“At last week’s Corbis Creativity 2.0 panel in Manhattan, Advertising Age columnist Bob Garfield sat down for a private one-on-one with… Bill Gates. The two discussed the likely impact of IPTV on advertising and the distribution of TV content by the major networks’ local affiliate stations. Garfield also asked Mr. Gates about the Apple ads, in which actor John Hodgman plays a character modeled on Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates was not amused,” AdAge.com reports.
Two exchanges are particularly interesting:
Garfield: This is based on pretty much zero data, but it doesn’t seem to me that either Vista’s or Zune’s campaign has so far generated a whole lot of buzz. Are they generating any business?
Gates: Vista’s doing extremely well. Zune has gained a great No. 2 position as a product that’s completely new for us. Vista’s the most-used piece of software there is in the world, and so it has this incredible impact as people talk about how it simplifies things that they’ve done. We’ve seen a much stronger reception in terms of people upgrading the software, buying new PCs than we expected there. I think a lot of that had to do with how much we worked with users in advance and understood exactly what they were interested in.
MacDailyNews Take: Vegas. Darkened hotel penthouse. No nail clippers…
MacDailyNews Note: Microsoft’s Windows Vista is most-certainly not “the most-used piece of software there is in the world.” According to Net Applications’ Market Share, Microsoft’s Windows Vista had 0.93% share (or just a bit more than double Linux’s 0.42%) in February 2007.
Some would have you believe that popularity and market share mean their OS and hardware are the best in the world. By that logic…
1. Budweiser makes the world’s best beer.
2. Ford makes the world’s best car.
3. Dominos makes the world’s best pizza.
4. McDonalds makes the world’s best hamburger.
5. Microsoft makes the world’s best operating system.
– SteveJack, excerpted from “By its very nature Wintel cannot be the best” – MacDailyNews Opinion, September 18, 2002
MacDailyNews Take: There are very few exceptions to the point SteveJack made above: iPod, iTunes Store, and Coca-Cola are about the only ones that spring immediately to mind.
Garfield: I want to ask you one more thing: Those Mac ads — how do you feel about the John Hodgman character?
Gates: I can’t comment on someone else’s ad.
Garfield: OK … but he’s you.
Gates: Yeah, I’m not gonna comment on someone else’s ad.
Garfield: OK, well, Bill Gates, thank you so much for joining us.
(Silence)
Garfield: Can I just have a clean goodbye?
(Silence)
Garfield: OK, can you just say goodbye? Thank you or goodbye or something like that?
Gates: Goodbye.
You just have to listen to the audio (links included in the full article) here.
MacDailyNews Take: Jobs’ “Get a Mac” ads have certainly gotten to emperor Gates; he has no clothes and he knows it. Jobs should triple the campaign’s budget immediately!
FYI: This is why Gates no longer comments on Apple’s ads.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “David N.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Gates dumps Microsoft stock – March 05, 2007
Why Apple’s smart ‘Get a Mac’ campaign drives Bill Gates crazy – March 04, 2007
Gates: ‘Windows Vista’s had incredible reception’ – February 21, 2007
Microsoft’s Gates tries FUD to keep people from switching to Apple’s secure Mac – February 12, 2007
Bill Gates unhinged with Apple envy; Microsoft on path to become high profile casualty – February 06, 2007
Bill Gates has lost his mind: calls Apple liars, copiers; slams Mac OS X security vs. Windows – February 02, 2007
Bill Gates lists Microsoft ‘innovations’ that Apple has offered Mac users for years – January 30, 2007
Gates bristles over Vista, Mac OS X comparisons – January 29, 2007
BusinessWeek: Microsoft’s Windows Vista is ‘slow and dangerous’ – March 15, 2007
Analyst: Microsoft’s Windows Vista is very good for Apple Mac – March 13, 2007
InfoWorld: 9,000 people switch to Apple Mac every day (plus testing ‘Embrace and Extinguish’) – February 28, 2007
Apple takes dead aim at Microsoft’s Windows Vista in latest ‘Get a Mac’ ad (with video) – February 06, 2007
Digit: Don’t buy Vista; Microsoft may be driving millions to stick with XP or move to Apple Mac – February 05, 2007
TIME Magazine: Microsoft’s Windows Vista ‘an embarassment to the good name of American innovation’ – February 02, 2007
Microsoft’s Windows Vista: Five years for a chrome-plated turd – January 30, 2007
Digit: ‘Microsoft’s Windows Vista may be the best reason yet to buy an Apple Mac’ – January 29, 2007
Pioneer Press: Windows Vista shows ‘Apple is an innovation engine; Microsoft, not so much’ – January 29, 2007
Windows Vista disappoints, so get a Mac – January 29, 2007
Microsoft emails reveal serious Mac OS X Tiger envy – January 26, 2007
Analyst: Microsoft’s Windows Vista could be an opportunity for Apple – January 26, 2007
CNET Reviews Windows Vista: Is that all? Clunky and not very intuitive vs. Mac OS X; warmed-over XP – January 24, 2007
Mossberg: Microsoft’s Windows Vista offers lesser imitations of Apple’s Mac OS X features – January 18, 2007
InformationWeek Review: Apple’s Mac OS X shines in comparison with Microsoft’s Windows Vista – January 06, 2007
Apple Macs can run more software than Windows PCs – October 30, 2006
$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
Windows Vista rips-off Mac OS X at great hardware cost (and Apple gains in the end) – June 13, 2006
Computerworld: Microsoft Windows Vista a distant second-best to Apple Mac OS X – June 02, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Buh-bye: Senior Zune exec exits Microsoft – January 31, 2007
Last quarter: Microsoft lost $289 million on Zune, CE devices – January 26, 2007
RealMoney’s Comeau predicts: ‘Microsoft will kill the first Zune media player by midyear’ – December 16, 2006
Thurrott reviews Microsoft Zune: ‘a joke, a travesty, I can’t imagine what they were thinking’ – November 28, 2006
Ihnatko: Microsoft Zune experience about as pleasant as having an airbag deploy in your face – November 24, 2006
TheStreet.com: It’s not looking good for Microsoft’s Zune; bad press may taint brand for years – November 24, 2006
Microsoft’s Zune selling like snotcakes – November 15, 2006
Off-piste for a moment, and in all seriousness…
How much longer has Bill Gates got at Microsoft? When’s his announced retirement date? When will Steve Ballmer be left on his own?
