Microsoft founder Bill Gates sees mobile phones overtaking MP3s as the top choice of portable music player, and views the raging popularity of Apple's iPod player as unsustainable, he told a German newspaper. "As good as Apple may be, I don't believe the success of the iPod is sustainable in the long run," he said in an interview published in Thursday's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
"You can make parallels with computers: Apple was very strong in this field before, with its Macintosh and its graphics user interface -- like the iPod today -- and then lost its position," Gates said. Apple has around two thirds of the global market for MP3 music players, which store thousands of songs on pocket-sized disk drives or smaller flash memory chips, and sold more than 5 million iPods in the last quarter.
News source: Reuters
"You can make parallels with computers: Apple was very strong in this field before, with its Macintosh and its graphics user interface -- like the iPod today -- and then lost its position," Gates said. Apple has around two thirds of the global market for MP3 music players, which store thousands of songs on pocket-sized disk drives or smaller flash memory chips, and sold more than 5 million iPods in the last quarter.
News source: Reuters
Microsoft Universal Gaming Controller
For the first time, at this year's E3 Microsoft will reveal a prototype of the universal gaming controller. Designed for use on Windows-based PCs and the next-generation Xbox® console, the controller will allow gamers to enjoy a consistent playing experience across Microsoft's gaming platforms.
"The universal gaming controller will provide a Windows controller standard that helps game developers bring different genres -- such as racing, sports and action/adventure -- to the Windows platform more easily," said Chris Donahue, group manager of Windows Graphics and Gaming Technologies at Microsoft. "Gamers will have more playing options with a familiar, versatile and well-designed gamepad-style controller."
MotoGP Grip and Go Showdown
E3 attendees will race to win Alienware laptops signed by Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates in this year's MotoGP Grip and Go Showdown. The competition promises to be fierce for the best daily score in "MotoGP URT 3," the smash hit from THQ Inc. and Climax. Prizes will be awarded daily at 5 p.m. (except on Friday, May 20, when they will be awarded at 4 p.m.) in the Games for Windows booth.
Autograph Sessions
Windows "gaming gods" will be on hand to greet fans throughout the show and talk about their new creations. On Wednesday, May 18, at 2 p.m., real-time strategy kings Bruce Shelley ("Age of Empires") and Brian Reynolds ("Rise of Nations®") will mingle with fans and sign autographs. On Thursday, May 19, at 2 p.m., role-playing game (RPG) masters Chris Taylor ("Dungeon Siege") and Brad McQuaid (co-creator of "EverQuest" and upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, "Vanguard") will regale fans with tales from the dungeon as they sign autographs.
Windows Game Advisor
To be unveiled at this year's E3, the Windows Game Advisor 3.0 will add something new: a little bit of attitude. By popular demand, the Game Advisor now lets gamers rate their favorite games and find out what others think about the more than 300 games listed. A powerful Web-based tool, the Game Advisor sorts through a variety of genres and age-group choices to present the best matches for gamers of all levels, and determines if a game will run on the user's computer with one click. It is available at http://www.windowsgaming.com.
Games for Windows Booth-Exclusive Titles
This year the Games for Windows booth will have titles from leading publishers such as Electronic Arts Inc., Ubisoft Entertainment and THQ. Games that will only be found in the Windows booth include "Age of Empires III," "Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends," "Half-Life 2: Lost Coast" and "Dungeon Siege II." "Catan Online," the MSN® Games online subscription version of the award-winning "The Settlers of Catan" board game, is also a Games for Windows booth-exclusive title.
Featured Titles
The Games for Windows booth is expected to feature the following exclusive games:
"Age of Empires III," Microsoft Game Studios, 2005, rating pending.* "Age of Empires III" is the latest installment in the award-winning and best-selling "Age of Empires" series. It continues Ensemble Studio's stellar track record of leading and innovating the real-time strategy genre through exciting and revolutionary gameplay features such as the all new Home City, eight civilizations, new weapons, armor and random maps, in addition to an exciting single-player campaign. "Age of Empires III" entices players to explore the world of North and South America during the time frame of 1500 to 1850 through breathtaking graphics, brought to life by a new engine that pushes the limits of Windows-based PC graphics technology to new levels.
"Dungeon Siege II," Microsoft Game Studios, August 2005, Mature.* "Dungeon Siege II" has everything gamers loved in the award-winning "Dungeon Siege," with new levels of depth. "Dungeon Siege II" satisfies every itch for fans of Chris Taylor's classic action role-playing game. A compelling story, detailed graphics, rich party dynamics and a whole new level of player powers combine with straight-up monster-bashing in this masterful sequel.
