Bill Gates: TV As We Know it, Obsolete in 10 years


Recommended Posts

Riyadh, Nov. 10: Television as we know it today will become obsolete in the next 10 years, said Microsoft founder Bill Gates. He was speaking at the First Global Competitiveness Forum in Riyadh during his first visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. ?I had my children with me recently and while we were walking in a shopping area, there was this record store and my son asked me: ?What is a record?? Well, he has never seen a record. If I take him to a museum, he will see one. Yes, he knows what a TV is, but 10 years from now even TV will be something people will look back on and say: ?Well, how inconvenient that was. You couldn?t carry it with you wherever you wanted to, and you couldn?t organise it the way you would?ve liked to,? Mr Gates said during his keynote address.

He was referring to a sea-change in both the way we watch TV, as well the TV sets themselves. Books will become obsolete too, Mr Gates said. ?For interaction today, we primarily use the keyboard. In the future we will be using all sorts of means for interacting with the computer. We are talking about eliminating textbooks or books altogether because we will have a very light thin screen, a tablet-like computer connected to the Internet that you will carry with you at all times.? An interesting revolution is underway, he said. ?Ten years ago, when we thought about photographs, we thought about taking a camera, developing a film. And when we thought about organising and sharing our photo collection, it required working on paper. That was not very efficient. Well, today, if you take a photo you can put it on the Internet and have it published in a very rich, automatic way, and yes, in seconds. You can review your catalogue in a very rich way. Amazing, isn?t it??

Mr Gates gave full support to Saudi Arabia?s economic development plans and announced the signing of a record 14 agreements with Saudi public and private organisations. ?The reason your plan is actually realistic is that you have the resources to make that kind of investment,? he told the top Saudi business, government and IT leaders at the forum. He said Saudi Arabia should draw lessons from the huge successes of both the US and India in the world of information technology. ?The US has been the strongest in terms of research on IT and that?s where investments in universities are going to help you,? he said. ?India has been the strongest in terms of the number of (IT) engineers it has employed in a wide variety of things. There again it was the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) that helped it do that,? he said, heaping fulsome praise on the Indians.

source.pngBink

some how i doubt this. Television will be here forever. Anyway if we do replace television lets give all of our old TVs to countries with violence problems. People will be too stuck to the tube to do anything violent then.

I doubt that they will be here for ever. Highly Doubt it, Wonder if we will ever become a world like Star Trek where the GUI is replaced by a button interface and TV is replaced by HoloDecks and money is no longer needed.

I can fore see a future where home user personal computers are replaced with internet-boxes and other appliances. Everyone will have online storage and subscribe to web apps. Partly due to DRM/Security issues and partly due to the fact that the majority of people use computers for internet and email. Broadband, voice recognition and gesture input will change how we interact with these appliances. Linux will rule the business world. IMO the only reason WEBTV didn't take off was because you couldn't share music with it, edit photos, etc...

Read half of the above.

Anyway I tend to agree with what he's saying. TV "as we know it" will go away I'm sure. The future at present I think will be telivision delivered online. Now will that happen in 10 years? I dont think so. Some regions this may happen but theres many parts of the world without the money, connections ect to make it happen too soon. In what form it will take I cant say but the immediate push seems to be media pc's although their uptake seems to be fairly slow. I think the online services and streaming in general will need to improve until computers can generally really take over and I doubt many people are in a situation where they can readily stream HI-Def tv and do so reliably. I mean you have to bare in mind that most of the world are still on standard tv sets and adoption of HD equipment in almost all places has been alot slower than say the US. Price is an issue in alot of places too.

Infact almost any medium will take a while to be adopted. DVD's took quite some time before they became the norm and MP3 players were around for quite some time before the iPod became the status symbol that it is today (even they took 2 or 3 generations and a windows version to really catch on).

As for the tv not being portable. I dont know what he has in mind their. Projectors? The current push with home cinema is larger and crisper displays...something that doesnt exactly promote portability. Even projectors need some screen or something to look any good on so I think replacing the actual tvset is a bit further down the track.

i can agree with the tv thing. TVs and computers are beginning to move closer and closer to each other. I mean, we already have WebTV... we have websites with television. there are big screen 42 inch flatscreen televisions that can be used interchangably as computer monitors. its only a matter of time.

but the books being extinct thing? i dont think so... never.

