have the finest homes and the best cars, but in his very own field, technology, he must settle for second and third-rate hardware and software.
Karma is one sweet bitch!
Bill Gates is stuck using a fake Mac, a Windows Phone phone, and an ill-conceived iPad also-ran, and attempting to squirt his wife and kids with his defunct Zune. There is a God.
The upside is, kids of repressive parents often rebel when they leave the nest and dive head first into everything their parents told them they couldn’t do or have.
Their eldest turns 19 this year, it’ll be interesting to see how well the ingrained conditioning holds.
It’s just crazy-making to think of adolescent rebellion taking the form of owning an Apple Watch or iPhone. How could Bill have gone so wrong? Didn’t he teach them anything?
BRANDING. While I see Bill Gates (he has to support windows, he created it LOL) and MS. Gates (she supports her husband) and the kids (do you want that inheritance or NOT) supporting Windows for now.
Once the kids have any trust money locked in, I can see them rebelling and sporting the latest Apple gear. Especially if Microsoft keeps backing loosing horses in the big races.
Bill, if you are so close-minded that you refuse to admit that any other computing solution might be better than the Microsoft solution in any area of consumer electronics, then you are a sad, sad, little man. If you are handling your philanthropic activities like you are your computing and consumer electronics decisions, then you could do better…a lot better. The new Apple ResearchKit and HealthKit, for instance, will revolutionize medicine worldwide. Rather than waiting for a half-assed, crappy copy from Microsoft, why not use the best tools that are currently available. If Microsoft ever catches up, then you can switch if you like.
Microsoft’s stranglehold on consumers is rapidly losing its grip and the enterprise is next. Two of your last three releases of the Windows OS are universally reviled (Vista and 8), and even W7 is just adequate.
Corporations are tired of paying the Microsoft tax – OS, Office, Exchange, SharePoint, etc. – and many workers would prefer different tools and solutions. A lot of us prefer Apple-based products and services.
He sees no point in supporting his greatest enemy. What would Microsoft investors think if they saw him sporting some AppleWatch Edition or anything from Apple with Apple’s market cap being twice Microsoft’s market cap. Everything Bill Gates has would have to be a Windows product. I can’t say I’d feel sorry for his wife or children for being forced to use Microsoft products because they’re rich beyond most mortal’s comprehension.
Maybe, just maybe, Bill sporting an Apple Watch and an iPhone would serve as a kick in the butt to Microsoft to start producing some quality products. But I really don’t care. I would not want to be Bill G. even with all of his money and stuff. Not being Bill Gates? Priceless.
Of course ol’ Bill won’t buy it. He uses all Microsoft. And while I agree with the fact that Karma is a bitch, well, ask Coca-Cola’s CEO to show himself using a Pepsi t-shirt….
Don’t go that far. Ask a rock band or sports figure sponsoring a determined car brand to be caught driving another car.
It’s all branding. The days of the PC being the king are over. The days of Microsoft supremacy are over. And the days of Bill Gates backing an Apple product is also over.
He already wears his Microsoft Band proudly wherever he goes. He’s says it has much better battery life than AppleWatch and links up a much better to his Lumia.
ottawa, you are kinda right but I will never forget how MS hordes
used to NEVER give us Macsters an even break, ever.
so. just sayin’.
yeah childish, ok then. big deal. good day.
Awwwww c’mon. It’s like asking to choose between the Beatles and the Stones. Both had pretty good music but I like Apple much better. Microsoft used to have some good things, and completely lost their way.
Apple on the other hand had to work that much harder while in an underdog position and has come up with some of the most beautiful and innovative technology known to man.
Time will tell whether Apple will continue to innovate after they suffocate their competitors or will they fade off into oblivion like the fat and lazy romans centuries before us. It’s MUCH more difficult to hold the lead than to come from behind. History has proven it time and time again.
PS, speaking of Microsoft, right click in OS X and press and hold in iOS as good as they do it please, lol.
