Steve Jobs and Bill Gates form one of the technology industry's great stories, from the time in the mid-'70s when, within a few years of each other, they formed computer companies that would change the world. During their meeting at the All Things Digital conference, Jobs quoted the Beatles: "You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead
They didn't introduce themselves by saying "Hello, I'm a Mac," "and I'm a PC" -- but the cheeky Apple. Latest News about Apple adverts ribbing Microsoft. Latest News about Microsoft were never far from the surface as the tech companies' founders, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, appeared on stage together for the first time in a decade.
"The art of those commercials is not to be mean. It's for the guys to like each other," Jobs said, raising a laugh from a Silicon Valley audience, and a disbelieving look from Gates. "PC guy is what makes it work, PC guy is great." Gates gave his chin a skeptical rub: "Well, his mother loves him."
The ads, which in the UK star David Mitchell and Robert Webb, have been needling Microsoft all over the world, and prompted Gates earlier this year to say Apple was spreading lies. While the atmosphere was more cordial as the two agreed to a historic joint interview at a technology conference in Carlsbad, Calif., it was hard not to think of the ads. Steve Jobs sat in a black polo shirt and jeans, while Gates had shined his shoes and gone for a casual striped white shirt.
Stormy Relationship
Gates wasn't joking when he answered a question about his rival by saying: "I would give a lot to have Steve's taste." He added that while he may see a software problem as an "engineering issue," Jobs "has an intuitive taste both for people and products that is very hard for me even to explain."
With Apple enjoying a resurgence in cool thanks to the success of its iPod, and with Microsoft's operating system Manage remotely with one interface -- the HP ProLiant DL360 G5 server. Vista being panned by users, the ads are the latest chapter in a stormy relationship punctuated by breakups and kiss-and-make-ups.
It is one of the technology industry's great stories, from the time in the mid-'70s when, within a few years of each other, they formed computer companies that would change the world. Attendees at the All Things Digital conference were treated to footage from an Apple event in 1983 when a long-haired Steve Jobs hosted a "Blind Date" style event with software executives, including Gates, who were vying to design software for his computers. (He picked all three.) There was also a reminder of the last time the two appeared together, officially burying the hatchet after Steve Jobs returned to rescue Apple from oblivion in 1997.
Joined Forces
The 90-minute conversation that followed was definitely in the kiss-and-make-up mold. "Bill built the first software company in the industry. And I think he built the first software company before anybody in our industry knew what a software company was," Jobs said.
They did trade a few jabs, not least about the iPod, which Microsoft is trying to replicate with a product called Zune. The Zune developers love Apple for having created the mass market for digital music, Gates said, trying to play nice; Apple loves Zune developers because, like everyone else, they all have iPods.
However, mainly they joined forces to defend the home computer, which is under threat from a host of other devices. "The death of the personal computer has been predicted every few years," Jobs said. "PCs are going to continue as a general purpose device, whether in a tablet form or a notebook or a big curved desktop you have in the house."
'Youngest Guys in the Room'
Latest News about Google and other upstart rivals snapping at their heels, the men looked back ruefully at their long histories. "When Bill and I first worked together," Jobs said, "we were both the youngest guys in the room. Now I am the oldest." He quoted the Beatles: "'You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead' -- that's clearly true here."
The pair were given a rock star welcome. While Gates is now concentrating on the philanthropic foundation giving away his US$53 billion (pounds 26.8 billion) fortune, he was as prone to geeky flights of fancy as ever. He predicted a home where "every horizontal and vertical surface will have a projector for information."
Steve Jobs, meanwhile, exuding cool as ever, took a long pause before giving his unwavering answer to questions of futurology: "I don't know. And that's what makes it exciting to go into work every day."
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