vIDEO phone rEVOLUTION AHEAD IN iNDIA HAS TO ECLIPSE mEDIA bLITZ VERY SOON!
Infosys worried about euro woes!
Microsoft's top execs step down!
Samsung S3370 Christened the Star Nano 3G in India
Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams,chapter 488
Palash Biswas
It such an irony considering more than a decade ago, everyone thought Apple was down and out and Microsoft had to infuse in some much needed funds to get them going. During that time, the value of Microsoft was five times more than Apple.The shares of Apple are now worth ten times more than they were a decade ago. Steve Jobs tried to keep getting several steps ahead in product creation which gave the world popular products such as the IPod, Iphone and the recent IPod. Microsoft on the other hand tried to maintain status quo in terms of product development preferring to constantly upgrade their software.
Infosys worried about euro woes!
vIDEO phone rEVOLUTION AHEAD IN iNDIA HAS TO ECLIPSE mEDIA bLITZ VERY SOON!
op Stories
As of 2 hours ago
Honda shuts down all its China plants
- Indian ExpressChina's burgeoning automobile industry suffered a jolt as Honda shut down all its four assembly plants after workers went on strike demanding better wages....
- Food inflation slows; rates seen steady- Reuters
- Tata Motors vrooms to Rs 2,571-cr profit- IE Finance
- Electric cars unlikely to create a spark soon- IE Finance
- Alstom, Schneider offer to buy 20 pct in Areva T&D- Reuters
- Daiichi Sankyo says to keep Ranbaxy listed- Reuters
APPLE Upsets Microsoft Value Cart!Microsoft chief shrugs off Apple!The biggest buzz in Wall Street right now is how Apple overtook Microsoft shares last Wednesday. The maker's of Iphone saw its shares rise by 2.8% while that of the consistently top Redmond Company struggled ending with a market value of $219 against Apple's $222.
Steve Jobs steers Apple to the topEconomic Times - 3 hours ago NEW YORK: By dethroning Microsoft as the world's top technology company, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has piloted a stunning phoenix-like rise from the ... What to Expect From Apple's iPhone-Centric WWDC 2010 News outlets may have spoiled the big surprise for Apple's upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference by publishing early photos and details ... Apple makes iPhone dev deal -- with Microsoft? (Updated)Computerworld (blog) - 22 hours ago I just love the politics of these claims, if they (unlikely as it seems) turn out fact, not fiction. On the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my ...
What Steve Jobs has up his sleeve The developers conference that begins June 7 is likely to be "a non-event" for Apple's (AAPL) share price, according to Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, ... Critics bite into Apple; complain of tech giant's domineering ways Silicon Valley blogger Ryan Tate was settling into a quiet night at home — a little "30 Rock," a few sips into his Hennessy and creme de ... I want the iPad porn-free, says Apple's Steve JobsThe Guardian - May 25, 2010 Having survived liver cancer and being fired by Apple, not to mention negotiations with some of the planet's toughest business brains, Steve Jobs is hardly ... Apple's Steve Jobs schedules WWDC keynote for June 7 On June 7, the technology world will be watching the Moscone Center in San Francisco when Apple Inc. kicks off its ... Jobs: 'You won't be disappointed' Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be emceeing the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on June 7. ... Steve Jobs' June 7 dilemma Steve Jobs may come to regret that widely re-posted e-mail promising an Apple (AAPL) loyalist that he won't be "disappointed" by the announcements the ... New Apple iPhone 4G at WWDC 2010: "not disappointing" We're less than two weeks away from Apple's worldwide developer conference. Steve Jobs is now officially slated to keynote ... | Timeline of articles Number of sources covering this story
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Although Apple still sells their computers, much focus is given to newer products as revenues from these are more than double. The whole industry was able to sell around 172M smart phones the previous year compared with 306M computers. However the sale of smartphones grew five times more than that of the PCs.
Is the era of Window's over? We have to wait and see. Steve Ballmer may not take that sitting down. It sure will be an exciting field right now with the especially with the strides being done by Google with Android.
What other than this can explain the rationale behind the naming of the Samsung S3370 to the rather weird and awkwardly long "Star Nano 3G". What is pertinent to note is that the phone also goes by the following names: Samsung Corby 3G, Samsung Pocket3G and Samsung Acton in the various markets where it is sold.
The Star Nano 3G, as the name suggests, will be 3G ready and comes with a 2.6-inch QVGA display - a notch smaller than the normal, 2.8-inch Corby screens. The phone features Samsung's TouchWiz UI, 3G, MP3 player, Bluetooth, FM radio, mobile tracker, access to Samsung Apps, a very basic 1.3MP camera, and Micro SD card support. It also comes with a host of social networking apps including Google Talk, Palringo Chat and AIM.
The Star Nano is priced at Rs. 7,320 and will come with a leather pouch, a stylus and a 2GB memory card.
Apple India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions are available. (May 2010) |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software Hardware |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder(s) | Apple,inc. |
| Headquarters |  Bangalore, India |
| Key people | Steve Jobs (CEO, chairman of Apple,inc.) Alok Sharma(former CEO of Apple India)[1] |
| Website | Apple India |
Apple India PL or Apple India Pvt. Ltd. is the Indian subsidiary of Apple, Inc..
[edit] Address
- 5th Flr., Du Parc Trinity, 17, M G Rd.
Bengalooru - 560001, Karnataka India.[2]
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
Microsoft's top execs step down!
Microsoft chief shrugs off Apple!Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer on Thursday said he was unconcerned that his company had been overtaken by rival Apple as the world's biggest technology firm in terms of market value.
Apple overtakes Microsoft as biggest tech co!Apple Inc shot past Microsoft Corp as the world's biggest tech company based on market value, the latest milestone in the resurgence of the maker of the iPhone, which nearly went out of business in the 1990s. This dramatic episode in the technology sector may mark a great shift in the way a business value is determined. The once Microsoft Giant has been strong with its software products. It claims that its operating system is running on practically most of the world's computers. Consumer demand seems to have overtaken that of corporate requisites as the main reason for taking a technological lead.
Apple's shares rose as much 2.8 per cent on Nasdaq on Wednesday, as Microsoft shares floundered, briefly pushing its market value above $229 billion, ahead of its longtime rival.
IT bellwether Infosys said the ongoing sovereign debt problem in the Eurozone region is a matter of concern for software companies."Clearly there are concerns with our clients about what is happening in Europe...we already have seen that the European companies have responded slower than our US clients after the recovery. I think the European crisis would continue for sometime and that is definitely a cause for concern," Infosys chief executive and managing director Kris S Gopalakrishnan said.
Currently, Europe contributes about 25 per cent of Infosys revenues. "Our European exposure is mostly to Britain, Switzerland, Germany, France and to the Nordic countries and about 25 per cent of our revenues come from Europe," he said.
To a query, Gopalakrishnan remained affirmative that they are well on growth track. "If you look at the results from the last two quarters we have seen sequential growth of about 5-6 per cent and we are now recruiting," he said.
Elaborating, he said the company would offer increments in June and they are looking at overall recruitment of 30,000 in this financial year. "We are on target," he added.
On expansion plans he said, the company is looking for additional facility in Bangalore. "Yes we are looking at additional facility in Bangalore and as soon as something is lined up we can talk about it," he said but declined to elaborate.
Ballmer spoke to reporters in New Delhi day after Apple, maker of the iPod, iPhone and iPad, passed the software giant for the first time. Measures announced by European countries to tackle their fiscal woes are helpful steps, IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Thursday, adding that Europe's economy will be back on track soon.
"It is a long game. We have good competitors but we too are very good competitors," he said. "I will make more profit and certainly there is no technology company on the planet that is as profitable as we are."
| Friday May 28, 06:30 PM |  |
Govt stake sale plan on track despite volatile mkts
By Rajesh Kumar Singh
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Volatile stock markets have not changed the government's plans to sell stakes in state-run companies, a senior finance ministry official told Reuters on Friday.
The government has pencilled in proceeds of roughly 400 billion rupees ($8.6 billion) from sales in government companies in the fiscal year that began on April 1.
"We are going ahead with all the preparations. And we don't have any issue coming up till July," Disinvestment Secretary Sumit Bose said in an interview.
Indian shares skidded to their lowest close in three-and-a-half months early this week, before paring losses, as Europe's sovereign debt woes sparked worries of larger foreign fund outflows, casting doubts over the government's ability to complete its stake sale plans.
Foreigners have withdrawn $2.3 billion from Indian equities so far in May in their biggest pullout since October 2008.
"Let's cross that bridge, when it comes," Bose said when asked whether market volatility would lead the government to defer its stake sale plans.
The government raised about $5.3 billion from asset sales in the fiscal year that ended on March 31.
India plans to sell minority stakes in about 60 state companies over the next few years to help bridge its fiscal deficit and raise funds for social programmes for the poor.
Engineers India, Coal India, Steel Authority (SAIL.NS : 205.85 +7
) of India Ltd, Hindustan Copper, and Shipping Corp of India are among firms the government is preparing for stake sales.
Bose said Engineers India's $270 million offer was likely to hit the market in July, followed by Coal India Ltd's $2.7 billion IPO in September. Coal India is the world's largest coal miner.
The cabinet has also approved a 20 percent stake sale in state-run Steel Authority of India Ltd in two tranches. The timing of the share sales will be decided by the steel ministry, Bose said.
OIL FIRMS
Bose also said New Delhi had not decided yet on stake sales in state oil marketing firms including Indian Oil Corp.
"First of all, Ministry of Petroleum has to take a call on that. It is too early to talk about it," Bose said in his office.
In March, Bose had told Reuters that the government would review the possibility of stake sales in state oil marketing firms in 2010/11.
Media reports said state-run Indian Oil Corp would be one of the companies in which the government would look to sell a stake in the current fiscal year.
Bose said a share sale in Shipping Corp would also take place before end-2010, while the one in State Trading Corp could take place in 2011.
(US$1=46.38 rupees)
(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Tony Munroe)
| Friday May 28, 05:10 PM | |
BSE Sensex posts best weekly gains in 12 weeks
 |
| |
By Ami Shah
MUMBAI (Reuters) – The BSE Sensex (^BSESN : 16863.06 +196.66) posted its biggest weekly gain since early March, as it climbed 1.2 percent on Friday, joining a global markets rally triggered by bargain hunting after China's assurance that Europe will remain a major investment market.
Metal makers Tata Steel (TATASTL.BO : 496.15 +3.15), Hindalco (HINDALC0.NS : 142 0
) and Sterlite Industries gained the most driven by firm metal prices in London as copper prices touched a two-week high.
The 30-share BSE index rose 1.18 percent or 196.66 points to 16,863.06 points. It rose 2.5 percent this week, the most since the week ended March 6, when it registered a 3.6 pct gain.
Twenty six components of the index closed in the green.
But the benchmark is down nearly 4 percent in May and is set to post its first monthly loss since January, as foreign funds pulled out $2.3 billion from Indian equities this month.
"The bad news was overdone. The Europe debt woes are more than factored in," said Neeraj Dewan, director of Quantum Securities, ruling out any steep downside from current levels.
Foreign funds are still net investors of $4.3 billion since January, after record inflows of $17.5 billion in 2009 that led to a spectacular 81 percent rally in the benchmark last year.
The BSE Sensex has fared better than its peers such as China's Shanghai Composite Index which dipped 7.5 percent in May and Brazil's Bovespa stock index which shed 8.1 percent.
"Monsoon is a key factor to watch now. A lot depends on that," said Quantum Securities' Neeraj Dewan.
Investors are keenly awaiting the June-September monsoon, which is vital for farm output, rural incomes and is a key driver of demand for a wide range of manufactured goods.
The annual monsoon, halted by cyclone Laila last week, is likely to hit the country's southern coast on schedule in the next three to four days, weather officials said on Thursday.
Last year, India suffered its worst drought since 1972, despite a forecast for a normal monsoon.
Tata Motors (TATAMOTORS.BO : 742.9 +33.65) rose as much as 4.2 percent after the top vehicle maker beat market estimates with a surge in March quarter earnings, helped by rising sales and profitability at its Jaguar Land Rover unit.