"Fable: The Lost Chapters," Microsoft Game Studios, fall 2005, rating pending.* "Fable: The Lost Chapters" brings the award-winning "Fable" experience to Windows with more quests to solve, lands to explore, creatures to defeat, and stories to discover. Players' every action determines their skills, appearance and reputation. Who will you be?
"Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends," Microsoft Game Studios, 2006, rating pending.* Players journey to the land of Aio, a world embroiled in an epic battle between Magic and Technology. Gamers wage wars filled with mystic creatures, impossible machines and stunning acts of magic. The award-winning Conquer the World gameplay pulls gamers through a new world of heroes, monsters, loyalty and betrayal.
"Vanguard: Saga of Heroes," Microsoft Game Studios, spring 2006, rating pending.* "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes" represents the leap to the third generation of massively multiplayer online role-playing games from the original creators of "EverQuest." Building on its many years of development expertise in this genre, Sigil Games Online Inc. will transport players to the richest and most diverse fantasy world they have ever experienced.
"Zoo Tycoon® 2: Endangered Species," Microsoft Game Studios, fall 2005, rating pending.* "Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species" lets players care for some of the world's rarest animals, like the koala and the Komodo dragon. New transportation options let players build vehicle tours or even ride the sky trams alongside their zoo guests. "Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species" delivers a rare animal experience as players create the ultimate world-class zoo.
"Catan Online," MSN Games, spring 2005, rating pending.* "Catan Online," the online subscription version of the award-winning "The Settlers of Catan" board game, is now available for sneak preview at MSN Games, http://www.games.msn.com. Players can claim new territories, build settlements and roads, and harvest resources in a race to settle a new land as they play against their MSN Messenger friends or challenge players from around the world.
"Bratz," THQ, summer 2005, rating pending. After Jade gets fired from a summer internship at "Your Thing" Magazine, the "Bratz" girls decide to start their own magazine. The search for the perfect scoop takes the girls around the globe, where famous places and famous people make for an amazing adventure.
"Half-Life 2: Lost Coast," Valve, summer 2005, Mature.* Featuring amazing digital actors, advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and physical gameplay, Valve Corp.'s "Half-Life 2" has been called the greatest game ever made and earned more than 35 Game of the Year Awards. This summer, Valve will release "Half-Life 2: Lost Coast," a new, single-player level, custom-created to introduce High-Dynamic Range lighting to the Source engine.
The Games for Windows booth is expected to feature the following games from industry partners:
"You Are Empty," 1C Company, fourth quarter of 2005, rating pending. "You Are Empty" is a first-person action game that immerses players in an exaggerated dark and obscure atmosphere of Soviet totalitarianism. Fighting against mutants created by the Soviet super-human program, the players are tasked to figure out what happened in the city and stop the mutants from spreading further.
"The Movies," Activision/Lionhead, summer 2005, rating pending. "The Movies," a new life-simulation game, is the only world-creating game that enables players to build and control their own movie studio, and create actual movies that can be saved and viewed anywhere. Players can be the ultimate Hollywood player and run their studio, make movies, and make or break movie stars.
"Worms 4," Codemasters Software Company Ltd., summer 2005, rating pending. The much-loved team carnage series is back with "Worms 4: Mayhem," a new game that is as infectious and accessible as the classic "Worms" offerings. With bold levels, an improved 3-D camera and animation system, a stunning arsenal delivering comedy kabooms, the loveable, now customizable, yet entirely destructible, worms are back with a vengeance.
"X³: Reunion," EGOSOFT, holiday 2005, rating pending. As the next generation of the X universe, "X³: Reunion" is an action-packed space simulation that brings an unmatched freedom of gameplay. "X³: Reunion" combines all the elements of life in space in a distant future and a constantly evolving universe. From military missions to a career as a pirate, smuggling and fighting, trading and building: All this is possible in the X universe. Trade, fight, build, think, "X³: Reunion" immerses the player into the most realistic, living universe ever experienced.
"Commandos Strike Force," Eidos Inc., fall 2005, rating pending. Before the SAS ... Before the Navy Seals ... They were the Commandos, a new breed of soldier created in the darkest hours of WWII. Take on the role of being a WWII Commando in this exciting new first-person shooter. Play three different warriors -- Green Beret, Spy and Sniper -- across three campaigns through France, Norway and Russia.