Nero fiddles while Rome burns…
“Vista’s the most-used piece of software there is in the world . . .”
That’s true. But only if you count the millions of hours of computing cycles needed for testing vulnerabilities at Symantec, McAfee and MS, et. al.
Is that a rope? Nope. Elephant’s tail.
#1 rule of advertising, if your #1, you don’t mention competitor #2
If you do, it creates a “underdog effect” and people asssociate with #2 more than #1.
Thank god MS is working hard to give us targeted advertising. That’s just super. Another strategic partnership in action.
Bill, the Aurora bridge (the bridge of death) is right outside my window. Why not end all the pain and just jump off of it? Make sure to let me know so I have my camera ready.
Just say Goodbye, Bill.
Goodbye.
-c
Oh, I have more Vista training today. Another 4 hours of my life I’ll never get back. Can’t wait! I’ll blog it if I can.
-c
MW: ‘hotel’ (on aurora, in bed with ‘Cinnamon’)
How does he come up with Zune being the number 2 digital music player?
See when you drop out of school your math skills get a little hokie.
Just my $0.02
Garfield: OK, well, Bill Gates, thank you so much for joining us.
(Silence)
Garfield: Can I just have a clean goodbye?
(Silence)
Garfield: OK, can you just say goodbye? Thank you or goodbye or something like that?
Gates: Goodbye.
That’s either Asperger’s Syndrome or the world’s richest asshole. Or both. In a way, I’m glad he’s delusional.
It’s time for people to be fired for recommending Microsoft.
I can’t blame him for not answering on the ads. That’s just not smart. All he had to say was “I won’t comment on that.” and move on. The thing at the end was where he fell apart and comes across as an idiot.
I just figured it out.
It was the “clean goodbye” that freaked Gates out.
He was all set for a really dirty, wet, messy, sloppy goodbye and Garfield threw him for a loop.
Bill got flustered and more than a little embarassed.
It was his wedding night all over again.
Aah didums.
No sense of humour eh Billy boy!!!
Coca Cola? Are you kidding me? That’s just stupid.
I’m backin Vista training. This time it’s with real MS staff and it lasts half the damn day. I’ll post if I can. This should be… no fun.
What a sad way to finish an interview. Perhaps Mr. gates should just give up talking to any person…. Get a room in Vegas…
– “Vegas. Darkened hotel penthouse. No nail clippers…”
Now that i have cleaned up the coffee from my screen, keyboard, desk and the cat, who had the shock of his life and took off like … a scolded cat.
MDN, that was soooooooooo frick’n funny. You rock.
MDN magic word – hope.
I hope you keep dem one liners coming.
FYI, they got new machines for the training room. I’m on a Dell Optiplex 745, much nicer than the last one, at least my Aero works now.
The instructor is trying to set up his machine. Slow going at the moment. We’re 20 minutes late to start already.
Wow.
#2 position? That must be for Windows MP3 players. They’re still behind SanDisk, who is wayyy behind Apple.
Ah yes! The delusional billionaires!
WOW! Were starting out with a Power Point presentation!!! I can feel myself getting dumber already!
Is it rude to keep my white earbuds in? Hope so.
Yes ChrissyOne the WOW is now
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Is it me or has a lot of the interviews and talks Gates has been doing, he seems like he knows nothing of the subject?
This Ad Age interview especially. He’s making it up as he goes. And what he says is absolutely incoherent at times.
I applaud Garfield for calling him on it about the local revenue of tv stations. Gates was just making it up.
Gates has lived with this aura of “genius” for the last 20 yrs and no one ever challenged him. Mistly because of his wealth intimidated others. And now with Apple as a competitor, Microsoft is scrambling. They have not had a true competitor that they couldn’t bully, bribe or buy out. Microsft is showing it doesn’t have the ability, vision or talent to openly compete in tech.
And people that switch to a Mac, truly understand now how all of the talk of Microsoft just copies Apple is true.
This guy is not a very good presenter. The demo is really clumsy. One of our guys is heling him. Okay, now 2 or our guys are helping him.
Do you remember the old Mac commercial where the guys is having problems getting his system going, and all those old guys in suits start standing up and talling him how to fix his problem, and talking over each other? Yeah, that is happeneing right in front of me.
That spot ended with someone yelling “Get a Macintosh!”
I’m waiting for my moment.
You see, statistics can say what you want them to say.
Mr. Gates is saying Zune is in the #2 position, but he omits – and should stated – “…for Hard-Drive based players, only in the US market.”
If he were to add this, uh, slightly important information in, then his statement would not be mis-leading… but it is (of course).
If Billy were to also add in “…but overall, we are about 5th – 8th of all the major MP3 companies in the US, which means we are pretty much dead last.” he would be even more correct.
Lastly, if Billy-Boy were to throw in “…and being last, when we are spending hundreds of millions on a product, that is neither gaining market share, nor is it making us money, is something we plan on doing for a long, long time… because we can, because we are Microsoft. We plan on copying others products for years to come with little success…”
Well then, he would be entirely accurate and correct, but of course, he isn’t.
I thought Microsoft Bob was the most used piece of software…. err most useless… sorry.