But the stock erased early gains and closed 0.7 percent higher.
Non-ferrous metals producer Sterlite Industries and aluminium maker Hindalco rose 5.8 percent and 1.6 percent respectively.
Tata Steel, the world's eighth-largest steel maker by output, climbed 0.6 percent while Jindal Steel & Power (JINDALSTE.NS : 654.5 +32.25) gained 4.9 percent.
Late on Thursday, Tata Steel said its founder Tata Sons is hiking its stake in the steel maker and the company had approved issuing up to 15 million shares and 12 million convertible warrants.
Energy major Reliance Industries (RELIANCE.NS : 1036.65 +14.4) rose 1.2 percent as it said it had discovered oil in one of it's exploration blocks in the Cambay Basin on the country's western coast, which is its fifth oil discovery in the region.
In the broader market, more than two shares advanced for every one that declined, on relatively lower volume of 352 million shares.
The 50-share NSE (^NSEI : 5066.55 +63.45) index gained 1.3 percent to 5,066.55.
Global equities measured by the MSCI All-Country World Index advanced 0.9 percent, gaining for the third consecutive day.
STOCKS THAT MOVED
* Oil & Natural Gas Corp rose 0.5 percent to 1,130.95 rupees ahead of its quarterly result. Last month, a Reuters poll showed the state energy firm may report January-March net profit jumped 58.5 percent on higher oil prices.
* Leading utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra rose 3.1 percent at 545.05 rupees ahead of its quarterly result on Saturday. A Reuters poll last month showed it may post a 12.1 percent rise in profit.
* Power equipment maker Areva T&D climbed 7.2 percent to 286.55 rupees, as Alstom Holdings, Schneider Electric and Areva T&D Holding SA have offered to buy 47.82 million shares, or about 20 percent of its equity.
MAIN TOP 3 BY VOLUME
* Amtek India on 35.6 million shares
* Pipavav Shipyard on 8.9 million shares
* Sesa Goa (SESAGOA.NS : 373.75 +36.45) on nearly 7 million shares
(Editing by Surojit Gupta)
(For more business news on Reuters India click http://in.reuters.com)
| Friday May 28, 02:38 PM | Source: Financial Express |
Apple's iPad hits Asia
Apple Inc's iPad hit overseas store shelves on Friday, with buyers storming Japanese and Australian shops to be among the first outside the United States to snap up the long-awaited tablet PC.
The device, which has a 9.7-inch colour touchscreen for surfing the Web, watching movies, playing games and reading e-books, goes on sale in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Britain and Canada later on Friday.
Apple has sold a million iPads in the United States since its April 3 debut, exceeding even the most bullish pre-launch estimates. Demand was so heavy the company had to delay the international roll-out by a month.
At Apple's flagship store in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district, about 1,200 people formed a line that stretched some 800 metres.
When a bell on the roof of the nearby Wako department store rang at 0800 local time, the doors of the Apple store opened to loud cheers from waiting customers.
I wanted to touch it as soon as possible. I felt real excitement when it was finally in my hands, said Takechiyo Yamanaka, 19, who camped out in front of the Ginza store from Wednesday evening to be the first in line.
Yamanaka was broadcasting himself on microblogging service Twitter while waiting and received encouraging words from Masayoshi Son, president of telecoms firm Softbank Corp, which sells the iPad in Japan, and others.
I felt quite relieved after I could finally get the iPad. I think I won't take my heavy laptop with me as often as I used to, said Shigeru Matsuyama, 48, a freelance writer.
The street was so packed with customers and media that police officials had to warn Apple employees to clear the sidewalk.
Enthusiasm about the iPad in Japan, the world's second-largest economy, is good news for Apple as international sales are increasingly important for the maker of the Macintosh computer and iPhone.
A model with 16 gigabytes of memory and Wi-Fi capability is being sold for 48,800 yen ($537) in Japan, compared with $499 in the United States.
On Wednesday, Apple shot past Microsoft Corp as the world's biggest technology company based on market value, the latest milestone in the resurgence of the maker of the iPhone, which nearly went out of business in the 1990s.
Apple now gets almost three-fifths of its revenue from overseas, and is seeing stunning growth in Europe and Asia.
SALES GALLOP
Analysts said the iPad's sales in overseas markets were sure to match the success seen in the United States, helped by a large pre-existing base of Apple fans that already own the iPod or iPhone.
RBC Capital Markets estimates iPad's total shipments will reach 8.13 million units worldwide by the end of this year. Apple does not provide iPad sales forecasts.
But analysts also warned that Apple may struggle to supply enough of the devices and noted competition from a spate of competitors set to significantly expand the number of rival offerings in the tablet market this year.
It's a little bit hard to say because there's still going to be supply constraints, but I'm expecting them to sell every single thing they can ship, Andy Hargreaves, a US-based analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, said ahead of the overseas launch.
On Tuesday, Dell unveiled its Streak tablet computer that can double as a mobile phone and will have a front-facing camera for videoconferencing. Sony Corp said on Thursday it would launch an e-reader in Japan by the year-end.
Apple also needs to attract normal customers on top of Apple lovers who automatically buy its products to keep the iPad selling.
I'm not going to buy the iPad now as it's expensive. And I'm a Sony fan, said college student Kengo Nakajima, 19.
The real game will start after 'core users' have the devices. I imagine a price cut may be necessary before the Christmas holiday season to stimulate demand, said Michito Kimura, a senior analyst at market research firm IDC Japan.
The iPad's global launch also comes as Apple struggles to ward off growing criticism about its secretive corporate culture, after it instigated an investigation into a lost or stolen prototype iPhone. That triggered a police raid on an Internet blogger's home and could result in felony charges.
Still, application providers and telecoms firms in Japan are keeping a close watch on the iPad's debut.
In Japan, where 476,000 iPads are expected to be shipped this year, according to RBC, Apple suspended taking pre-orders for the device on May 13 after only three days due to a supply shortage.
Dentsu Inc, Japan's biggest advertising firm, which operates an online book store to distribute magazines such as Newsweek Japan to smart phones including the iPhone, plans to distribute content to the iPad.
NTT Docomo, Japan's biggest mobile phone operator, will sell wireless LAN routers for the iPad's Wi-Fi connection next month to rival No.3 operator Softbank, which exclusively provides 3G networks for iPad.
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"Let's see what happens as I am still pleased that 94 times out of a 100 somebody picks a Windows PC," he said.
Ballmer was in India to underline the future importance of Microsoft's cloud services platform, in which people use applications hosted online instead of buying, installing and maintaining software on their own computers.
"India will not only see a surge in consumption of cloud services, driving growth in domestic IT usage, but companies all over the world will look to India for their transition to cloud computing," he said.
The technology is expected to create more than 300,000 jobs by 2015 in India, he said. Microsoft shares shed 4.07 percent on Wednesday to close at $25.01, dropping its market capitalisation -- the number of shares outstanding multiplied by the stock price -- to $219.18 billion.
Apple shares lost 0.45 per cent meanwhile to close at $244.05, giving the company a market value of $222.07 billion.
Apple stock has risen steadily as chief executive Steve Jobs, who returned to Apple in 1997 after a stint away, piloted the release of hit products starting with the iPod in 2001.
Both stocks ended down after a late-day sell-off, but Apple emerged ahead with a market value of about $222 billion, compared with Microsoft's $219 billion, according to Reuters data.
Apple shares closed down 0.4 per cent at $244.11 on Nasdaq, while Microsoft fell 4 per cent to a seven-month low of $25.01.
Shares of Apple are worth more than 10 times what they were 10 years ago, as it has profited from revolutionising consumer electronics with its stylish, easy to use products such as the iPod, iPhone and MacBook laptops.
The last time Apple had a higher market value than Microsoft was December 19, 1989, according to Thomson Reuters Datastream.
Microsoft, whose operating system runs on more than 90 per cent of the world's personal computers, has not been able to match growth rates from its hey-day 1990s. Its stock is down 20 per cent from 10 years ago.
Apple, which struggled for many years to get its products into the mainstream, resorted to a $150 million investment from the much larger Microsoft in 1997 in order to keep it afloat. At that time, Microsoft's market value was more than five times that of Apple.
Microsoft still leads Apple in sales. In the latest quarter, Microsoft reported $14.5 billion in revenue compared with Apple's $13.5 billion.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is now the second-largest company on the Standard & Poor's 500 index by market value, behind energy behemoth Exxon Mobil Corp.
Steve Ballmer, Microsoft chief executive, exuded his usual confidence at an appearance at the Oberoi hotel in New Delhi Thursday.
BloombergSteve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft Corp., at the Microsoft Global Energy Forum in Houston earlier this year The event attracted more attention than it otherwise might – roughly 80 reporters showed up for his press conference – because during the New York trading day Wednesday, Microsoft lost its top spot to Apple Inc. as the world's most valuable technology company by market value.
Mr. Ballmer was in Delhi as part of his Asia visit and to tout Microsoft's new cloud computing platform, Windows Azure. In a business suit after meeting with Microsoft's partners in India, he appeared unfazed.
"We are executing very well, that's going to lead to great products and great success," he said. "Stock markets will take care of the rest."
His trademark enthusiasm may be somewhat misplaced. The company's entertainment and devices division, which Mr. Ballmer personally monitors, is steadily losing ground to rivals. The software giant has failed to enthuse geeks with its Zune music players.
New shipments of handsets based on Microsoft's mobile software fell to 6.8% of the world-wide market in the quarter ended March 31 from 10.2% a year earlier, according to Gartner Inc. Google's Android operating system jumped to a 9.6% share from 1.6% over the same span, while Apple's iPhone rose to 15.4% from 10.5%, Gartner estimated.
"It is a long game. We have good competitors," Mr. Ballmer said. "We, too, are very good competitors."
He added: "I will make more profits and certainly there is no technology company in the planet which is as profitable as we are."
Microsoft's top execs step down!
Microsoft Corp said that two key executives from the group that makes the Xbox 360 game system, Windows mobile phones and Zune media players are leaving the company.The shakeup comes at a critical time for Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division. The company's phone software and Zune both lag those of competitors, notably Apple Inc.
Microsoft just overhauled its mobile phone system and started selling a new brand of phones, called Kin, for younger users. And the company is hoping to improve Xbox sales with an upcoming video game system that understands body movements, code-named "Project Natal."
Robbie Bach, a 22-year Microsoft veteran, has led the division as president since it was formed in 2005. He was chief Xbox officer before the division was created.
Previously he served as the manager of Microsoft's business operations in Europe and led Microsoft Office marketing. In a statement, Bach, 48, said he wants to dedicate more time to his family and his nonprofit work.
J Allard, one of the technical and creative minds behind the development of the Xbox and the Zune, is also leaving. Allard, 41, who has been with Microsoft for 18 years, has been the chief technology officer and chief experience officer for the Entertainment and Devices division. Allard will continue to advise CEO Steve Ballmer.
Bach will retire this fall and will not be replaced. Instead, Don Mattrick and Andy Lees, the current leaders of the video game business and the mobile phone business, respectively, will report directly to Ballmer. Microsoft did not say when Allard would leave or announce any replacement plans.
Microsoft's entertainment division accounted for 11 per cent of the company's revenue and 3 per cent of its income in the most recent quarter. Microsoft gets the bulk of its revenue from its Windows and Office products.
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Roll-out of 3G networks was delayed in some countries by the enormous costs of additional spectrum licensing fees. (See Telecoms crash. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G - Cached - Similar3G Spectrum
What is 3G spectrum? How does it help you?
29 Sep 2006 ... Spectrum auctions ran into billions of euros in Europe. In Europe, spectrum licensing fees were collected years before the 3G service was ...
www.rediff.com › MONEY - Cached - SimilarBharti raises Rs 8800 cr for 3G spectrum
25 May 2010 ... Gets funds from HDFC, HDFC Bank, SBI and IDFC Securities.
www.business-standard.com/india/news/...3g-spectrum/395979/ - CachedAll about the 3G spectrum : Rediff.com Business
9 Apr 2010 ... All about the 3G spectrum | Rediff Business News: Latest India business news, India Economy news, Indian stock market news.
business.rediff.com/.../slide-show-1-tech-all-about-the-3g-spectrum.htm - Cached3G Spectrum Auctions | Begins Apr 9 | Reliance Communication ...
