“Each January, Bill Gates addresses the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, outlining Microsoft’s plans for new products. Around the same time, Steve Jobs addresses Mac users at the San Francisco Macworld Expo,” Daniel Eran writes for RoughlyDrafted.
“The difference between the two speakers and what they present in their keynote presentations is further apart than the 570 miles that separate the two cities,” Eran writes.
Eran writes, “Even Microsoft’s official cheerleader Paul Thurrott says ‘[Gates’] keynote addresses are typically boring, droning affairs, though they always draw a standing-room crowd.’ In contrast, the media not only compares Jobs’ Apple events to rock concerts ad naseum, but Jobs frequently presents major artists in concert on stage.”
“Many Macworld Keynote attendees actually leave after Jobs stops talking and the free concert begins! Jobs isn’t just a better speaker; the real difference is that what he presents actually matters,” Eran writes.
“Since 2000, Jobs has presented a steady stream of new products that have resulted in billions of dollars in profits; Gates announcements have nearly all ended up as either vaporware or major money losers,” Eran writes. “To clarify just how embarrassing Microsoft’s efforts to create consumer products have been, here’s a comparison of recent Microsoft announcements at CES next to Apple product releases at the January Macworld Expo.”
Full article here.
Related article:
Battle of the Keynotes: Apple’s Steve Jobs vs. Microsoft’s Bill Gates – January 13, 2007
where’s capt obvious when we need him?
Very old story.
News is supposed to be new!
terrible english…
“… but Jobs frequently presents major artists in concert on stage.”
In what way is this contrasting with Bill Gates?
Apologies, it’s my first language.
rons, this is ‘Olds’, not News!
Jim and Ron
To many of us, especially in this forum, this may be “old news”, however to those
who have only found this Mac MDN haven (heaven?) recently, Roughly-Drafted may
give insight that they otherwise may not have found.
I personally enjoy Dan’s writing, perhaps because of his derision of MS. He has a great
grasp of the history of the information age (at least in the last 25 years) and writes
in a clear and concise style IMHO.
john
Steady on John, it was a JOKE.
I should give credit where credit is due. I heard Ricky Gervais saying it to Karl Pilkington on a Podcast.
Lighten up John!
MW: very. John is in a very dark place…
People who comment on others comments: Please stick to bringing new comments to an article not commenting on other peoples comments. See isn’t this stupid… I’m doing exactly what you are wasting your life doing.
Love MDN. Say something about the article.
ANYWAY, It’s ironic that Microsoft needs cheerleaders, because nobody else is cheering.
One of the best articles I’ve read in quite some time, plus, very accurate of course.
You should read RDM every day.
RDM is a fantastic site, yes this is not news, it’s an analysis, maybe not his most interesting one, take a look at his other articles.
RDM gets a little off-the-wall sometimes, especially when he is writing about somebody he dislikes, Endrle, Thurrott and Cringly among others.
Otherwise, pretty straight stuff. It’s no wonder that some people don’t like Daniel when he says that the Emperor has no clothes.
– gws
i don’t think u can be critical enough of Enderle, he is completely incompetent, and seems dishonest.
(like when he pretended Microsoft helped Apple create the Mac)
Compare and Contrast. What an awesome article.
Paul Turd-rot is a M$ ho!
Ah yes… Comedy
Sorry, I missed the <joke></joke> tags.
Now lightening up!
What ever did happen with those SPOT technology wrist watches? Anybody know? Anybody care?
“Does anybody even know what time it is, does anybody even care… ?”
-Chicago
Paul “analysis” is funny stuff
The best thing in the article was the picture of the “Zune Zepelin” at Lakehurst.
Roughly Drafted is a must read…it’s technology without the obfuscation usually provided by some idiot ‘expert’ like Rob Enderle…
Dan’s rubbishing of Paul Thurrott, the ultimate Windows and MS evangelist, is just great.
Yeah I can summarize the difference….M$ talked about personal computers. Steve jobs used MACWORLD to talk about telephones.
And this talk that the phone is a Mac is B.S. Apple ][‘s and Mac’s come with compilers and script editors. This means I get to decide what the processing power is used for, so I can make the machine do the work I need done. iPhones have no such accessory, hence they are gadgets just like iPods. Apple has already said that they are going to determine what can run on an iPhone…..much like Nintendo decides what can run on a Wii….in other words…it is a gadget…a gadget was introduced at a personal computer show.
Apple is anouncing some very amazing things on some fronts and getting off-message on others. Apple should pwn the Scientific community because it is Unix based and runs all sorts of scientific goodies that windows can’t, yet it doesn’t. Why? OFF message!
Just my $0.02
“the media not only compares Jobs’ Apple events to rock concerts ad naseum, “
Methinks, the writer meant “ad nauseam”, literally “to sickness”.
“Ad naseum” does not exist, pure and simple. Sadly, if you google for naseum, you find dozens of links, some even in scientific text! Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses!
sic transit gloria mundi
I suppose even RD can be right twice a day, for a busted clock is right that often.
I’m not sure what this article is really about. Is this just to make us Mac users sit here and agree, “Oh yeah Bill Gates announcements are worthless and Steve Jobs’ announcements are full of innovation and futuristic promise.” Come to think of it, we didn’t need an article to make us think that.
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I don’t really know that Steve Jobs’ announcements are what really matters. It’s just that after months and months of rumors and wild guesses of what could be announced, we Mac users finally get to hear what Apple is really going to do. It’s a giant Macintosh magic show and we get to see what Jobs is going to pull out of his hat this time.
If Apple wasn’t so dang mysterious and secretive all the time, we probably wouldn’t think anything of Steve’s announcements. It would be a boring annual report. But, because they have secret development that is announced that one day of the month, we Mac users and Apple fanatics clammer to hear whatever Steve says.
“Jobs isn’t just a better speaker; the real difference is that what he presents actually matters,”
Jobs is clearly a better speaker than Gates. I feel like I’m watching Don Knots when I see Gates on stage.