The Bill and Melinda Fondation should really takle care of this type of suffering among humankind… Even though their particular state of absolutely pityful tech pleasure deprivation be selfimposed …
Wonder when we will be seeing the Microsoft Watch. Of course if will only be available in brown. instead of a Micky Mouse watch face you will have an Alfred E Neuman Face.
He will definitly wait for another 5-7 years untill Microsoft launches its innovative upside down and inside out kind off watch with stylus and kickstand.
This is the most juvenile piece I have ever read. Fortunately the comments are so stupid they make the article sound coherent. All I can say to y’all is grow up. So he supports his company…BFD
You have to own an iPhone for an Apple Watch to be practical. They use Windows phones (obviously) so an Apple Watch wouldn’t do them any good even if they wanted one (and, yes, I suspect that buying an iPhone is even more out of the question for them).
On the bright side, I’m sure they’ve gotten the Microsoft health band thingies.
Of course, why pick on Gates for not buying an Apple Watch? Lots of iPhone owners won’t be buying one either.
For Bill Gates to be seen with an Apple Watch, and therefore an iPhone, would be considered by anyone at Microsoft, or a Microsoft shareholder, as a blatant, devastating, act of disloyalty. The impact of such an act would be hugely disproportional to any personal advantage Bill Gates might derive from using this product.
I read this site for the Apple news. The increasingly juvenile comments by MDN detract from the experience. If there were a similar site curated by grown-ups I would decamp tomorrow.
He’s clearly going to wait till someone knocks up a smart watch in a garage sell the licensing rights to Microsoft and then go back and buy it for a pittance while telling the poor guy it’s pretty useless and how he is doing him a real favour by taking it off his hands so he can pay the rent. Old habits die hard.
Don’t you guys feel a little silly dancing on the grave of failed product and calling out things like Zune, something nobody has talked about in years to make yourselves feel good. Somehow this feels a little more sad. Plus, this is how he makes his money and last time I checked PC has higher market share. At some point point this victory dance starts to look a little petty and childish…
Steve Wozniak buys all brands of gadgets because he’s curious about how they work, and he’s interested in innovation. Bill on the other hand, “it’s all about the money” And if he’s giving his money away while he’s still alive, then how is he still the richest man on earth?
The Microsoft Band is actually not that bad, if I can trust the reviews.
But it currently lacks integration with HealthKit, if I’m not mistaken.
And it’s not available in most of the world either.
Garmin’s VivoSmart looks cool, though, with one week battery life and HealthKit integration.
Of course Gates is going to avoid Apple Watch. Do you expect to see any Apple executive using any MS product in public?
… except of course Apple does, for much of the backoffice stuff that Apple refuses to make themselves. And it’s also obvious that any smart person benchmarks all the competition. Here on fanboy sites, there are too many people proud of declaring a winner even before they get their hands on the Apple product or any of the competitors. That’s pride before the fall, MDN.
No surprise there. Neither will their kids, I guess!
The upside is, kids of repressive parents often rebel when they leave the nest and dive head first into everything their parents told them they couldn’t do or have.
Their eldest turns 19 this year, it’ll be interesting to see how well the ingrained conditioning holds.
It’s just crazy-making to think of adolescent rebellion taking the form of owning an Apple Watch or iPhone. How could Bill have gone so wrong? Didn’t he teach them anything?
Looks like rich guys even get the best type of acting out by their kids.
The 19 year old is up against a genetic wall that may prove immutable to any such rebellious attempt.
That is why Gates & Co are always behind the curve.
They aren’t first or early on new products & can’t learn early when they don’t even try out the competitor’s products.
Some MS developers are into the Apple Watch early, though, as they are releasing apps for the Apple Watch.
It is this “Only look at Microsoft” mindset that has hobbled Microsoft.
BRANDING. While I see Bill Gates (he has to support windows, he created it LOL) and MS. Gates (she supports her husband) and the kids (do you want that inheritance or NOT) supporting Windows for now.
Once the kids have any trust money locked in, I can see them rebelling and sporting the latest Apple gear. Especially if Microsoft keeps backing loosing horses in the big races.
Just a thought.