"Battlefield 2," Electronic Arts, summer 2005, Teen. Players drop right into the middle of a 21st century shootout in this revolutionary sequel to "Battlefield 1942." They can unleash the fury of a devastating modern arsenal while engaging the enemy in the world's most dangerous war zones. Gamers take charge and lead their squad or whole army to victory!
"Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack," Electronic Arts, fall 2005, rating pending. Gamers send their Sims on an epic night out; whether they're dancing until dawn, romancing that special someone, or striking out at the bowling alley, it'll be an unforgettable night for their Sims. They can let them loose to enjoy their favorite after-dark activities as they pursue a life of pleasure. Players determine Sims' love lives as they discover the chemistry between Sims. Bring on the night!
"Hellgate: London," Flagship Studios Inc., TBD, rating pending. "Hellgate: London" combines the depth of role-playing games with the action of first-person titles, while offering infinite replayability and an individualized gaming experience through dynamically created levels, monsters, items and events. Players create a hero and then battle through innumerable hordes of demons while completing quests and advancing through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable items and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create a hero that is truly unique.
"Age of Conan -- Hyborian Adventures," Funcom, holiday 2005, rating pending. "Age of Conan -- Hyborian Adventures" is an online action role-playing game with stunning graphics and 7.1-surround audio. Mixing a deep and story-driven single-player experience with a massive and brutal multiplayer end game, the game brings the ultimate representation of Conan's universe, the worlds' greatest fantasy hero.
"Dreamfall: The Longest Journey," Funcom, holiday 2005, rating pending. "Dreamfall: The Longest Journey" is an action-packed thriller set in a large and varied game world mixing gritty reality with imaginative fantasy. The game features three worlds, three distinctly different playable characters, and exciting action-adventure gameplay wrapped in a mature, exhilarating and innovative story line.
"Star Wars Galaxies: Episode III Rage of the Wookiees," LucasArts, spring 2005, Teen/Online game play. "Star Wars Galaxies: Episode III Rage of the Wookiees" expands the "Star Wars Galaxies" universe with a wealth of new content from the movie "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." The new content includes the Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk, creatures, vehicles and starships all making their first appearance in the movie this May.
"Imperator," Mythic Entertainment Inc., TBD, rating pending. Imperator is a science-fiction massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in a futuristic world where the Roman Empire never fell -- instead it grew over a few thousand years to span many colonies and planets. As the game begins, Roman citizens face a new threat from an old enemy from within and beyond the republic. More information about "Imperator" can be found at http://www.imperatoronline.com.
"Auto Assault," NCsoft Corp., fall 2005, rating pending. Gamers wreak havoc in the post-apocalyptic world of "Auto Assault." Humans, Mutants and Biomeks battle each other for control of the world, using tricked-out vehicles as their primary weapons. The uniquely destructible world of "Auto Assault" makes it the first massively multiplayer online game that lets players destroy anything that moves -- and most things that don't!
"City of Villains," NCsoft Corp., summer 2005, rating pending. "City of Villains," a stand-alone sequel to the critical and commercial hit "City of Heroes," allows role-playing gamers to take on criminal activities and build their own evil empires. "City of Villains" features player-versus-player action, all-new costuming options, world zones, environments and story lines in this persistent multiplayer world.
"Phantasy Star Universe," SEGA of America Inc., summer 2005, rating pending. "Phantasy Star Universe" offers two complete RPG experiences: a single-player action adventure spanning multiple planets and a robust online multiplayer component.
"MotoGP URT 3," THQ, summer 2005, rating pending. The "MotoGP" series is the definitive motorcycle racing game for Windows. This time, "MotoGP URT 3" is taking the franchise to the extreme, expanding beyond the realms of Grand Prix racing to incorporate high-adrenaline street racing. Players can hone their skills on the streets or progress through the Grand Prix championship.
"Heroes of Might & Magic V," Ubisoft, February 2006, rating pending. Gamers witness the amazing evolution of the genre-defining strategy game as it becomes a groundbreaking phenomenon, melding classic deep fantasy with next-generation visuals and gameplay.
"Myst V," Ubisoft, fall 2005, rating pending. Players decide the fate of a civilization in this triumphant final chapter to the "Myst" saga. They embark on an epic journey into the heart of a shattered empire as the only explorer who can still save it -- or destroy it with the wrong choices.
Not much to add really...
I'm also surprised Pocket PC's doing as well as they are (heard about increased sales lately...), but I guess that'll change as well in time.
I am surprised that the Ipod fad is outlasting the Tomogotchi and pogs.
and I can't wait... it'll really help drive my sales thru the roof
The media race will be exciting, but I only really use my PC for media. One of these days I might have a need for a portable device...