Edited by Cyranthus

i would miss the feeling of taking a good book from my bookshelf and feeling the weight in my hand, turning the papers, smelling it. It would take away the fun of reading

i do however agree with the television thing, i havn't had a television for a few years now, i use webtv and windows media center (i agree it's basicly still the same thing)

Well Analog TV is already if not soon to be obsolete. When was the deadline for tvs to switch to all digital?

According to USA Today it could be Feb. 17, 2009.

According to USA Today it could be Feb. 17, 2009.

intreasting... HD is the way to go now a days. I wonder if there will be a cheeper altertive for those who can't afford a $500-$700 TV. Perhaps offer them "todays" digital at a low price?

Cakey: Microsoft as we know it, obsolete in 5 years.

That would make me happy :whistle:

You both are fools if you actually think that. The same damn thing has been said EVERY year. It hasn't happened and it won't.

Then why are more people and buisnesses using Linux for desktops and servers? :shiftyninja:

I personally feel books will disappear. They just aren't convenient and are extremely fragile as a form of information. Now I don't think it will necessarily happen in our lifetime but mark my word it will happen.

I mean whats the sense in having a book when you can have a paper thin screen with 2 buttons, one to scroll to tne next page and one to go back. Considering that could store 100's of books it makes pure sense. It would also be cheaper for publishers since books wouldnt be manufactured as much as they are provided electronically.

Really I see no advantage to having a book when the right medium arrives for reading electonic documenets. ATM no such device exists that can be used say in bed but it'll happen. The only thing that would keep them going is people latching onto them because they arent ready to let go but im sure many people said records would never be replaced and look what happened.

Hell it may not be a sign but how often does software come with electronic documents now days as opposed to the few hundred page books wed get in the past. ALso digital books can be searched, bookmarked, blogged ect ect far easier.

But yeah, theyd need a hand held device to cater for their reading and no such device exists yet.

I personally feel books will disappear. They just aren't convenient and are extremely fragile as a form of information. Now I don't think it will necessarily happen in our lifetime but mark my word it will happen.

I mean whats the sense in having a book when you can have a paper thin screen with 2 buttons, one to scroll to tne next page and one to go back. Considering that could store 100's of books it makes pure sense. It would also be cheaper for publishers since books wouldnt be manufactured as much as they are provided electronically.

Really I see no advantage to having a book when the right medium arrives for reading electonic documenets. ATM no such device exists that can be used say in bed but it'll happen. The only thing that would keep them going is people latching onto them because they arent ready to let go but im sure many people said records would never be replaced and look what happened.

Hell it may not be a sign but how often does software come with electronic documents now days as opposed to the few hundred page books wed get in the past. ALso digital books can be searched, bookmarked, blogged ect ect far easier.

But yeah, theyd need a hand held device to cater for their reading and no such device exists yet.

Books will never go, especially since everyone nowadays thinks they're a writer.

I'd hate to see books be put to a digital medium. For one, I can't STAND reading eBooks or any of the sort online. The only thing I read online are short articles and forums. There's way too much stress for the eyes to be staring at lit-up screen all day. Not to mention that you can't lay down/relax with it (unless you've got a laptop but still). Now, if there was a handheld device, it'd still be the same with a screen. Hell, I get tired of looking at my cell phone menus. :\

Besides, it wouldn't be the same with a regular book. Books don't need batteries. I'd HATE to have to charge my reading device. Books are meant for the rainy days, relax time, or whatever. Hell, they're my only escape from politics and the digital world.

Besides, it wouldn't be the same with a regular book. Books don't need batteries. I'd HATE to have to charge my reading device. Books are meant for the rainy days, relax time, or whatever.

Exactly. When there is a power cut what do I do? Read a book. If books were electronic, there would be literally nothing to do other than sit staring at the walls. The other factor to consider is that books offer a certain "comfort appeal". Paper offers that. Plastic doesn't.

Regards TV, I think we will still have TVs, but they will receive the signal via the internet, opposed to an antenna/satellite dish. I think in the future, all digital entertainment (TV, movies, music) will be delivered via the net, especially with the possibility of 50Gb/s+ broadband speeds.

Mr. Gates is out of touch with the rest of society if he thinks that. I'm not even sure what he means by obsolete. Does he mean, the TV will be obsolete because there will be a successor to the TV (while this may be true it does not render the TV obsolete. It just gives us another option of how we want to obtain our information). Or does he mean the TV will be obsolete because nobody will be using it? The reason I am confused derives from his analogy with records. Records are still the preferred medium for DJ's; they're definitely not obsolete. But I don't think Bill has gone to a club in about 25 years so he wouldn't know about that or turntablism.