9 Apr 2010 ... The auction of the long awaited 3G spectrum finally began at 9:00 am on Friday, Apr, 9.
news.oneindia.in/2010/04/09/3-g-spectrum-auction-begins.html - Cached3G Spectrum: 3G Auction in India provisional winners Results ...
20 May 2010 ... 3G Spectrum, 3G Auction in India provisional winners Results declared. After 34 days and 183 rounds of intense bidding.
www.indiasummary.com/.../3g-spectrum-3g-auction-in-india-provisional-winners-results-declared/ - Cached3G spectrum auction kicks off, first round completed-Telecom-News ...
9 Apr 2010 ... The first-ever auction of the radio frequency spectrum for third generation (3G) telephony that would facilitate high-speed mobile services ...
economictimes.indiatimes.com/.../3G-spectrum.../5777881.cms - Cached3G spectrum auction: Government collects Rs67,719 crore booty ...
20 May 2010 ... The availability of spectrum will enable mobile operators to provide new services like TV on mobile, games, and music, while also improving ...
www.dnaindia.com/.../report_3g-spectrum-auction-government-collects-rs67719-crore-booty_1385003 - Cached
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'I am no friend of any operator'The Hindu - - May 21, 2010 A. Raja: "The irony is that the person who took the decision to price the spectrum that was allocated beyond 6.2 MHz is being accused of giving it away for ... Government got Rs. 70000 crore from 2G spectrum: RajaThe Hindu - - May 21, 2010 Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology A. Raja on Friday defended the decisions his Ministry took on the allocation of 2G spectrum, ... CPI-M seeks A. Raja's resignation on 2G-spectrum scamEconomic Times - May 21, 2010 NEW DELHI: Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury reiterated his party's demand for the resignation of Communication Minister A ... TRAI recommendations on 4G services by year-endEconomic Times - May 20, 2010 21 May 2010, 0836 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: On the heels of a highly successful 3G spectrum auction, the telecom regulator TRAI on Thursday said it plans to ... Share, trade spectrum, optimise use of the scarce resourceEconomic Times - May 20, 2010 The pricey outcome of the auction of radio frequencies for third-generation telecom services underlines the need for innovative management of available ... Dismiss A Raja at least now: OppositionEconomic Times - May 20, 2010 NEW DELHI: A day after 3G spectrum's auction, the Opposition stepped up pressure on the Manmohan Singh government for the ouster of communication and IT ... Trai to complete consultation on 3G-2G price-linking by July 15Business Standard - May 20, 2010 The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will complete the consultation process for linking 3G spectrum price with 2G spectrum by July 15 and ... Govt to gain Rs 21717 crore if Trai's 2G formula gets nodTimes of India - - May 20, 2010 NEW DELHI: Bonanza for government keeps on growing. If DoT accepts Trai's recommendation that telecom operators must pay for excess 2G spectrum beyond 6.2 ... 2G licence renewal may cost telecom firms Rs 1 lakh crBusiness Standard - - May 20, 2010 With the third generation (3G) game over, for now, telecom operators are staring at the possibility of having to pay Rs 1,03000 crore to the government when ... Raja is exposed, says CPI(M)The Hindu - May 20, 2010 The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday demanded the resignation of Communications Minister A. Raja, saying the vast difference in the prices ... | Timeline of articlesNumber of sources covering this story
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Liquidity measures to stabilize money market rates: bond dealersLivemint - - 19 hours ago Mumbai: The move by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday night to ease liquidity pressures will keep money market rates in check and may even bring ... Liquidity is comfortable, RBI steps pre-emptive: BankersNDTV.com - May 27, 2010 PTI, May 27, 2010 (New Delhi) The bankers do not see too much liquidity pressure in the face of an expected Rs 1-lakh-crore cash outgo due to the huge 3G ... India Temporarily Eases Rules to Offset 3G Cash DrainBusinessWeek - - May 27, 2010 May 27 (Bloomberg) -- India temporarily eased rules to help banks avoid a cash crunch as companies raise an estimated ...
RBI Move To Ease Liquidity To Cap Call Rate, Support Government BondsWall Street Journal - - May 27, 2010 By Subhadip Sircar & Khushita Vasant MUMBAI (Dow Jones)--India's central bank's move to reduce a mandated bond holding will help limit the inter bank call ... Enough market liquidity despite 3G spectrum payments: SBI chiefEconomic Times - May 27, 2010 MUMBAI: OP Bhatt, the Chairman of the State Bank of India, has said there is sufficient liquidity in the market despite an unexpected cash outflow due to 3G ... No liquidity concerns in the short term: CEO, Motilal OswalEconomic Times - May 27, 2010 My question would relate more first to how you view liquidity flows or the availability of capital. Do you think it is the European crisis or is it China's ... Worst is over, says Bhatt on SBI's NPAsNDTV.com - May 26, 2010 PTI, May 27, 2010 (Mumbai) The country's largest lender State Bank of India has said the "worst is over" in terms of its rising bad debts, which had dragged ... India Eases Rules to Boost Liquidity After Tax, 3G PaymentsBusinessWeek - - May 26, 2010 May 27 (Bloomberg) -- India's central bank eased rules to boost liquidity at banks to avoid a cash crunch because of payments for tax and ... RBI bends backwards with de facto SLR cutDaily News & Analysis - - May 26, 2010 Mumbai: When it comes to liquidity, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) seems to be preferring to err on the side of caution. Late on Wednesday, it raised the ... RBI turns on liquidity tap for 3G, advance taxIndian Express - May 26, 2010 With almost Rs 1,00000 crore cash expected to go out of the system on account of the payments for third generation (3G) spectrum next week and advance tax ... | Timeline of articlesNumber of sources covering this story
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Telecom companies raise Rs 36000 crore for 3G licence paymentsEconomic Times - May 26, 2010 NEW DELHI: Only seven days after India's marathon 3G auctions ended, the licence winners have mopped up Rs 36000 crore in loans of the total Rs 67719 crore ... India Broadband Spectrum Bids Reach $884 Million on Third DayBusinessWeek - - May 26, 2010 May 26 (Bloomberg) -- India's government got bids totaling 41.8 billion rupees ($884 million) on the third day of an auction for licenses ... 3G absence may hit telcos, post number portabilityEconomic Times - May 25, 2010 NEW DELHI: The communications ministry has given an ultimatum to telecom companies to implement mobile number portability by September, a step fraught with ... India broadband spectrum bidding hots upEconomic Times - May 25, 2010 NEW DELHI: Bids for one set of all-India wireless broadband spectrum licences reached 31.98 billion rupees ($670 million), or about 83 percent higher than ... Telcos mull next move in 2G spectrum disputeEconomic Times - May 25, 2010 NEW DELHI: A tribunal refused to intervene on Tuesday in a dispute between telecoms carriers and their regulator over 2G spectrum fees, ... India This Evening: Telcos Withdraw Plea to Tribunal Over 2G PlanWall Street Journal (blog) - May 25, 2010 Here is a roundup of news from Indian newspapers, news wires and Web sites on Tuesday, May 25, 2010. The Wall Street Journal has not verified these stories ... Bharti Airtel raises Rs 8500 cr loan to pay for 3G licenceEconomic Times - May 25, 2010 25 May 2010, 1652 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Country's largest mobile operator Bharti Airtel is learnt to have raised about Rs 8500 crore from a consortium of ... BSNL, MTNL to make big gains from intra-circle roaming pactsEconomic Times - May 24, 2010 NEW DELHI: The absence of a pan-India 3G licence winner may spell good news for state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL as private operators will have to approach ... Bharti raises Rs 8800 cr for 3G spectrumBusiness Standard - May 24, 2010 Bharti Airtel Ltd, India's largest mobile phone operator, raised Rs 8800 crore ($1.9 billion) from a six-year syndicated loan to pay for third-generation ... | Timeline of articlesNumber of sources covering this story
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3G auction fallout: Oppn guns for Raja
Hindustan Times - 20 May 2010While the 3-G spectrum fetched a hefty Rs. 67, 710 crores, the 2-G spectrum had ... A release from the CPI(M) said: "The outcome of the 3G spectrum auction ...3G bonanza raises questions over 2G spectrum sale - NDTV.com
Spectrum fear fuels 3G craze - Calcutta Telegraph
Spectrum uncertainty drove up bidding prices - Times of India
Oneindia - Economic Times
all 185 news articles »
Enough market liquidity despite 3G spectrum payments: SBI chief
Economic Times - 1 day agoThe auction of high-speed 3G mobile spectrum auction had raised 14.3 billion dollars, which happened to be nearly double what the government had anticipated ...Liquidity is comfortable, RBI steps pre-emptive: Bankers - NDTV.com
RBI turns on liquidity tap for 3G, advance tax - Indian Express
Bankers give thumbs up to SLR cut - Financial Express
Business Standard - Stock Watch
all 105 news articles »
Broadband bet to plug 3G gap
Calcutta Telegraph - Jayati Ghose - 14 hours ago
"Operators who have not got 3G spectrum in some circles will go for wireless broadband as it is compatible with the existing mobile connectivity. ...-
Telcos line up additional Rs 29000 crore from cash reserves for 3G
Economic Times - 1 day agoRCOM's net debt/equity ratio will rise to 0.73 following the payment for 3G spectrum. We continue to believe that Bharti's financial position remains robust ...Will The 3G Auctions Bring Indian Telcos to the Brink Of Bankruptcy? - TestFunda - MBA Test Prep
AZB helps raise 8500 crore for Airtel's 3G expansion - Bar & Bench
Bharti raises Rs 8800 cr for 3G spectrum - Business Standard
TopNews - Global Telecoms Business
all 73 news articles »
4G Set To Overtake 3G In India
TelecomTalk - Tarun Pk - 48 minutes ago
Also there should be no apprehension for the 3G operators who have offered in this country Rs 70000 crores for the 3G spectrum. "3G is part of the Fourth ...
O2 gets legal on Ofcom
Register - Bill Ray - 42 minutes ago
The regulator is now stuck in yet another impossible position: liberalise the spectrum and everyone will want their 3G licence money back, or don't and the ...O2 sues Ofcom as spectrum dispute hampers expansion - Financial Times
O2 files spectrum appeal - Mobile News
O2 turns to CAT over Ofcom's failure to respond to licence ... - TeleGeography
all 6 news articles »S Tel to invest Rs. 700 cr for acquiring 3G licence
The Hindu - 1 day agoMobile operator S Tel, which has won 3G licence for three circles, on Wednesday said it would invest Rs. 700 crore for acquiring 3G spectrum and roll out of ...S Tel to invest 700 crore in 3G - Economic Times
S Tel to invest Rs700 crore for launching 3G services in three circles - domain-B
S Tel to invest Rs 700 crore for 3G services - mydigitalfc.com
myHimachal - Cellular-News
all 15 news articles »
Outlook: Bright Hopes for 3G Future
The Week - Sushma Ramachandran - 3 days ago
Besides, in a country where 550 million people own mobile phones as against only 35 million fixed line phones, the auction of 3G spectrum has opened up a ...-
Idea ties up Rs. 5770 cr for 3G; may raise Rs. 2500 cr
The Hindu - 2 days ago"We have tied up all the funds required to pay for the 3G spectrum. ... Winning mobile operators have to pay 3G spectrum fee by May 31 to the Department of ...: Idea ties up Rs 5770 cr for 3G - Financial Express
Idea set to roll 3G services in 3Q10 - CIOL
Idea says secures $740 mln for 3G payment - Reuters India
Total Telecom
all 33 news articles »
Samsung Launches Star Nano 3G – Stylish Touchscreen Phone For the ...
Techie Buzz - Pallab De - 9 hours ago
The 3G spectrum auction in India is over and 3G is well on its way. If you are going to buy a new phone, it makes a lot of ...
