Bill Gates: Microsoft is Working On 'a Lot of Tablets'
Despite the fact that the last week has seen two Windows 7 tablets scrapped, Microsoft founder Bill Gates says the company is still working on a tablet project. In fact, Bill says the folks at Redmond are working on 'a lot of different tablet projects.
TechFlash reports that in an interview with Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway lieutenant Charlie Munger for Fox Business Network, Gates reassured people that Microsoft wasn't giving up on tablets. And though it seems to be going out of fashion as of late, Bill also stated that the company believes pen- or stylus-based input methods will become the mainstream for students.
“Microsoft has a lot of different tablet projects that we're pursuing," said Gates. "We think that work with the pen that Microsoft pioneered will become a mainstream for students. It can give you a device that you can not only read, but also create documents at the same time."
So Microsoft hasn't given up on tablets yet and the company really digs the idea of pen- or stylus-based input, but what do they think of the competition? Bill says Apple is doing a 'great job.' When asked about Apple, Warren Buffet said, "Steve Jobs has done a terrific job. And there will be companies that excel. And occasionally they will excel because of luck, but usually they excel because of brains." Bill is said to have agreed with Buffet saying, "Yes, I think both in general and in the specific, Apple's done a great job."
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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zorky9 hope it's not just a bigger version of their upcoming windows 7 mobile, like the iPad's just an oversized iPod touch.Reply
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nforce4max Warren Buffett = insider trading and a full time scam artist. This guy like many in his profession are the real deal when it comes to scum bags.Reply
http://kordellnorton.com/wordpress/?p=42 -
Regulas zorky9hope it's not just a bigger version of their upcoming windows 7 mobile, like the iPad's just an oversized iPod touch.It will be and it will suck.Reply -
killerclick I'm waiting for a user interface that will render in my field of vision and work via motion detection. Lose the clunky hardware already, I need my hands for other things!Reply -
gallidorn Pen or Stylus based tablets???? Is he out of his mind?Reply
Maybe he should ask students what they think and they will tell you that a stylus is a hassle and is one more thing you have to worry about misplacing.
Hey Bill... Why don't you try to simplify peoples lives for once?
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worl killerclickI'm waiting for a user interface that will render in my field of vision and work via motion detection. Lose the clunky hardware already, I need my hands for other things!Reply
While you wait for that I'll be waiting for my nano computer that interface directly with my brain. (my nerd's wet dream) -
ta152h There are a lot of problems with this.Reply
For one, people probably know how unreliable Microsoft was with the X-Box 360, and might pause before considering buying another "computer" from them.
But, mainly, when you make a computer that's supposed to take advantage of a modern PC, and then try to make it ideal for a tablet, you're going to have compromises somewhere that will probably make it non-competitive with something made specifically for each platform.
Windows 7 isn't ideal for a tablet, and they won't win if they try to shoehorn it in, while Apple and Google are making more device specific operating systems for their smaller devices. I think they should make it look as much like Windows 7 as possible, so people are comfortable finding things, but the underlying technology has to be a lot smaller and efficient, not just a desktop operating system with minor modifications to run on very, very different hardware. -
reklatsa Would they, perchance, be filled with Lysergic acid diethylamide? I swear Ballmer's always on something.Reply -
Bolbi " lot of different tablet projects that we're pursuing", but I wonder how many of them will actually be completed and hit the retail market. I suspect that those of us on the outside have no idea how many projects are started and eventually discarded. (Yes, WinFS, I'm looking at you!)Reply