Gates said that SPOT was a great technology.
Gates said that InfoPath (yeah, remember that?) would be a significant piece of software.
Gates said PMCs would overtake iPods by now.
Gates said that Janus-enabled DAPs would overtake the iPods.
Gates says a lot of sh1t.
"Windows 95 needs at least 8 MB RAM." -- Bill Gates, 1996
"Nobody will ever need Windows 95." -- logical conclusion
indeed he says a lot... i prefer my ipod to a cell phone that play mp3
Last edited by 98089 on 12 May 2005 - 18:35
He denies that now, but then who would accept that he said it back then.
linky
People swap cell phones pretty often as new ones come out with new features.
What if the carrier you use decides to adopt a new network protocol and phase out the one your uber device uses? You are up the sh*t creek without a paddle and out a lot of money.
Separate devices protect you from lossing all of your investment at once.
Convergence is almost inevitable - Gates isn't saying anything we don't already know. As for the end user - do you REALLY want to cart a seperate device around to play your music/video or would you like it all integrated into the one device you take with you everywhere anyway? Not exactly rocket science
Microsoft PR sucks, they've been letting an attitude show that they have no idea what kind of direction they are going. You can't be just a huge software company that does everything. Some small group of people will come by with a product that is better and they'll probably get it out of the door faster.
They will still make great profits for some time because they still have Windows and Office. It's just the Microsoft now is playing a lot of defense instead of offense.
That's the ONLY thing you can do? Throw a sh1t product on the market and hope for the best? You can't hire good designers that build a useful product in the first place, have quality marketing and integrate them into the product development process, conduct quality customer research, learn from past mistakes, base products on what people want rather than what maximizes profit? No, there's only one solution. Design a piece of sh!t, throw it on the market, wait for all the complaints, and then rebuild the product that the consumer clearly wanted three years later! Great, Bill. You are freakin' brilliant.
Hehe, I like this part, because it's then 3 years later, and now the consumer wants something different
i like the pc as a centralized device
but i hate the idea of a mobile centralized device..
i argued this on channel9 and why XDAs and pocketpc phones havent been successful. nobody wants to talk into a pda, and nobody wants to browse or take notes on a phone. and there are benefits to using both, because you can look up and write phone numbers, or calendar information, or other info, on a pda while talking on the phone.
i argued that the best scenario would for them to be always connected wirelessly and constantly in sync.
also even though at first i was skeptical about mp3 players like ipods, because i thought that it was a better idea to just write to CDs or MDs. ive sort of changed my mind, because that process is complicated, and people will want to be getting their music through downloads.
i recently bought a portable external harddrive to store media like images--because i scan a lot of pictures. i decided to do this because my laptop can break down and i can still use my data, and share it between laptops. this is much better than copying all my files to a dvd or cd which is an ordeal, and can be read by any usb supporting device, and flash memory or other memory sticks/cards are too expensive.
this is the only reason why im interested in the idea of the PMC , portable media center. the idea of storing your media on a device separate from your computer is appealing. and its also the reason i think the ipod and mp3 players will have lasting appeal, if they are designed right and all of the drawbacks of them are dealt with. in turn, something like an ipod can also act independently as a walkman device when you are away from your PC. do you really think the CD player walkman will outlast the mp3 player?
so, as a media storage module with some independent functions, things like this are a good idea. maybe if memory cards become less expensive, and mp3 players and PMCs run on them, then the mobile device will become an intermediary between your data on flash cards and your PC.
Incidentally, i've no problem in talking into my PDA, and yes i use it to take notes in meetings
Last edited by 97145 on 13 May 2005 - 09:27
it would also be nice for people who dont want to carry many things around if there was some way they could interface with each other physically. most times you dont need all of the functinos at once , though
(and i think people who carry around their ipods everywhere listening to them on buses, etc are a little silly and doing this as some type of fashion statement, dont you?)
No, it's exactly the perfect time to use the iPod. Empty time that is excruciatingly boring or devoid of stimulating input... Listen to tunes.
-Address book
-SMS and telephone function
-mp3
Now, how long until the Nokia phones with hard drive run Linux?
More and more people are not happy with the restrictions imposed on them whith the I-Pod and Sony devices.