Microsoft Office 2010 goes free on Web
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft Corp launches an updated version of its Office software on Wednesday, aiming to keep its grip on the hugely profitable business application market while countering the challenge of free online alternatives from Google Inc.The world's largest software company is upgrading its popular Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint applications, and rolling out its own online versions to keep up with the new class of mobile, web-connected users that have emerged since the last upgrade in 2006.
Most are expecting the Office franchise -- which Microsoft says has 500 million users -- to retain its dominance in the business world. But Office could be facing the beginning of an erosion of its "must-have" status.
"Every time Microsoft releases a new version of Office, they get a bump up in revenue," said Toan Tran, an analyst at Morningstar. "But how big of an upgrade is this? They might have a harder time getting people to update."
Microsoft is expected to trumpet a list of improvements on Wednesday, such as editing photos in Word, using video in PowerPoint, collaborating on documents and managing e-mail conversations in new ways.
But the most interesting facet is Microsoft's move into the "cloud" -- allowing users to manipulate documents stored on remote servers from anywhere -- where Google has been setting the pace.
"They're coming into our playing field," said Dave Girouard, the Google executive leading the company's charge into business applications. "They (Microsoft) have conceded that this is the future and now we think our products and services will get a lot more consideration."
Google Docs -- stripped down versions of Microsoft's core programs -- are available over the Internet with no need to download software. They are free for personal users and $50-per-user per year for companies. Google says it has picked up 25 million users since launching almost four years ago.
That is only a fraction of Microsoft's 500 million, but is growing quickly.
"Word and Excel are pretty secure -- Excel is embedded in an uncountable number of business processes, so that would be pretty hard to rip out," said Tran.
Microsoft planning management shake-up
REUTERS, May 25, 2010, 10.52am IST
The software maker may announce the changes at its entertainment and devices division as early as this week, the Journal reported in its online division. Microsoft declined to comment.
J Allard, the group's chief experience officer and chief technology officer, is expected to leave his position following the company's recent decision to shut down a tablet computer development project, named Courier, that Allard was overseeing, according to people familiar with the matter, the Journal said.
But the reorganization will be broader than Allard's departure from his current role, these people told the Journal.
The division, which includes Microsoft's Xbox videogame business and its mobile software group, is headed by Robbie Bach. It has been struggling to revamp its offerings as it faces intense competition from Apple Inc's iPhone and Google Inc's Android operating system.
IBM buys Sterling Commerce for $1.4 bn
Bloomberg, May 25, 2010, 10.27am ISTIBM will buy Dublin, Ohio-based Sterling from AT&T Inc, the biggest US phone carrier, according to a statement from the companies. Its software helps businesses share information and transfer files to other companies.
IBM Chief Executive Officer Sam Palmisano plans to spend $20 billion on takeovers in the next five years as he bolsters the software business, IBM's most profitable.
Sterling's programs allow companies to manage and create their networks on external servers, a business known as cloud computing -- which IBM expects to reach $3 billion by 2015.
"Plugging this gap was crucial for IBM," said Ken Vollmer, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc in Syracuse, New York. "IBM will be able to take the technology and meld it together with theirs."
The transaction will likely close in the second half of 2010, the companies said. AT&T probably will record a pretax gain of $750 million on the deal once it's completed. About 2,500 Sterling employees will join IBM's software division.
AT&T's earlier incarnation, then known as SBC Communications, bought the unit a decade ago for about $4 billion. The company wrote down the value of the purchase by $1.8 billion almost two years later as its worth declined.
McCall Butler, a spokeswoman for AT&T, declined to comment on whether AT&T approached IBM about the purchase.
Acquisitions
Palmisano has spent more than $20 billion on 100 purchases since taking over eight years ago, as he shifts IBM's focus to software and services from hardware. His largest purchase was Cognos Inc at $5 billion. Sterling is his fifth purchase of more than $1 billion, following the purchase of analytics software maker SPSS Inc last year.
The investments have made IBM the third-largest software maker, trailing Microsoft Corp and Oracle Corp Profit margins in the unit amounted to 84.6 per cent last quarter, more than twice as big as in the hardware business.
Software will make up almost half of total profit in five years, the company said this month.
IBM can fuel sales at Sterling, which operates mainly in North America and Europe, by expanding overseas, said Craig Hayman, general manager of WebSphere, a division of IBM's software unit.
IBM gets more than 60 per cent of its revenue outside North America.
Ballmer is not going to Apple's launch partyInquirer - Nick Farrell - 2 hours ago ALTHOUGH IT'S A SHAREHOLDER of Apple, Microsoft has gone out of its way to deny a rumour that Steve Jobs will be sharing a mic with the ... 5 Ways Steve Ballmer Can Save Microsoft's Mobile BaconPC World - 4 hours ago It appears that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has finally woken up and realized that Microsoft's laughable mobile position is more than a product failure but ... Contrarian take on Apple vs. Microsoft Condolences may be sent to Apple's investor-relations office at the company's Silicon Valley headquarters. ...
Bragging rights: Apple or Microsoft?CNN (blog) - 9 hours ago Apple made headlines this week when its market capitalization value eclipsed Microsoft for the first time. Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the biggest ... It's a long game, says MS CEO BallmerTimes of India - 10 hours ago NEW DELHI: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is not perturbed as competitor Apple toppled MS to be the most valuable company in the world. "It's a long game. ... The Irish Times - Friday, May 28, 2010Irish Times - 11 hours ago Apple shot past Microsoft as the world's biggest tech company based on market value this week, the latest milestone in the resurgence of the maker of the ... Apple chest-beating Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Photo / AP Well not Apple, but me - via the international press. But hey, it's hard to deny Apple is ... Upstart Apple steals Microsoft's crown Asked to react to the news that Apple, the upstart rival whose sleek products now set the standard for consumer electronics, had overtaken his organisation ... We'll make more money than Apple, predicts Microsoft chief The chief executive of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, yesterday brushed off news that it had been overtaken by Apple, saying his company would ... Microsoft: 'Ballmer at WWDC' Rumor is Wrong Reports circulating around the Web Thursday morning suggested Microsoft CEO (and occasional mad-man) Steve Ballmer would be crossing enemy lines to speak at ... | Timeline of articles Number of sources covering this story
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Could Apple surpass Microsoft in market value?
26.05.2010
In 1997, a struggling Apple accepted a US$150m investment from software giant Microsoft. Today, Apple surpassed Microsoft in stock value – Apple is worth US$200bn while Microsoft is worth US$197bn.
During the 1990s, Apple's relationship with Microsoft was fractious, though Microsoft executives have often described Apple as their best partner and vice-versa.
In 1994, Apple sued Microsoft for copyright infringement and sought to prevent Microsoft Corporation and Hewlett-Packard from using visual graphical user interface (GUI) elements that were similar to those in Apple's Lisa and Macintosh computers. Apple lost the case and the subsequent appeal.
The years that followed saw Apple drift into the wilderness with different CEOs: John Sculley, Michael Spindler and Gil Amelio fighting product flops and missed deadlines. However, by 1997 Steve Jobs – who had been removed from managerial duties in 1985 and who in the meantime founded NeXT Computers – was brought back in as an adviser and the struggle back to profitability began.
First came the iMac, then came the iPod, then came the iPhone and now the iPad – Apple's stock has continued to soar based on the continued success of these product lines.
In its latest quarterly results, Apple posted revenues of US$13.50bn and net quarterly profit of US$3.07bn, or US$3.33 per diluted share.
Microsoft, in its recent results, reported revenues were up 6pc year-on year to US$14.5bn, driven by strong demand for its Windows 7 operating system, which is now running on 10pc of PCs worldwide.
As its iPad gets ready to roll out in the UK this week, it emerged today that 13 years after Apple had to accept an investment of €150m from Microsoft, both companies started today with nearly the exact same market capitalisation of US$223bn a piece.
At the time of writing this afternoon, Microsoft had a market capitalisation of US$228bn while Apple had a market capitalisation of US$227bn.
Apple has US$223bn worth of cash and no debt. Microsoft has US$37bn of cash and US$6bn worth of debts.
It is interesting to note that in 1997 Michael Dell suggested Apple was a spent force and should do the right thing and shut up shop and return all the money to its shareholders.
It's 2010 and Dell is worth barely a tenth of Apple. How things can change.
By John Kennedy
Photo: Apple CEO Steve Jobs
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Steve Jobs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Steve Jobs | |
|---|---|
 Jobs holding a MacBook Air at Macworld Conference & Expo 2008 | |
| Born | Steven P. Jobs February 24, 1955 (1955-02-24) (age 55)[1] San Francisco, California, USA[1] |
| Residence | San Francisco, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Reed College (dropped out in 1972) |
| Occupation | Chairman and CEO, Apple Inc.[2] Board of Directors, Walt Disney Company[3] |
| Salary | US$1[4][5][6][7] |
| Net worth | ▲$5.5 billion (2010)[8] |
| Religion | Buddhism[9] |
| Spouse(s) | Laurene Powell (1991–present) |
| Children | 4 |
Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (born February 24, 1955) is an American business magnate, and the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple. Jobs also previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney.
In the late 1970s, Jobs, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mike Markkula,[10] and others, designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series. In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential of the mouse-driven graphical user interface which lead to the creation of the Macintosh.[11][12] After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985,[13][14] Jobs resigned from Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher education and business markets. Apple's subsequent 1996 buyout of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded, and he has served as its CEO since 1997.
In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd which was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios.[15] He remained CEO and majority shareholder until its acquisition by the Walt Disney Company in 2006.[2] Jobs is currently a member of Walt Disney Company's Board of Directors.[16][17]
Jobs' history in business has contributed much to the symbolic image of the idiosyncratic, individualistic Silicon Valley entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of design and understanding the crucial role aesthetics play in public appeal. His work driving forward the development of products that are both functional and elegant has earned him a devoted following.[18] Beginning in mid-January 2009, Jobs took a five-month leave of absence from Apple to undergo a liver transplant.[19] Jobs officially resumed his role as CEO of Apple on June 29, 2009.[20]
Contents[hide] |
Early years
Jobs was born in San Francisco[1] and was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs (née Hagopian[21]) of Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California who named him Steven Paul. Paul and Clara later adopted a daughter, who they named Patti. Jobs' birth parents, Joanne Simpson and Abdulfattah Jandali—a Syrian Muslim[22] graduate student who became a political science professor—later married and gave birth to Jobs' biological sister, the novelist Mona Simpson.[23][24][25][26][27]
Jobs attended Cupertino Junior High School and Homestead High School in Cupertino, California,[18] and frequented after-school lectures at the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California. He was soon hired there and worked with Steve Wozniak as a summer employee.[28] In 1972, Jobs graduated from high school and enrolled in Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Although he dropped out after only one semester,[29] he continued auditing classes at Reed, such as one in calligraphy. Jobs later stated, "If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts", he said.[14]
In the autumn of 1974, Jobs returned to California and began attending meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club with Steve Wozniak. He took a job as a technician at Atari, a manufacturer of popular video games, with the primary intent of saving money for a spiritual retreat to India.
