Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to share stage at All Things Digital conference

Posted Feb 20th 2007 4:34PM by Matthew Himler
Filed under: Conventions and Conferences, Microsoft (MSFT), Apple Inc (AAPL), Marketing and Advertising

MacDaily News reports today that Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Chairmen Bill Gates will share the stage at The Wall Street Journal's "D: All Things Digital" conference this year. These two titans will jointly discuss the history and future of the digital revolution in a supposed, unrehearsed and unscripted conversation, on May 30 with The Journal's ace tech reporters (and "D" co-producers) Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher.

Both Jobs and Gates have made numerous individual appearances at this conference, but the two have never previously shared the stage and limelight. The question is which one will outsmart the other as many will be watching as they discreetly sell their distinct and competitive companies in this friendly format. (Just consider Apple's "PC versus Mac guy" series of TV commercials, which Gates says "bugs him.")

It seems that Apple has been one step ahead of Microsoft in the consumer product sector as it has bested Microsoft in the digital music market, the phone market, and is gaining rapidly in the personal computer market. But Gates has a leg up with the X-Box and still-dominant computer operating system, let alone software.

This unscripted tete-a-tete may even be better than the Apple TV spots.

Tags: Bill Gates, BillGates, Kara Swisher, KaraSwisher, Steve Jobs, SteveJobs, Walt Mossberg, WaltMossberg

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-20-2007 @ 4:49PM

Phatman said...

It'd be funny if Bill Gates said "Hi, I'm a PC"

2-20-2007 @ 5:56PM

Rich said...

Bill Gates doesn't really care about how well apple products are doing. People all over the world are using Microsoft windows. Microsoft operating systems are in 80 percent of businesses around the world. So in the end Bill Gates wins!

2-20-2007 @ 11:18PM

Steven James said...

collaboration usually means desperation. I wonder who is the desperate one? Of course the outcome of collaboration is usually indifferent than once started... I wonder how this relationship can work. I mean Apple is gaining notoriety, but Microsoft already has and is improving upon that. It is unfortunate that Microsoft is the target of critics and hackers, that is because its software is open for a) striving businesses b)open access to updates and c)a broad base of users. It is definitely more jarring than that of Apple, who refuses to put their OS on anything that is not branded Apple and is difficult with its Digital Rights in terms of iPod and iTunes. The villain looks as if it is Microsoft because of its domination and its appearance of a 'lackluster' OS but it is actually Apple with its dirty tactics and authoritarian attempt to dominate the Computing world. I love my Vista.