If you had a device that handles over all this with some extra benefits, that would be cool. The only draw back to such a device would be the size of the unit making it a little clumsy as a phone, but with blue tooh compatibility, you could use a blue tooth headset - just my thoughts
And my point is: it is not COOL, it's geeky. Yes, people have camera phones and contacts on their phone, but that doesn't change the fact that the average iPod owner doesn't want a do-it-all uber-device. They want a cool, dedicated, simple music player. Hell, yes, my friends have cameraphones and they use them out at night, in public, but when they want to take pictures (birthdays, parties, trips, etc...) the digital cameras come out, the dedicated ones. Even if they have a cameraphone in their pocket. Why? Because dedicated devices do their job better.
Apple Pippin
OpenDoc
Mac TV
Mac XL/Lisa
Copland
eWorld
Puck Mouse/Kiddie Keyboard
Flower Power/Blue Dalmatian iMac
Macintosh Portable
For one, the Pippin wasn't an Apple product, it was produced by Bandai... Apple only got a small license fee.
OpenDoc never got out of beta stage and was the work of not only Apple but Novell and IBM.
Copland was never a product.
So... that leaves Mac TV, the Lisa/XL, eWorld, Puck Mouse, patterned iMacs, and Mac Portable.
Most of which weren't complete failures. In fact, the Mac Portable and eWorld were hugely popular. The Mac TV was a limited edition LC with TV tuner, nothing wrong there. Patterned iMacs were cheesy but not a failure. The Puck Mouse lasted over 4 years with the most popular computer ever made. So... now we're down to Lisa/XL which was only discontined because the Mac was born just a year later.
But even if all of that wasn't the case, what is your point? Did I say every product must be a huge success? No. I said it is completely pathetic to say: "We have no idea what is a good product or not, all we can do is put it on the market and wait for everyone to hate it." Are you saying Apple has a similar philosophy? That Apple doesn't somehow figure out what the consumers want better than the consumers themselves? That Apple doesn't seriously consider what will and will not be a success? I'd like you to get one person to agree with that theory. Please.
Honestly, why do you care so damn much about stories like this? Are you Bill Gate's number one fanboy or something?
no need for iPod
But hey, i'm just talking from experience - silly me
Uh, excuse me, isn't that where the money is made? Thru licensing fee's? And what pray tell was the "small license fee"? Obviously not enough since only about 4500 developers bit at it..
Apple integrated OpenDoc into its core strategy, releasing several OpenDoc apps, and including the technology in Mac OS 7.6
collaboration or not. It was licensed thru Apple. meaning they intended to profit from it.
Gil Amelio canceled the project, which had by now cost millions of dollars.
sounds like a failure to me....or am I just thinking out loud here?
the portable was so popular that Apple scrapped it and got in bed with Sony to develop the powerbook.
eWorld:
The price was exorbitant, leaving most users unable to afford such a service. Users were billed $10 a month, and then $8 per hour. As problems mounted, the competition caught up. eWorld was too expensive, especially compared to its competition.
Leave it to Apple to overprice thier products.......seems like a pattern...
Apple sold only 10,000 units, making it far rarer than the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh. Apple discontinued the model quietly several months after its introduction in February of 1994
Despite their technical prowess, the Flower Power and Blue Dalmatians were the jokes of the computer industry. Very few people were willing to own such unique looking products. Apple eventually discontinued the two models several months after their introduction.
Do you think it was becouse it came bundled with the computer????
The Lisa suffered from many ails. First, it was too expensive, far too expensive for Apple's existing market base. Next, it was too slow. Lastly, there was very little software developed for the computer, as many were waiting for the Macintosh to be introduced. Later, Apple tried to recover their investment by introducing a Lisa for $6,995, without the bundled software included on the higher end model.
heaven forbid. They just like to rape you on thier prices. THAT'S thier philosophy.
Yes, Apple's marketing strategy is to rape their customers. Thank you oh brilliant one for enlightening us.
The only factor now is when we get some decent devices in this category. The hardware manufacturers need to speed up. I want it now!
He is just mad he didn't [think of/seal] the iPod first. Kind of like he stole the GUI from Apple (and yes, I know Apple got it from Xero
It's got to be big enough to be usable yet light enough and small enough to be worth carrying it around. I don't see an "all in one" type device cornering the market anytime soon.
Maybe you should read this...Apple didn't think of it first either.
source
The iPod won't go away soon. Apple is one of the first to spot trends, or set them. Thinking that the iPod will disappear within 5 years is wrong. It just might not be called iPod and it won't only do music.
The mobile space is very interesting but a lot is changing. There isn't much leadership there. Cellular providers are like cable companies. Once we get past that hurdle I think we'll see some better devices and services like all the goodies Asia has. Isn't it pathetic that we have to want something Asia has? Communication costs really need to plunge in the US.