Jobs then traveled to India with a Reed College friend (and, later, the first Apple employee), Daniel Kottke, in search of spiritual enlightenment. He came back a Buddhist with his head shaved and wearing traditional Indian clothing.[30][31] During this time, Jobs experimented with psychedelics, calling his LSD experiences "one of the two or three most important things [he had] done in [his] life."[32] He has stated that people around him who did not share his countercultural roots could not fully relate to his thinking.[32]
He returned to his previous job at Atari and was given the task of creating a circuit board for the game Breakout. According to Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Atari had offered US$100 for each chip that was reduced in the machine. Jobs had little interest or knowledge in circuit board design and made a deal with Wozniak to split the bonus evenly between them if Wozniak could minimize the number of chips. Much to the amazement of Atari, Wozniak reduced the number of chips by 50, a design so tight that it was impossible to reproduce on an assembly line. At the time, Jobs told Wozniak that Atari had only given them $700 (instead of the actual $5000) and that Wozniak's share was thus $350.[33][34][35][36][37][38]
Beginnings of Apple Computer
In 1976, Steve Jobs, Stephen Wozniak, Ronald Wayne,[39] and later with funding from a then-semi-retired Intel product-marketing manager and engineer A.C. "Mike" Markkula Jr.,[10] founded Apple. Prior to co-founding Apple, Wozniak was an electronics hacker. Jobs and Wozniak had been friends for several years, having met in 1971, when their mutual friend, Bill Fernandez, introduced 21-year-old Wozniak to 16-year-old Jobs. Steve Jobs managed to interest Wozniak in assembling a computer and selling it. As Apple continued to expand, the company began looking for an experienced executive to help manage its expansion. In 1978, Apple recruited Mike Scott from National Semiconductor to serve as CEO for several turbulent years. In 1983, Steve Jobs lured John Sculley away from Pepsi-Cola to serve as Apple's CEO, asking, "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?"[40][41] The following year, Apple set out to do just that, starting with a Super Bowl television commercial titled, "1984." At Apple's annual shareholders meeting on January 24, 1984, an emotional Jobs introduced the Macintosh to a wildly enthusiastic audience; Andy Hertzfeld described the scene as "pandemonium."[42] The Macintosh became the first commercially successful small computer with a graphical user interface. The development of the Mac was started by Jef Raskin, and eventually taken over by Jobs.
While Jobs was a persuasive and charismatic director for Apple, some of his employees from that time had described him as an erratic and temperamental manager. An industry-wide sales slump towards the end of 1984 caused a deterioration in Jobs's working relationship with Sculley, and at the end of May 1985 – following an internal power struggle and an announcement of significant layoffs – Sculley relieved Jobs of his duties as head of the Macintosh division.[43]
NeXT Computer
Around the same time, Jobs founded another computer company, NeXT Computer. Like the Apple Lisa, the NeXT workstation was technologically advanced; however, it was largely dismissed by industry as cost-prohibitive. Among those who could afford it, however, the NeXT workstation garnered a strong following because of its technical strengths, chief among them its object-oriented software development system. Jobs marketed NeXT products to the scientific and academic fields because of the innovative, experimental new technologies it incorporated (such as the Mach kernel, the digital signal processor chip, and the built-in Ethernet port).
The NeXTcube was described by Jobs as an "interpersonal" computer, which he believed was the next step after "personal" computing. That is, if computers could allow people to communicate and collaborate together in an easy way, it would solve many of the problems that "personal" computing had come up against. During a time when e-mail for most people was plain text, Jobs loved to demo the NeXT's e-mail system, NeXTMail, as an example of his "interpersonal" philosophy. NeXTMail was one of the first to support universally visible, clickable embedded graphics and audio within e-mail.
Jobs ran NeXT with an obsession for aesthetic perfection, as evidenced by such things as the NeXTcube's magnesium case. This put considerable strain on NeXT's hardware division, and in 1993, after having sold only 50,000 machines, NeXT transitioned fully to software development with the release of NeXTSTEP/Intel.
Pixar and Disney
In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group (later renamed Pixar) from Lucasfilm's computer graphics division for the price of $10 million, $5 million of which was given to the company as capital.[44]
The new company, which was originally based at Lucasfilm's Kerner Studios in San Rafael, California, but has since relocated to Emeryville, California, was initially intended to be a high-end graphics hardware developer. After years of unprofitability selling the Pixar Image Computer, it contracted with Disney to produce a number of computer-animated feature films, which Disney would co-finance and distribute.
The first film produced by the partnership, Toy Story, brought fame and critical acclaim to the studio when it was released in 1995. Over the next ten plus years, under Pixar's creative chief John Lasseter, the company would produce the box-office hits A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008) and Up (2009). Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E and Up each received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, an award introduced in 2001.
In the years 2003 and 2004, as Pixar's contract with Disney was running out, Jobs and Disney chief executive Michael Eisner tried but failed to negotiate a new partnership, and in early 2004 Jobs announced that Pixar would seek a new partner to distribute its films once its contract with Disney expired.
In October 2005, Bob Iger replaced Eisner at Disney, and Iger quickly worked to patch up relations with Jobs and Pixar. On January 24, 2006, Jobs and Iger announced that Disney had agreed to purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. Once the deal closed, Jobs became The Walt Disney Company's largest single shareholder with approximately 7% of the company's stock.[16] Jobs's holdings in Disney far exceed those of Eisner, who holds 1.7%, and Disney family member Roy E. Disney, who held about 1% of the company's stock and whose criticisms of Eisner included the soured Pixar relationship and accelerated his ousting. Jobs joined the company's board of directors upon completion of the merger.
 | Wikinews has related news: Disney buys Pixar |
Jobs also helps oversee Disney and Pixar's combined animation businesses with a seat on a special six-man steering committee.
Return to Apple
In 1996, Apple announced that it would buy NeXT for $429 million. The deal was finalized in late 1996,[45] bringing Jobs back to the company he co-founded. He soon became Apple's interim CEO after the directors lost confidence in and ousted then-CEO Gil Amelio in a boardroom coup. In March 1998, to concentrate Apple's efforts on returning to profitability, Jobs immediately terminated a number of projects such as Newton, Cyberdog, and OpenDoc. In the coming months, many employees developed a fear of encountering Jobs while riding in the elevator, "afraid that they might not have a job when the doors opened. The reality was that Jobs' summary executions were rare, but a handful of victims was enough to terrorize a whole company."[46] Jobs also changed the licensing program for Macintosh clones, making it too costly for the manufacturers to continue making machines.
With the purchase of NeXT, much of the company's technology found its way into Apple products, most notably NeXTSTEP, which evolved into Mac OS X. Under Jobs's guidance the company increased sales significantly with the introduction of the iMac and other new products; since then, appealing designs and powerful branding have worked well for Apple. At the 2000 Macworld Expo, Jobs officially dropped the "interim" modifier from his title at Apple and became permanent CEO. Jobs quipped at the time that he would be using the title 'iCEO.' [47]
In recent years, the company has branched out, introducing and improving upon other digital appliances. With the introduction of the iPod portable music player, iTunes digital music software, and the iTunes Store, the company made forays into consumer electronics and music distribution. In 2007, Apple entered the cellular phone business with the introduction of the iPhone, a multi-touch display cell phone, iPod, and internet device. While stimulating innovation, Jobs also reminds his employees that "real artists ship",[48] by which he means that delivering working products on time is as important as innovation and attractive design.
Jobs is both admired and criticized for his consummate skill at persuasion and salesmanship, which has been dubbed the "reality distortion field" and is particularly evident during his keynote speeches (colloquially known as "Stevenotes") at Macworld Expos and at Apple's own World Wide Developers Conferences.
In 2005, Jobs responded to criticism of Apple's poor recycling programs for e-waste in the U.S. by lashing out at environmental and other advocates at Apple's Annual Meeting in Cupertino in April. However, a few weeks later, Apple announced it would take back iPods for free at its retail stores. The Computer TakeBack Campaign responded by flying a banner from a plane over the Stanford University graduation at which Jobs was the commencement speaker.[14] The banner read "Steve — Don't be a mini-player recycle all e-waste". In 2006, he further expanded Apple's recycling programs to any U.S. customer who buys a new Mac. This program includes shipping and "environmentally friendly disposal" of their old systems.[49]
Stock options backdating issue
In 2001, Steve Jobs was granted stock options in the amount of 7.5 million shares of Apple with an exercise price of $18.30, which allegedly should have been $21.10, thereby incurring taxable income of $20,000,000 that he did not report as income. This indicated backdating. Apple overstated its earnings by that same amount. If found liable, Jobs might have faced a number of criminal charges and civil penalties. Apple claimed that the options were originally granted at a special board meeting that may never have taken place. Furthermore, the investigation is focusing on false dating of the options resulting in a retroactive $20 million increase in the exercise price. The case is the subject of active criminal and civil government investigations,[50] though an independent internal Apple investigation completed on December 29, 2006 found that Jobs was unaware of these issues and that the options granted to him were returned without being exercised in 2003.[51] On July 1, 2008 a $7 billion class action suit was filed against several members of the Apple Board of Directors for revenue lost due to the alleged securities fraud.[52][53]
Management style
Much has been made of Jobs' aggressive and demanding personality. Fortune wrote that he "is considered one of Silicon Valley's leading egomaniacs."[54] Commentaries on his temperamental style can be found in Mike Moritz's The Little Kingdom, one of the few authorized biographies of Jobs; Jeffrey S. Young's unauthorized Steve Jobs: The Journey Is the Reward; The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman; and iCon: Steve Jobs, by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon.
Jef Raskin, a former colleague, once said that Jobs "would have made an excellent king of France," alluding to Jobs' compelling and larger-than-life persona.[55]
Jobs has always aspired to position Apple and its products at the forefront of the information technology industry by foreseeing and setting trends, at least in innovation and style. He summed up that self-concept at the end of his keynote speech at the Macworld Conference and Expo in January 2007 by quoting ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky:[56]
There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will."—Steve Jobs
Floyd Norman said that at Pixar, Jobs was a "mature, mellow individual" and never interfered with the creative process of the filmmakers.[57]
Personal life
Jobs married Laurene Powell, on March 18, 1991. Presiding over the wedding was the Zen Buddhist monk Kobun Chino Otogowa.[58] The couple have a son, Reed Paul Jobs[59] and two other children. Jobs also has a daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs (born 1978), from his relationship with Bay Area painter Chrisann Brennan.[60] She briefly raised their daughter on welfare when Jobs denied paternity, claiming that he was sterile; he later acknowledged paternity.[60] Lisa gave birth to a son in 1993, making Steve a grandfather.
In the unauthorized biography, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, author Alan Deutschman reports that Jobs once dated Joan Baez. Deutschman quotes Elizabeth Holmes, a friend of Jobs from his time at Reed College, as saying she "believed that Steve became the lover of Joan Baez in large measure because Baez had been the lover of Bob Dylan." In another unauthorized biography, iCon: Steve Jobs by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon, the authors suggest that Jobs might have married Baez, but her age at the time (41) meant it was unlikely the couple could have children. Baez included a mention of Jobs in the acknowledgments of her 1987 memoir And A Voice To Sing With.
Steve Jobs is also a devoted Beatles fan.[citation needed] He has referenced them on more than one occasion at Keynotes and also was interviewed on a showing of a Paul McCartney concert. When asked about his business model on 60 Minutes, he replied:[61]
My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people.
In 1982, Jobs bought an apartment in The San Remo, an apartment building in New York City with a politically progressive reputation, where Demi Moore, Steven Spielberg, Steve Martin, and Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of Rita Hayworth, also had apartments. With the help of I.M. Pei, Jobs spent years renovating his apartment in the top two floors of the building's north tower, only to sell it almost two decades later to U2 frontman Bono. Jobs had never moved in.[62][63]
In 1984, Jobs purchased a 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2), 14 bedroom Spanish Colonial mansion, designed by George Washington Smith in Woodside, California, also known as Jackling House. Although it reportedly remained in an almost unfurnished state, Jobs lived in the mansion for ten years. According to reports, he kept an old BMW motorcycle in the living room, and let Bill Clinton use it in 1998. He allowed the mansion to fall into a state of disrepair, planning to demolish the house and build a smaller home on the property; but he met with complaints from local preservationists over his plans. In June 2004, the Woodside Town Council gave Jobs approval to demolish the mansion, on the condition that he advertise the property for a year to see if someone would move it to another location and restore it. A number of people expressed interest, including several with experience in restoring old property, but no agreements to that effect were reached. Later that same year, a local preservationist group began seeking legal action to prevent demolition. In January 2007 Jobs was denied the right to demolish the property, by a court decision.[64]
He usually wears a black long-sleeved mock turtleneck made by St. Croix, Levi's 501 blue jeans, and New Balance 991 sneakers.[65] He is a vegetarian.[9]
Jobs had a public war of words with Dell Computer CEO Michael Dell, starting when Jobs first criticized Dell for making "un-innovative beige boxes."[66] On October 6, 1997, in a Gartner Symposium, when Michael Dell was asked what he would do if he owned then-troubled Apple Computer, he said "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."[67] In 2006, Steve Jobs sent an email to all employees when Apple's market capitalization rose above Dell's. The email read:[68]
Team, it turned out that Michael Dell wasn't perfect at predicting the future. Based on today's stock market close, Apple is worth more than Dell. Stocks go up and down, and things may be different tomorrow, but I thought it was worth a moment of reflection today. Steve.