Either that or he needs to rethink his usage of the word obsolete. Then again, this is coming from the same people who said we wouldn't be using paper anymore over a decade ago. Pipe dreams motivated by the ambition to have a little Microsoft O/S in every gadget known to mankind.

Then why are more people and buisnesses using Linux for desktops and servers? :shiftyninja:

Prove it. From what I have read, sales of Windows servers are growing much faster than Linux servers.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Sihoo Doro C300 Pro V2 Ergonomic Office Chair review: The Ikea of chairs by Steven Parker I've reviewed a few gaming chairs over the past three years or so and generally found them to score well in our reviews. SIHOO reached out asking if I was interested in taking a look at their flagship chair, the Doro C300 Pro V2. I never got the chance to check out its predecessor, but the V2 is described as an "Adaptive Ergonomic Chair." It became available to buy in April of this year. Let's get things rolling with a closer look at the specifications and features. Specifications Doro C300 Pro V2 Model Ergonomic Materials Mesh Back and Seat; Soft PU Coated Armrests Height adjustability 45.5 - 53 cm / 17.5" - 20.9" Seat (w+d) 52 x 43 - 47 cm / 20.5" x 16.9" - 18.5" (adjustable) Backrest 52 – 60 cm / 20.5" - 23.6" (adjustable) Lumbar support Mesh built-in (adjustable) Armrest adjustability 8D Bionic Armrests Rocking angle 105°, 120°, 135° (fixed) Neck support Mesh built-in (adjustable) Net weight 27.3 kg / 59.64 lbs Weight support 150 kg / 330 lbs Colors Black, White Warranty 5 years (upon registering) Price $499.99, $539.99 Introduction At first glance, it looks like a chair that in another life wants to be a Herman Miller; It certainly looks like my Aeron Remastered, but the Doro C300 Pro V2 has quite a few more features and costs quite a bit less. SIHOO says that it is made up of a "DynaCore" system that tracks your movement and synchronizes the headrest, backrest, lumbar support, and armrests as you shift, twist, or recline. They also say that the "SyncroFlex Backrest" molds to your spine, which kind of describes how the mesh fabric works in most ergonomic chairs, but anyway. Below are the meat and potatoes measurements for the chair. Here is the same tech sheet, but in inches. Durability I would be remiss to not talk about the various durability testing this chair underwent before coming to market, as this is claimed on the product page. First of all, the chair is BIFMA-, SGS-, and TÜV-certified. As for durability, the tests undergone were: 100,000 Castor cycles tested 120,000 Armrest cycles tested 120,000 Recline cycles tested 120,000 Gas lift cycles tested 60,000 Armrest durability cycles tested 120,000 Rotation cycles tested Nothing about weights testing, though. Now that's all disclosed, now onto my own personal findings. Assembly The Doro C300 Pro V2 came in two large boxes (1) (2), and everything was packed very well, protecting the different parts of the chair. In the box, there is a folded sheet that explains the 12 steps to assemble it; they are: Remove the bottom cover on the aluminum base; Insert the five legs into the aluminum base and use ten screws to fasten them; Insert the castors into the legs; Replace the bottom cover on the bottom of the aluminum base; Place the Class 4 Hydraulics gas cylinder into the aluminum base; Screw the bottom part of the arm rests, taking care of the orientation using two screws on each side; Use three torx screws to fasten the footrest to the bottom of the seat; Fasten the backrest to the seat using four torx bolts; Fasten the armrests to the backrest using four Torx bolts (two on each side), taking care to note the orientation; Place the chair onto the Class 4 Hydraulics gas cylinder; Insert the headrest into the top of the backrest; Use two torx screws to fasten the headrest to the backrest. There's also an online guide you can refer to. Carefully unpacking the two boxes took around 15 minutes because almost everything is wrapped in plastic and protective foam; the chair assembly itself took around an hour. I say in the above assembly steps to take note of the orientation, because it's not obvious which way around the bottom portion of the armrests go, and although there is an L and R on the bottom of the armrests, it also wasn't clear from the instructions which was actually left or right, facing the chair, or in the seated down orientation? Anyway, I ended up putting the bottom portions on the wrong sides, and after securing one of the armrests, I discovered that although it was on the correct side, the armrest base could rotate a full 360°, but not when bolted to the chair, so I had to remove it, rotate it, and then bolt it back on. Truly an Ikea experience! Also, to complicate things further, although all the parts are labeled from A to X (yes, that's 24 parts) unhelpfully, these letters do not appear on the parts themselves or the package with the bolts, screws, and washers. There's also a pair of protective gloves in the box, but I think they were made for much smaller hands than I have. Even my friend, who is 5.1, had difficulty putting them on. Once assembled, I needed to sit down. Anyway, as I said, it looks quite similar to my Herman Miller. And