Bill, if you are so close-minded that you refuse to admit that any other computing solution might be better than the Microsoft solution in any area of consumer electronics, then you are a sad, sad, little man. If you are handling your philanthropic activities like you are your computing and consumer electronics decisions, then you could do better…a lot better. The new Apple ResearchKit and HealthKit, for instance, will revolutionize medicine worldwide. Rather than waiting for a half-assed, crappy copy from Microsoft, why not use the best tools that are currently available. If Microsoft ever catches up, then you can switch if you like.
Microsoft’s stranglehold on consumers is rapidly losing its grip and the enterprise is next. Two of your last three releases of the Windows OS are universally reviled (Vista and 8), and even W7 is just adequate.
Corporations are tired of paying the Microsoft tax – OS, Office, Exchange, SharePoint, etc. – and many workers would prefer different tools and solutions. A lot of us prefer Apple-based products and services.
Gotta eat your own dog food to improve it. 😀
Bill looks like a Timex sort of guy.
Actually, Bill is a sundial kind of guy.
LOL He fits right in with Ballmer who used to hawk computers like a used car salesman. The video is hilarious and can be seen here: http://www.businessinsider.com/windows-is-officially-30-years-old-2013-11?op=1
If anyone needs any conclusive proof of this guy’s lack of taste and style : look no further than his long sported haircut…
Pride does a lot to cloud judgement.
He sees no point in supporting his greatest enemy. What would Microsoft investors think if they saw him sporting some AppleWatch Edition or anything from Apple with Apple’s market cap being twice Microsoft’s market cap. Everything Bill Gates has would have to be a Windows product. I can’t say I’d feel sorry for his wife or children for being forced to use Microsoft products because they’re rich beyond most mortal’s comprehension.
Maybe, just maybe, Bill sporting an Apple Watch and an iPhone would serve as a kick in the butt to Microsoft to start producing some quality products. But I really don’t care. I would not want to be Bill G. even with all of his money and stuff. Not being Bill Gates? Priceless.
The NO SH_T SHERLOCK award of the year goes to this guy.
Robber barons gotta do what robbeer barons gotta do.
Argh. I hate typos I can’t correct.
And there’s the attack of Captain Obvious again!!
Of course ol’ Bill won’t buy it. He uses all Microsoft. And while I agree with the fact that Karma is a bitch, well, ask Coca-Cola’s CEO to show himself using a Pepsi t-shirt….
Don’t go that far. Ask a rock band or sports figure sponsoring a determined car brand to be caught driving another car.
It’s all branding. The days of the PC being the king are over. The days of Microsoft supremacy are over. And the days of Bill Gates backing an Apple product is also over.
You think those basketball players actually drive those small cars they came they can fit into?
He already wears his Microsoft Band proudly wherever he goes. He’s says it has much better battery life than AppleWatch and links up a much better to his Lumia.
Microsoft Band?
Thought that was reserved for their company picknics.
One of those stretchy rubber wrist bands, that comes in a variety of colors, with the Windoze logo, and WWBGD imprinted in it. 😀
Duh
I CAN’T WAIT till I see a post from Bill Gates that say “Sent from my iPad” on the bottom of it.
That is a post that he didn’t mean to send from his iPad.
I sure like the response by Mrs. Gates: “”No, we use Microsoft products,” Gates answered, still smiling … mostly.”
I can just imagine Mrs. Gates asking Cortana…”Is it in yet?”
It’s so Micro….and soft.
Who really gives a crap? This is not news.
Wow, sometimes I keep forgetting how remarkably petty MDN can be…and how dismissive of the Gates Foundation’s remarkable work. Seriously, GROW UP.
ottawa, you are kinda right but I will never forget how MS hordes
used to NEVER give us Macsters an even break, ever.
so. just sayin’.
yeah childish, ok then. big deal. good day.
Yeah, not only we are MS haters but we are also complete idiots, as it seems to be the case.
Awwwww c’mon. It’s like asking to choose between the Beatles and the Stones. Both had pretty good music but I like Apple much better. Microsoft used to have some good things, and completely lost their way.
Apple on the other hand had to work that much harder while in an underdog position and has come up with some of the most beautiful and innovative technology known to man.
