“The rise of China combined with failing US education and tough visa systems means the US must surrender its superpower status and adopt a more multicultural worldview. That’s according to Bill Gates, Microsoft chairman, who said the US is failing to turn out sufficient numbers of computer science graduates or to attract enough talent from abroad to maintain its edge at a time when China is becoming ‘the pace-setter for a lot of things,'” Gavin Clarke reports for The Register.
Clarke reports, “Interviewed by veteran talk show host Charlie Rose, Gates made it clear that China’s rise does not mean the US loses out, but riches and wealth from innovation get spread around more. Grilled by Rose over Microsoft’s own spotty track record on innovation… [and] asked to rate other innovators and their innovations, Gates gave Apple Computer’s iPod two thumbs up. Fresh from launching Microsoft’s iPod rival Zune this week, Gates said the iPod was ‘phenomenal, unbelievable, fantastic’ – something the market had latched on to. Microsoft’s goal with Zune is ‘more modest’ than replacing the iPod, Gates said. ‘It’s a growing market… we can get some of the new users and some of the switchers. We need to excite people about the concept – the idea of sharing’ music and video through Zune’s built-in WiFi, he said.”
Full article here.
“There’s nothing that the iPod does that I say, ‘Oh, wow, I don’t think we can do that.'” – Bill Gates, September 07, 2004.
Related articles:
Bill Gates’ sarcasm regarding Apple iPod: ‘Oh, wow, I don’t think we can do that’ – September 07, 2004