here is the back of it. If you look at the product page and on Amazon, it seems like a lot of thought has gone into the chair itself and what it's capable of, but there is no mention at all about the castors, and this is an area where I think the chair trips up quite quickly. I found it difficult to move the chair in any direction. I asked a friend who came to visit me earlier this week to test my findings, and she said that the wheels were "no good," so it definitely isn't just me. I am 6'2 myself and a big guy, I work from home and gained a few pounds from mostly staying in and the hell away from other people. However, the Doro C300 Pro V2 is rated for up to 150kg (330lbs), which in my case is used well within its max rating. Ergonomics The number of adjustments you can make, right up to setting it in nap mode — which I haven't fully tested yet — is what you'd expect from a premium chair. Yes, you can go up and down (max 7.5 cm adjustment), rock back and forth (with tilt adjustment), and lock the chair between three stages of 105°, 120°, 135°, which is not quite as flat as the AndaSeat I tested at 160°. Some thought has also gone into the "8D" armrests, too, which are cushioned but quite firm; you'll only know it if you press hard into the PU-covered tops, which give about half a centimeter, but it's enough to ensure your skin won't get awkwardly stuck to it in warmer (or sweatier) conditions. It almost feels like plastic and is very easy to keep clean. However, the armrest positions move far too easily, and I am not sure what that "elbow" function is. Maybe it is good for a short person with short arms, anyway, I never used it and kept it flat at all times. There are eight levels of adjustment for the armrests, they are: backwards, forwards, swing left/right, height up and down, tilt, and 360° rotation, which can be handy for desk clearance. As I said, the armrest pads shift far too easily, which could give off an ergonomic vibe, but who wants the armrest sliding when you are shifting weight? The height adjustability does lock into place when lifting and adjusting. Comfort This is ultimately what it boils down to at the end of the day, right? Quite a lot of reviews praise the comfort of this chair, and I don't disagree that the mesh seating is quite comfortable. I am used to the material from my daily Herman Miller. However, the backrest cannot be locked into place, and this is actually a feature; as you shift or recline yourself on the chair, the backrest moves with your body. It took some getting used to. The lumbar gives ample support, but I would have preferred an adjustable one built into the seat base, as this causes the backrest to move up and down at will. Again, as with my previous chair review, this chair is also rated for tall people, but nowhere in the product documentation does it say how tall. Being 6'2 myself, I'm happy to say that the backrest is tall and wide enough, and thought has been given to being able to adjust the neck rest, but as others have mentioned in their reviews, people as tall as 6.2ft is about the limit for the neckrest. Conclusion What I didn't like The footrest is rated for 15kg (33 lbs), which to me seems a bit light, and after looking online, it seems like a chair footrest for adults must be at least twice that rating. In all honesty, they are just hollow metal tubes, so it is not recommended to let a kid sit on them. I also feel like it doesn't really go out far enough for my height, so that kind of puts the dampener on me being able to use it regularly. I'll just have to continue to use my subwoofer as a footrest! I do not like the armrests being able to shift around as easily as they can, and they are a little too forward-positioned in the chair to comfortably sit close to my desk, because even in the lowest height position, they don't allow me to go under the desk like is possible with my Herman Miller. I also feel like this chair could have been delivered partially constructed, especially the armrests on the seat, and why the aluminum base wasn't already pre-constructed (without the castors) is baffling, considering it would have fit in one of the two boxes that way. The instructions also need to be clearer. On the pamphlet, there's an A to X listing (which is also used in the steps), but none of the physical parts use this lettering system! What I did like I'll be honest, I haven't used it for very long, just one week, and seating comfort is subjective after all! Any spills wiped straight off it, the stitching, and the lines look great, not a fray to be seen or stitch out of place. It looks kind of cool, too. My favorite feature of these seats is the nap mode. While you're not lying completely flat, it leans far back enough to make you easily doze off after a heavy gaming or working session. Overall, this chair offers plenty of comfort features. The MSRP does vary quite a bit depending on the region, at £549.99 in the UK, and €580 in Europe, and $599 before tax in the U.S. However, shipping is free, which is a bonus for such a heavy item. Is it worth it, though? At three years' warranty, I think it's a decent deal. Another firm out of Germany sent me a free replacement hydraulic gas spring for a chair that failed after almost four years, so it was well outside its two-year warranty. My advice is to always try, as you might have the same luck I did. If I could fault it at all, it would be the constant shifting of the armrests and backrest. Where to buy Although the footrest variant normally costs $539.99, it has been discounted to $469.99 on the official website in Black or White. In fact, the non-footrest variant is only $40 cheaper. On Amazon, it currently costs more at $499.99 links below. Sihoo Doro C300 Pro V2 for $469.99 (official website) Sihoo Doro C300 Pro V2 for $499.99 at Amazon US SIHOO provided a free sample without any review or pre-approval. Good to know This Amazon link is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Making US citizens pay is a prominent tool? Joke of the week…
