Shocker: Bill Gates Predicts Microsoft Technology Will Beat The iPod

from the this-is-news? dept

Thu, May 12th 2005 10:03am — Mike Masnick

This is getting covered widely, but it really shouldn't be all that surprising. Bill Gates, doing his best Montgomery Burns impersonation, was quoted as saying that mobile phones (powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile, of course) will eventually surpass the iPod as the music listening device of choice. It may happen eventually, but so far, most people have said they have little to no interest in using their mobile phones as media devices. That may change over time, but it still seems like there's something of an uphill battle here -- perhaps starting with Microsoft's own employees. Either way, it's pretty clear that Bill Gates is hardly an uninterested party in this debate -- so his predictions should be seen as a lot more self-serving than the views of some sort of impartial observer. However, when you combine this with Dell's Kevin Rollins' claiming that the iPod was a one hit wonder, you begin to notice that some fairly large tech companies are running scared over the success of the iPod.

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randdickson, 12 May 2005 @ 11:03am

Battery Life
It won't be MS that decides if/when this happens. Until Battery life in 'the device' is sure to last 24 - 48 hours under heavy load (constant music playing, camera snaps, messaging, talking, etc) no one (in their right mind) is going to use their phone as their primary music device.

Nothing quite like having to make that 911 call and realizing your battery died on that last Barry Manilow Song you were playing.
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Mike D, 12 May 2005 @ 8:52pm

Re: Battery Life
I think you better do a little more leg work next time you are at CES.

All the major cell phone companies have prototypes in the works, with or without Windows.

It will be here. And, because we are creatures of tech fads, it will happen sooner then later.

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Mike (profile), 12 May 2005 @ 10:34pm

Re: Battery Life
I don't deny that companies are working on it, and I don't deny that it may happen eventually... but it's a lot more complicated than just tossing a music player into a handset. The iPod has been successful over other players, even at a higher price, because of superior design (and superior marketing). Converging other items into a handset isn't all that simple (note all the failed attempts at making "smartphones"). If it's going to happen it will take a while.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 May 2005 @ 10:57am

Re: Battery Life
Amen Mike.

These devices will arrive at some point but they're going to need good life and great (insanely great ?) design.

Would love a cellphone/PDA/MP3/game Box/Video/etc handheld but, so far, no single device has capture all the benefits of each single device's best of breed. If I have a cellphone/MP3 player, it will need to have all the functionality I consider important in my current stand along cellphone and MP3 player. I'm not easily going to compromise my presumed features for the sake of portability ... at this time.
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