Time will tell whether Apple will continue to innovate after they suffocate their competitors or will they fade off into oblivion like the fat and lazy romans centuries before us. It’s MUCH more difficult to hold the lead than to come from behind. History has proven it time and time again.
PS, speaking of Microsoft, right click in OS X and press and hold in iOS as good as they do it please, lol.
Who the F*** cares!
The Bill and Melinda Fondation should really takle care of this type of suffering among humankind… Even though their particular state of absolutely pityful tech pleasure deprivation be selfimposed …
” … and attempting to squirt his wife and kids with his defunct Zune. There is a God.”
World Class! Kudos!
Wonder when we will be seeing the Microsoft Watch. Of course if will only be available in brown. instead of a Micky Mouse watch face you will have an Alfred E Neuman Face.
He could wear one in one of the MicroSoft stores and no one would notice!
Let them wear their MS-watch:
http://www.journaldugeek.com/2014/06/30/la-montre-de-microsoft-pourrait-arriver-en-octobre/
He will definitly wait for another 5-7 years untill Microsoft launches its innovative upside down and inside out kind off watch with stylus and kickstand.
I don’t care if these two wear one or not. I really don’t care if Ballsmear wears one either. lol
This is the most juvenile piece I have ever read. Fortunately the comments are so stupid they make the article sound coherent. All I can say to y’all is grow up. So he supports his company…BFD
You have to own an iPhone for an Apple Watch to be practical. They use Windows phones (obviously) so an Apple Watch wouldn’t do them any good even if they wanted one (and, yes, I suspect that buying an iPhone is even more out of the question for them).
On the bright side, I’m sure they’ve gotten the Microsoft health band thingies.
Of course, why pick on Gates for not buying an Apple Watch? Lots of iPhone owners won’t be buying one either.
I actually liked the MDN take on this. It doesn’t happen too often.
Grow up!
For Bill Gates to be seen with an Apple Watch, and therefore an iPhone, would be considered by anyone at Microsoft, or a Microsoft shareholder, as a blatant, devastating, act of disloyalty. The impact of such an act would be hugely disproportional to any personal advantage Bill Gates might derive from using this product.
I read this site for the Apple news. The increasingly juvenile comments by MDN detract from the experience. If there were a similar site curated by grown-ups I would decamp tomorrow.
He’s clearly going to wait till someone knocks up a smart watch in a garage sell the licensing rights to Microsoft and then go back and buy it for a pittance while telling the poor guy it’s pretty useless and how he is doing him a real favour by taking it off his hands so he can pay the rent. Old habits die hard.
So when Windows Phone (2% market share) drops dead like the Zune, they won’t have a cell phone at all?
Ah, now I know why they HAD to buy Nokia to keep Win Phone alive….
Don’t you guys feel a little silly dancing on the grave of failed product and calling out things like Zune, something nobody has talked about in years to make yourselves feel good. Somehow this feels a little more sad. Plus, this is how he makes his money and last time I checked PC has higher market share. At some point point this victory dance starts to look a little petty and childish…
Steve Wozniak buys all brands of gadgets because he’s curious about how they work, and he’s interested in innovation. Bill on the other hand, “it’s all about the money” And if he’s giving his money away while he’s still alive, then how is he still the richest man on earth?
Do you think Steve jobs used android?
Why would *anyone* use android? Steve Jobs did not even acknowledge android.
The Microsoft Band is actually not that bad, if I can trust the reviews.
But it currently lacks integration with HealthKit, if I’m not mistaken.
And it’s not available in most of the world either.
Garmin’s VivoSmart looks cool, though, with one week battery life and HealthKit integration.
Of course Gates is going to avoid Apple Watch. Do you expect to see any Apple executive using any MS product in public?
… except of course Apple does, for much of the backoffice stuff that Apple refuses to make themselves. And it’s also obvious that any smart person benchmarks all the competition. Here on fanboy sites, there are too many people proud of declaring a winner even before they get their hands on the Apple product or any of the competitors. That’s pride before the fall, MDN.