    • Price Drop: Save 86% on Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus lifetime digital license by Steven Parker Today's highlighted deal comes via our Apps + Software section of the Neowin Deals store, where you can save 86% on a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 for Windows. This bundle is for families and small businesses who want classic Office apps and email. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote. A one-time purchase installed on 1 Windows PC for use at home or work. Lifetime license for MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, & OneNote One-time purchase installed on 1 Windows PC for use at home or work Instant Delivery & Download – access your software license keys and download links instantly Free customer service – only the best support! Microsoft Office Professional 2021 (for Windows) includes: Microsoft Office Word Microsoft Office Excel Microsoft Office PowerPoint Microsoft Office Outlook Microsoft Office Teams Microsoft Office OneNote Microsoft Office Publisher Microsoft Office Access No faffing about with subscriptions, just classic apps that don't expire. Good to Know ONE-TIME PURCHASE INSTALLED ON 1 DEVICE Redemption deadline: redeem your code within 30 days of purchase Access options: desktop Full versions No subscriptions – no monthly/annual fees Version: 2021 Updates included* *Support for this version of Office ends on Oct 13, 2026 A lifetime subscription to Microsoft Office 2021 Professional normally costs $219.99, but this deal can be yours for just $29.97, that's a saving of $190. For full terms, specifications, and license info, click the link below. Get Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for just $29.97, or learn more Although priced in U.S. dollars, this deal is available for digital purchase worldwide. Support queries If you have queries or need support for any of the Neowin Deals, please use the contact form here. Neowin Deals are managed and sold by StackCommerce who represent Neowin on an affiliate basis. Why we post these deals We post these because we earn commission on each sale so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. So for those that keep moaning and complaining, be thankful we're still online for you to even do that. Other ways to support Neowin Whitelist Neowin by not blocking our ads Create a free member account to see fewer ads Make a donation to support our day to day running costs Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: Neowin benefits from revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site powered by StackCommerce.
    • The only reason I want to know where you from is because if you are not from the U.K, then why should you care what we in the U.K do or don't do? Racist I am not, I am fed up with the amount coming over here and feel they can come over here and think we need to support them. Do you know how much it costs this country to support these people coming over here? Even when we give them a place to live it is not good enough. We had a barge that was being used to house immigrants, oh but that was not good enough. A mate said to me at the time, when he was homeless, he would have been happy to live on the barge, instead of ending up sleeping on a bench on the beach. I am not scared to say what my family heritage is, unlike you who is scared to say where they are from or where they live. Father side U.S, mother side Wales, still have family living in the U.S. A mate who sadly died a few years ago, had a load of people from different races recording in his studio, I got on with all of them. Skin colour don't bother me, where they are from don't bother me. Religion don't bother me as long as they don't push it onto me and it is not crazy stuff. I am not religious. But if you are not living in the U.K, then why should you care if we are in the E.U or not? This the problem, too many people poking their noses into where it don't belong. But you believe what you believe, if you think I am racist, then be it, I really do not care. Just grow a pair
  • Recent Achievements

    • Conversation Starter
      jessse3334 earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • Reacting Well
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      506
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      206
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      151
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      73
    5. 5
      macoman
      62
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!