In 2005, Steve Jobs banned all books published by John Wiley & Sons from Apple Stores in response to their publishing an unauthorized biography, iCon: Steve Jobs.[69]
Health concerns
In mid-2004, Jobs announced to his employees that he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his pancreas.[70] The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is usually very grim; Jobs, however, stated that he had a rare, far less aggressive type known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor.[70] After initially resisting the idea of conventional medical intervention and embarking on a special diet to thwart the disease, Jobs underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy (or "Whipple procedure") in July 2004 that appeared to successfully remove the tumor.[71][72] Jobs apparently did not require nor receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy.[70][73] During Jobs' absence, Timothy D. Cook, head of worldwide sales and operations at Apple, ran the company.[70]
In early August 2006, Jobs delivered the keynote for Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. His "thin, almost gaunt" appearance and unusually "listless" delivery,[74][75] together with his choice to delegate significant portions of his keynote to other presenters, inspired a flurry of media and internet speculation about his health.[76] In contrast, according to an Ars Technica journal report, WWDC attendees who saw Jobs in person said he "looked fine";[77] following the keynote, an Apple spokesperson said that "Steve's health is robust."[78]
Two years later, similar concerns followed Jobs' 2008 WWDC keynote address;[79] Apple officials stated Jobs was victim to a "common bug" and that he was taking antibiotics,[80] while others surmised his cachectic appearance was due to the Whipple procedure.[81] During a July conference call discussing Apple earnings, participants responded to repeated questions about Steve Jobs' health by insisting that it was a "private matter." Others, however, opined that shareholders had a right to know more, given Jobs' hands-on approach to running his company.[82] The New York Times published an article based on an off-the-record phone conversation with Jobs, noting that "while his health issues have amounted to a good deal more than 'a common bug,' they weren't life-threatening and he doesn't have a recurrence of cancer."[83]
On August 28, 2008, Bloomberg mistakenly published a 2500-word obituary of Jobs in its corporate news service, containing blank spaces for his age and cause of death. (News carriers customarily stockpile up-to-date obituaries to facilitate news delivery in the event of a well-known figure's untimely death.) Although the error was promptly rectified, many news carriers and blogs reported on it,[84][85][86] intensifying rumors concerning Jobs' health.[87] Jobs responded at Apple's September 2008 Let's Rock keynote by quoting Mark Twain: "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated";[88] at a subsequent media event, Jobs concluded his presentation with a slide reading "110 / 70", referring to his blood pressure, stating he would not address further questions about his health.[89]
On December 16, 2008, Apple announced that marketing vice-president Phil Schiller would deliver the company's final keynote address at the Macworld Conference and Expo 2009, again reviving questions about Jobs' health.[90][91][92] In a statement given on January 5, 2009 on Apple.com,[93] Jobs said that he had been suffering from a "hormone imbalance" for several months.[94] On January 14, 2009, in an internal Apple memo, Jobs wrote that in the previous week he had "learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought" and announced a six-month leave of absence until the end of June 2009 to allow him to better focus on his health. Tim Cook, who had previously acted as CEO in Jobs' 2004 absence, became acting CEO of Apple,[19] with Jobs still involved with "major strategic decisions."[19]
In April 2009, Jobs underwent a liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis, Tennessee.[95][96] Jobs' prognosis was "excellent".[96]
In popular culture
Jobs was prominently featured in three films about the history of the personal computing industry:
- Triumph of the Nerds — a 1996 three-part documentary for PBS, about the rise of the home computer/personal computer.
- Nerds 2.0.1 — a 1998 three-part documentary for PBS, (and sequel to Triumph of the Nerds) which chronicles the development of the Internet.
- Pirates of Silicon Valley — a 1999 docudrama which chronicles the rise of Apple and Microsoft. He was portrayed by Noah Wyle.
Jobs has also been frequently parodied:
- Mad Magazine — a feature called Calvin and Jobs, a parody of Calvin and Hobbes, starring Steve in the role of Hobbes and his attempts to explain to Calvin his job.
- Jobs was also parodied in "Mypods and Boomsticks", a 2008 The Simpsons episode which features an adventure into the 'world' of Mapple, MyPods, and "Steve Mobbs".
- 30 Rock parodied Jobs's keynote presentation style, turtleneck and all in the episode "Cutbacks".
- The Onion featured a parody article titled "Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product," which contained a picture showing Jobs introducing what appears to be another Steve Jobs.[97]
- Daniel Lyons writes a popular blog called The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, and a book, Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs.
- The Cleveland Show showed Steve Jobs giving a keynote of a cracker phone.
Honors
He was awarded the National Medal of Technology from President Ronald Reagan in 1985 with Steve Wozniak (the first people to ever receive the honor),[98] and a Jefferson Award for Public Service in the category "Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under" (aka the Samuel S. Beard Award) in 1987.[99]
On November 27, 2007, Jobs was named the most powerful person in business by Fortune Magazine.[100]
On December 5, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Jobs into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.[101]
In August 2009, Jobs was selected the most admired entrepreneur among teenagers on a survey by Junior Achievement.[102]
On November 5, 2009, Jobs was named the CEO of the decade by Fortune Magazine.[103]
He is ranked #57 on Forbes:The World's Most Powerful People.[104]
Notes
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- ^ "Steve Jobs banks his $1 salary, loses $500m". The Independent (London). January 8, 2009. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/steve-jobs-banks-his-1-salary-loses-500m-1232618.html. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
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- ^ NY Times
- ^ Elmer, Philip (2008-06-13). "Steve Jobs and Whipple". Apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com. http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/06/13/steve-jobs-life-after-the-whipple/?source=yahoo_quote. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ "Looking very thin, almost gaunt":Kahney, Leander. "Has Steve Jobs Lost His Magic?". Cult of Mac. Wired News. http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2006/08/71557. Retrieved August 8, 2006.
- ^ "[The audience was] uninspired (and concerned) by Jobs' relatively listless delivery":Meyers, Michelle. "Jobs speech wasn't very Jobs-like". BLOGMA (CNET News.com). http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-6103427-7.html. Retrieved August 8, 2006.
- ^ Saracevic, Al (August 9, 2006). "Where's Jobs' Mojo?". San Francisco Chronicle: p. C1. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/09/BUGTEKDE6M1.DTL. Retrieved August 9, 2006.
- ^ Cheng, Jacqui. "What happened to The Steve we know and love?". Infinite Loop. Ars Technica. http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2006/8/8/4913. Retrieved August 8, 2006.
- ^ Claburn, Thomas (August 11, 2006). "Steve Jobs Lives!". InformationWeek. http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2006/08/steve_jobs_live.html. Retrieved October 9, 2007.
- ^ "Business Technology: Steve Jobs' Appearance Grabs Notice, Not Just the IPhone". Blogs.wsj.com. http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/06/10/steve-jobss-appearance-grabs-notice-not-just-the-iphone/. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ "Apple says Steve Jobs feeling a little under the weather" in AppleInsider.
- ^ Elmer, Philip (2008-06-13). "Fortune Magazine Article". Apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com. http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/06/13/steve-jobs-life-after-the-whipple/. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ "Steve Jobs and Apple" Marketing Doctor Blog. July 24, 2008.
- ^ Talking Business: Apple's Culture of Secrecy The New York Times (July 26, 2008).
- ^ "Steve Jobs' Obituary, As Run By Bloomberg". Gawker Media. August 27, 2008. http://gawker.com/5042795/bloomberg-runs-steve-jobs-obituary. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
- ^ Moore, Matthew (August 28, 2008). "Steve Jobs Obituary Published By Bloomberg". London: The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2638481/Steve-Jobs-obituary-published-by-Bloomberg.html. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
- ^ "Bloomberg mistakenly publishes Steve Jobs obituary". Yahoo! News. Yahoo!. August 28, 2008. http://news.yahoo.com/s/cnet/20080828/tc_cnet/83011357931002788637. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
- ^ "Bloomberg publishes Jobs obit but why?". Zdnet Blogs. ZDnet. August 28, 2008. http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=9825. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
- ^ "Apple posts 'Lets Rock' event video". Macworld. September 10, 2008. http://www.macworld.com/article/135466/2008/09/september.html. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
- ^ "Live from Apple's "spotlight turns to notebooks" event". Engadget. 2008-10-14. http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/14/live-from-apples-spotlight-turns-to-notebooks-event/. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
- ^ Stone, Brad (December 17, 2008). "Apple's Chief to Skip Macworld, Fueling Speculation". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/technology/companies/17apple.html?ref=technology. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
- ^ Apple abandons Macworld amid Jobs illness rumours Daily Headlines – GQ.com UK]
- ^ "Steve Jobs' Health Declining Rapidly, Reason for Macworld Cancellation – Steve Jobs' health". Gizmodo. 2008-12-30. http://gizmodo.com/5120687/steve-jobs-health-declining-rapidly-reason-for-macworld-cancellation?skyline=true&s=x. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ Jobs, Steve (January 5, 2009). "Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs". Apple.com. Apple Inc.. http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/01/05sjletter.html. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
- ^ "Apple's Jobs admits poor health". BBC News. January 5, 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7811857.stm. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
- ^ "Steve Jobs Receives Liver Transplant – Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare". Methodisthealth.org. 2009-06-23. http://methodisthealth.org/methodist/About+Us/Newsroom/News/Steve+Jobs+Receives+Liver+Transplant. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ a b "Steve Jobs recovering after liver transplant". Cnn.com. 2009-06-23. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/23/steve.jobs.liver.transplant/index.html. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ "Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product. The Onion. http://www.theonion.com/content/news/apple_unveils_new_product
- ^ "THE NATIONAL MEDAL OF TECHNOLOGY RECIPIENTS 1985 Laureates". Uspto.gov. http://www.uspto.gov/nmti/recipients_85.html. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ "National Winners | public service awards". Jefferson Awards.org. http://www.jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ "25 most powerful people in business 1. Steve Jobs". Money.cnn.com. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fortune/0711/gallery.power_25.fortune/. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ Jobs inducted into California Hall of Fame, California Museum. Retrieved 2007.
- ^ "Steve Jobs bigger than Oprah!" (PDF). http://www.ja.org/files/polls/Teens-Entrepreneurship-Part-2.pdf. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ Lashinsky, Adam (2009-11-05). "Steve Jobs: CEO of the decade". Money.cnn.com. http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/04/technology/steve_jobs_ceo_decade.fortune/index.htm/. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
- ^ Noer, Michael. "The World's Most Powerful People". forbes.com. http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/11/worlds-most-powerful-leadership-power-09-people_land.html.
References
- Caddes, Carolyn (1986). Portraits of Success: Impressions of Silicon Valley Pioneers. Tioga Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-935382-56-9.
- Cringely, Robert X. (1996). Accidental Empires. HarperBusiness. ISBN 0-88730-855-4.
- Denning, Peter J. & Frenkel, Karen A. (1989). A Conversation with Steve Jobs. Comm. ACM. Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 437–443.
- Deutschman, Alan (2001). The Second Coming of Steve Jobs. Broadway. ISBN 0-7679-0433-8.
- Freiberger, Paul & Swaine, Michael (1999). Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer. McGraw-Hill Trade. ISBN 0-07-135892-7.
- Hertzfeld, Andy (2004). Revolution in the Valley. O'Reilly Books. ISBN 0-596-00719-1.
- Kahney, Leander (2004). The Cult of Mac. No Starch Press. ISBN 1-886411-83-2.
- Levy, Steven (1984). Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. Anchor Press, Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-19195-2.
- Levy, Steven (1994). Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer that Changed Everything. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-670-85244-9.
- Malone, Michael S. (1999). Infinite Loop. Aurum Press. ISBN 1-85410-638-4. Bantam Doubleday Dell. ISBN 0-385-48684-7.
- Markoff, John (2005). What the Dormouse Said: How the 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-03382-0.
- Simon, William L. & Young, Jeffrey S. (2005). iCon: Steve Jobs, The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-72083-6.
- Stross, Randall E. (1993). Steve Jobs and The NeXT Big Thing. Atheneum Books. ISBN 0-689-12135-0.
- Slater, Robert (1987). Portraits in Silicon. MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-19262-4. Chapter 28
- Young, Jeffrey S. (1988). Steve Jobs: The Journey is the Reward. Scott, Foresman & Co.. ISBN 0-673-18864-7.
- Wozniak, Steve (2006). iWoz Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I invented the personal computer, co-founded Apple and had fun doing it. W. W. Norton & Co.. ISBN 0-393-06143-4.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Steve Jobs |
 | Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Steve Jobs |
- "Thirty Years of Innovation at Apple: Jobs on the Job". Time. 2007.
- Steve Jobs' executive profile at Apple.
- YouTube video of first Jobs' Macworld keynote in 1997, when he returned to Apple, where he announced partnership with Microsoft.
- Jobs's commencement address at Stanford University, June 12, 2005 (YouTube video).
- Steve Jobs at the Internet Movie Database
- "Thoughts on Music" by Steve Jobs, February 6, 2007.
Articles
- Anecdotes from Steve Jobs' early days in Apple as reported by Andy Hertzfeld. Folklore.org.
- Lohr, Steve (January 12, 1997). "Creating Jobs". New York Times Magazine. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04EED71139F931A25752C0A961958260. Retrieved October 27, 2007.
- Booth, Cathy (August 18, 1997). "Steve's job: restart Apple". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,986849,00.html. Retrieved October 27, 2007.
- Elkind, Peter (March 5, 2008). "The trouble with Steve Jobs". Fortune. http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/02/news/companies/elkind_jobs.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008030513. Retrieved March 5, 2008.
Interviews
- Smithsonian Institution Oral History InterviewPDF (143 KB) — April 20, 1995.
- Steve Jobs: The Rolling Stone Interview, Rolling Stone – December 3, 2003.
- The Seed of Apple's Innovation, BusinessWeek — October 12, 2004.
- How Big Can Apple Get?, Fortune — February 21, 2005.
- 'Good for the Soul' at the Wayback Machine (archived October 22, 2006), Newsweek — October 15, 2006.
- Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (video and transcript of on stage interview), All Things D – May 30, 2007.
- Videotaped Deposition of Steven P. Jobs in front of the Securities and Exchange Commission – March 18, 2008
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gil Amelio | CEO of Apple 1997–present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jobs, Steve |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Jobs, Steven Paul |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | CEO and Co-Founder of Apple Inc. |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 24, 1955 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
Microsoft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Microsoft Corporation | ||||
 | ||||
| Type | Public NASDAQ: MSFT HKEX: 4338 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software Consumer electronics Video game consoles | |||
| Founded | Albuquerque, New Mexico (April 4, 1975 (1975-04-04))[1] | |||
| Founder(s) | Bill Gates Paul Allen | |||
| Headquarters | One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington, United States | |||
| Area served | Worldwide | |||
| Key people | Bill Gates (Chairman) Steve Ballmer (CEO) Ray Ozzie (CSA) Craig Mundie (CRSO) Don Mattrick (Senior VP of Entertainment and Devices) | |||
| Products | Microsoft Windows Microsoft Office Microsoft Servers Windows Developer Tools Microsoft Expression Business Software Games[2] & Xbox 360[3] Windows Live[4] Windows Phone Zune[5] Bing[6] | |||
| Revenue | ▼ $58.437 billion (2009)[7] | |||
| Operating income | ▼ $20.363 billion (2009)[7] | |||
| Net income | ▼ $14.569 billion (2009)[7] | |||
| Total assets | ▲ $77.888 billion (2009)[7] | |||
| Total equity | ▲ $39.558 billion (2009)[7] | |||
| Employees | 93,000 in more than 100 countries (2009)[8] | |||
| Subsidiaries | List of acquisitions | |||
| Website | www.microsoft.com | |||
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKEX: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices.[9] Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA, its most profitable products are the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software. As of the third quarter of 2009, Microsoft was ranked as the third largest company in the world, following PetroChina and ExxonMobil. It is also one of the largest technological corporations in the world.
The company was founded on April 4, 1975, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. Microsoft rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Windows line of operating systems. Many of its products have achieved near-ubiquity in the desktop computer market. One commentator notes that Microsoft's original mission was "a computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software."[10] Microsoft possesses footholds in other markets, with assets such as the MSNBC cable television network and the MSN Internet portal. The company also markets both computer hardware products such as the Microsoft mouse and the Microsoft Natural keyboard, as well as home entertainment products such as the Xbox, Xbox 360, Zune and MSN TV.[9] The company's initial public stock offering (IPO) was in 1986; the ensuing rise of the company's stock price has made four billionaires and an estimated 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees.[11][12][13]
Throughout its history the company has been the target of criticism, including monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies including refusal to deal and tying. The U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission, among others, have ruled against Microsoft for antitrust violations.[14][15] (See also United States v. Microsoft, European Union Microsoft competition case.)
Contents[hide] |
History
1975–1984: Founding
Following the launch of the Altair 8800, William Henry Gates III, (known as Bill Gates) called the developers of a new microcomputer, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), offering to demonstrate an implementation of the BASIC programming language for the system. After the demonstration, MITS agreed to distribute Altair BASIC.[16] Gates left Harvard University, moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where MITS was located, and founded Microsoft there. The company's first international office was founded on November 1, 1978, in Japan, titled "ASCII Microsoft"[17][18] (now called "Microsoft Japan").[16] On January 1, 1979, the company moved from Albuquerque to a new home in Bellevue, Washington.[16] Steve Ballmer joined the company on June 11, 1980, and later succeeded Bill Gates as CEO.[16]
Among pre-IBM-PC products were the software package TASC (The AppleSoft Compiler), which compiled a BASIC program into Apple machine language, and the hardware product Microsoft Softcard, an add-on Z80 processor card for the Apple II and compatible computers which allowed the use of the CP/M operating system instead of Applesoft and Apple DOS. In 1980, Microsoft entered the operating system business with its own version of Unix, called Xenix, which it licensed to various computer vendors.
DOS (Disk Operating System) was the operating system that brought the company its first real success. On August 12, 1981, after negotiations with Digital Research failed, IBM awarded a contract to Microsoft to provide a version of the CP/M operating system, which was set to be used in the upcoming IBM Personal Computer (PC). For this deal, Microsoft purchased a CP/M clone called 86-DOS from Seattle Computer Products, which IBM renamed to PC-DOS. Later, the market saw a flood of IBM PC clones after Columbia Data Products successfully cloned the IBM BIOS, and by aggressively marketing MS-DOS to manufacturers of IBM-PC clones, Microsoft rose from a small player to one of the major software vendors in the home computer industry.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25] The company expanded into new markets with the release of the Microsoft Mouse in 1983, as well as a publishing division named Microsoft Press.[16]
1985–1994: IPO, OS/2 and Windows
In August 1985, Microsoft and IBM partnered in the development of a different operating system called OS/2.[26] On November 20, 1985, Microsoft released its first retail version of Microsoft Windows, originally a graphical extension for its MS-DOS operating system.[16] On March 13, 1986 the company went public with an initial public offering (IPO), with a starting initial offering price of $21.00 and ending at the first day of trading as at US $28.00. The ensuing rise of the stock price has made four billionaires and an estimated 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees.[12][27][28] In 1987, Microsoft eventually released their first version of OS/2 to OEMs.[29]
In 1989, Microsoft introduced its flagship office suite, Microsoft Office. The software bundled separate office productivity applications, such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.[16] On May 22, 1990 Microsoft launched Windows 3.0.[31] The new version of Microsoft's operating system boasted such new features as streamlined user interface graphics and improved protected mode capability for the Intel 386 processor; it sold over 100,000 copies in two weeks.[32] Windows at the time generated more revenue for Microsoft than OS/2, and the company decided to move more resources from OS/2 to Windows.[33] In the ensuing years, the popularity of OS/2 declined, and Windows quickly became the favored PC platform.
During the transition from MS-DOS to Windows, the success of Microsoft Office allowed the company to gain ground on application-software competitors, such as WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3.[34][35] According to The Register, Novell, an owner of WordPerfect for a time, alleged that Microsoft used its inside knowledge of the DOS and Windows kernels and of undocumented Application Programming Interface features to make Office perform better than its competitors.[36] Eventually, Microsoft Office became the dominant business suite, with a market share far exceeding that of its competitors.[37]
In 1993, Microsoft released Windows NT 3.1, a business operating system with the Windows 3.1 user interface but an entirely different kernel.[34]
1995–2005: Internet and legal issues
In 1995, Microsoft released Windows 95, a new version of the company's flagship operating system which featured a completely new user interface, including a novel start button; more than a million copies of Microsoft Windows 95 were sold in the first four days after its release.[34] The company also released its web browser, Internet Explorer, with the Windows 95 Plus! Pack in August 1995 and subsequent Windows versions.[38]
On, May 26, 1995, following Bill Gates's internal "Internet Tidal Wave memo",[39] Microsoft began to redefine its offerings and expand its product line into computer networking and the World Wide Web. On August 24, 1995, it launched a major online service, MSN (Microsoft Network), as a direct competitor to AOL. MSN became an umbrella service for Microsoft's online services.[16][34][40] The company continued to branch out into new markets in 1996, starting with a joint venture with NBC to create a new 24/7 cable news station, MSNBC.[34][41] Microsoft entered the personal digital assistant (PDA) market in November with Windows CE 1.0, a new built-from-scratch version of their flagship operating system, specifically designed to run on low-memory, low-performance machines, such as handhelds and other small computers.[42] Later in 1997, Internet Explorer 4.0 was released for both Mac OS and Windows, marking the beginning of the takeover of the browser market from rival Netscape. In October, the Justice Department filed a motion in the Federal District Court in which they stated that Microsoft had violated an agreement signed in 1994, and asked the court to stop the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows.[16]
The year 1998 was significant in Microsoft's history, with Bill Gates appointing Steve Ballmer as president of Microsoft but remaining as Chair and CEO himself.[16] The company released Windows 98, an update to Windows 95 that incorporated a number of Internet-focused features and support for new types of devices.[16] On April 3, 2000, a judgment was handed down in the case of United States v. Microsoft,[14] calling the company an "abusive monopoly"[43] and ordering the company to split into two separate units. Part of this ruling was later overturned by a federal appeals court, and eventually settled with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2001.
In 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP, the first version that encompassed the features of both its business and home product lines. Before XP was released, Microsoft had to maintain both the NT and the 9x codebase. XP introduced a new graphical user interface, the first such change since Windows 95.[16][44] In late 2001, with the release of the Xbox, Microsoft entered the multi-billion-dollar game console market dominated by Sony and Nintendo.[16] Microsoft encountered turmoil in March 2004 when antitrust legal action was brought against it by the European Union for abusing its current dominance with the Windows operating system (see European Union Microsoft antitrust case), eventually resulting in a judgment to produce new versions of its Windows XP platform—called Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N—that did not include its Windows Media Player, as well as a fine of €497 million ($613 million).[45][46]
2006–present: Vista, Windows 7, and other transitions
On June 27, 2008, Bill Gates retired from day-to day activities in the company, following a two year transition period from his role as Chief Software Architect, which was taken by Ray Ozzie, but remained the company's chairman, head of the Board of Directors and would act as an adviser on key projects.[47] Windows Vista, released in January 2007, was Microsoft's latest operating system and had sold 300 million copies by December 2008.[48] Microsoft Office 2007, released at the same time, features a "Ribbon" user interface which is a significant departure from its predecessors. Relatively strong sales of both titles helped to produce a record profit in 2007.[49]
Microsoft announced on February 21, 2008 that it will share information about its products and technology to make it easier for developers to create software that works with its products.[50] and followed that up by providing such information.[51] However, the European Union continued to demonstrate its dissatisfaction with the company for its lack of compliance with the March 2004 judgment and subsequently, on February 27, 2008 imposed a fine of €899 million ($1.4 billion), then the largest fine in the history of EU competition policy.[52]
In its January 2009 report of financial results, Microsoft announced layoffs of up to 5,000 employees in response to slowing economic activity due to the ongoing financial crisis.[53] Despite this, on February 12, 2009, Microsoft announced its intent to open a small chain of Microsoft-branded retail stores. David Porter, a former executive at Wal-Mart and DreamWorks, was named corporate vice president of Retail Stores.[54][55] On October 22, 2009 the first retail Microsoft Store open in Scottsdale, Arizona, the same day Windows 7 was officially released to the public. Microsoft focused on refining Vista with ease of use features and performance enhancements with Windows 7, rather than a large reworking of Windows.[56]
Product divisions
To be more precise in tracking performance of each unit and delegating responsibility, Microsoft reorganized into seven core business groups—each an independent financial entity—in April 2002. Later, on September 20, 2005, Microsoft announced a rationalization of its previous seven business groups into the three core divisions that exist today: the Windows Client, MSN and Server and Tool groups were merged into the Microsoft Platform Products and Services Division; the Information Worker and Microsoft Business Solutions groups were merged into the Microsoft Business Division; and the Mobile and Embedded Devices and Home and Entertainment groups were merged into the Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division.[57][58]
Platform Products and Services Division
This division produces Microsoft's flagship product, the Windows operating system. It has been produced in many versions, including Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 . Almost all IBM compatible personal computers come with Windows preinstalled. The current desktop version of Windows is Windows 7. The online service MSN, the search engine Bing (formerly Windows Live Search and MSN Search)[6], the Windows Live family of products and services[4], the cable television station MSNBC and the Microsoft online magazine Slate are all part of this division. (Slate was acquired by The Washington Post on December 21, 2004.) At the end of 1997, Microsoft acquired Hotmail, the most popular webmail service, which it rebranded as "MSN Hotmail" and later "Windows Live Hotmail". In 1999, Microsoft introduced MSN Messenger, an instant messaging client, to compete with the popular AOL Instant Messenger. Alongside the release of Windows Vista, MSN Messenger became Windows Live Messenger.[9]
Microsoft Visual Studio is the company's set of programming tools and compilers. The software product is GUI-oriented and links easily with the Windows APIs. The current version is Visual Studio 2008. The previous version, Visual Studio 2005 was a major improvement over its predecessor, Visual Studio.Net 2003, named after the .NET initiative, a Microsoft marketing initiative covering a number of technologies. Microsoft's definition of .NET continues to evolve. As of 2004, .NET aims to ease the development of Microsoft Windows-based applications that use the Internet, by deploying a new Microsoft communications system, Indigo (now renamed Windows Communication Foundation). This is intended to address some issues previously introduced by Microsoft's DLL design, which made it difficult, even impossible in some situations, to manage, install multiple versions of complex software packages on the same system (see DLL-hell), and provide a more consistent development platform for all Windows applications (see Common Language Infrastructure). In addition, the Company established a set of certification programs to recognize individuals who have expertise in its software and solutions. Similar to offerings from Cisco, Sun Microsystems, Novell, IBM, and Oracle Corporation, these tests are designed to identify a minimal set of proficiencies in a specific role; this includes developers ("Microsoft Certified Solution Developer"), system/network analysts ("Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer"), trainers ("Microsoft Certified Trainers") and administrators ("Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator" and "Microsoft Certified Database Administrator").[9]
Microsoft offers a suite of server software, titled Windows Server System. The Windows Server operating system for network servers is the core of the Windows Server System line. The Systems Management Server product is a collection of tools providing remote-control abilities, patch management, software distribution and a hardware/software inventory. Other server products include:
- Microsoft SQL Server, a relational database management system;
- Microsoft Exchange Server, for certain business-oriented e-mail and scheduling features;
- Small Business Server, for messaging and other small business-oriented features; and
- Microsoft BizTalk Server, for business process management.[9]
Business Division
The Microsoft Business Division produces Microsoft Office, which is the company's line of office software. The software product includes Word (a word processor), Access (a personal relational database application), Excel (a spreadsheet program), Outlook (Groupware, frequently used with Exchange Server), PowerPoint (presentation software), and Publisher (desktop publishing software). A number of other products were added later with the release of Office 2003 including Visio, Project, MapPoint, InfoPath and OneNote.[9] The current version of the Microsoft Office suite, for Windows, is Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac.
The division also develops financial and business management software for companies. These products include products formerly produced by the Business Solutions Group, which was created in April 2001 with the acquisition of Great Plains. Subsequently, Navision was acquired to provide a similar entry into the European market, resulting in the planned release of Microsoft Dynamics NAV in 2006. The group markets Axapta and Solomon, catering to similar markets, which is scheduled to be combined with the Navision and Great Plains lines into a common platform called Microsoft Dynamics.[9]
Entertainment and Devices Division
Microsoft has attempted to expand the Windows brand into many other markets, with products such as Windows CE for PDAs and its "Windows-powered" Smartphone products. Microsoft initially entered the mobile market through Windows CE for handheld devices, which today has developed into Windows Mobile 6.5.3. The focus of the operating system is on devices where the OS may not directly be visible to the end user, in particular, appliances and cars.
The company produces MSN TV, formerly WebTV, a television-based Internet appliance. Microsoft used to sell a set-top Digital Video Recorder (DVR) called the UltimateTV, which allowed users to record up to 35 hours of television programming from a direct-to-home satellite television provider DirecTV. This was the main competition in the UK for British Sky Broadcasting's (BSkyB) SKY + service, owned by Rupert Murdoch. UltimateTV has since been discontinued, with DirecTV instead opting to market DVRs from TiVo Inc. before later switching to their own DVR brand.[9]
Microsoft sells computer games that run on Windows PCs, including titles such as Age of Empires, Halo and the Microsoft Flight Simulator series. It produces a line of reference works that include encyclopedias and atlases, under the name Encarta. Microsoft Zone hosts free premium and retail games where players can compete against each other and in tournaments.
Microsoft entered the multi-billion-dollar game console market dominated by Sony and Nintendo in late 2001,[59] with the release of the Xbox. The company develops and publishes its own video games for this console, with the help of its Microsoft Game Studios subsidiary, in addition to third-party Xbox video game publishers such as Electronic Arts and Activision, who pay a license fee to publish games for the system. The Xbox also has a successor in the Xbox 360, released on November 22, 2005 in North America and other countries.[60][61] With the Xbox 360, Microsoft hopes to compensate for the losses incurred with the original Xbox. However, Microsoft made some decisions considered controversial in the video gaming community, such as releasing the console with high failure rates, selling two different versions of the system (one without the hard disk drive) and providing limited backward compatibility with only particular Xbox titles.[62][63]
In addition to the Xbox line of products, Microsoft also markets a number of other computing-related hardware products as well, including mice, keyboards, joysticks, and gamepads, along with other game controllers, the production of which is outsourced in most cases. As of November 15, 2007, Microsoft announced the purchase of Musiwave, Openwave's mobile phone music sales business.[64]
Economic impact
One of Bill Gates' key visions for the company was to "to get a workstation running our software onto every desk and eventually in every home."[43][65][66]
Microsoft has footholds in other markets besides operating systems and office suites, with assets such as the MSNBC cable television network, the MSN Web portal, and the Microsoft Encarta multimedia encyclopedia. The company also markets both computer hardware products such as the Microsoft mouse and home entertainment products such as the Xbox, Xbox 360, Zune and MSN TV.[9]
User culture
Technical reference for developers and articles for various Microsoft magazines such as Microsoft Systems Journal (or MSJ) are available through the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN). MSDN also offers subscriptions for companies and individuals, and the more expensive subscriptions usually offer access to pre-release beta versions of Microsoft software.[67][68] In recent years, Microsoft launched a community site for developers and users, titled Channel9, which provides many modern features such as a wiki and an Internet forum.[69] Another community site that provides daily videocasts and other services, On10.net, launched on March 3, 2006.[70]
Most free technical support available through Microsoft is provided through online Usenet newsgroups (in the early days it was also provided on CompuServe). There are several of these newsgroups for nearly every product Microsoft provides, and often they are monitored by Microsoft employees. People who are helpful on the newsgroups can be elected by other peers or Microsoft employees for Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) status, which entitles people to a sort of special social status, in addition to possibilities for awards and other benefits.[13]
Corporate affairs
Corporate structure
The company is run by a Board of Directors consisting of ten people, made up of mostly company outsiders (as is customary for publicly traded companies). Current members of the board of directors are: Steve Ballmer, James Cash, Jr., Dina Dublon, Bill Gates, Raymond Gilmartin, Reed Hastings, David Marquardt, Charles Noski, Helmut Panke, and Jon Shirley.[71] The ten board members are elected every year at the annual shareholders' meeting, and those who do not get a majority of votes must submit a resignation to the board, which will subsequently choose whether or not to accept the resignation. There are five committees within the board which oversee more specific matters. These committees include the Audit Committee, which handles accounting issues with the company including auditing and reporting; the Compensation Committee, which approves compensation for the CEO and other employees of the company; the Finance Committee, which handles financial matters such as proposing mergers and acquisitions; the Governance and Nominating Committee, which handles various corporate matters including nomination of the board; and the Antitrust Compliance Committee, which attempts to prevent company practices from violating antitrust laws.[72][73]
There are several other aspects to the corporate structure of Microsoft. For worldwide matters there is the Executive Team, made up of sixteen company officers across the globe, which is charged with various duties including making sure employees understand Microsoft's culture of business. The sixteen officers of the Executive Team include the Chairman and Chief Software Architect, the CEO, the General Counsel and Secretary, the CFO, senior and group vice presidents from the business units, the CEO of the Europe, the Middle East and Africa regions; and the heads of Worldwide Sales, Marketing and Services; Human Resources; and Corporate Marketing. In addition to the Executive Team there is also the Corporate Staff Council, which handles all major staff functions of the company, including approving corporate policies. The Corporate Staff Council is made up of employees from the Law and Corporate Affairs, Finance, Human Resources, Corporate Marketing, and Advanced Strategy and Policy groups at Microsoft. Other Executive Officers include the Presidents and Vice Presidents of the various product divisions, leaders of the marketing section, and the CTO, among others.[74][9]
Stock
When the company debuted its IPO in March 13, 1986, the stock price was US $21.[75][76] By the close of the first trading day, the stock had closed at $28, equivalent to 9.7 cents when adjusted for the company's first nine stock splits.[76] The initial close and ensuing rise in subsequent years made several Microsoft employees millions.[12] The stock price peaked in 1999 at around US $119 (US $60.928 adjusting for splits).[76] While the company has had nine stock splits, the first of which was in September 18, 1987, the company did not start offering a dividend until January 16, 2003.[76][77] The dividend for the 2003 fiscal year was eight cents per share, followed by a dividend of sixteen cents per share the subsequent year.[77] The company switched from yearly to quarterly dividends in 2005, for eight cents a share per quarter with a special one-time payout of three dollars per share for the second quarter of the fiscal year.[77]
Despite the company's ninth split on February 2, 2003 and subsequent increases in dividend payouts, the price of Microsoft's stock largely remained steady for the next several years,[77][78] with a rise in stock price around the release of Windows Vista and a fall during the economic crisis of 2008.
Diversity
In 2005, Microsoft received a 100% rating in the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign, a ranking of companies by how progressive the organization deems their policies concerning LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) employees. Partly through the work of the Gay and Lesbian Employees at Microsoft (GLEAM) group, Microsoft added gender expression to its anti-discrimination policies in April 2005, and the Human Rights Campaign upgraded Microsoft's Corporate Equality Index from its 86% rating in 2004 to its current 100% rating.[79][80]
In April 2005, Microsoft received wide criticism for withdrawing support from Washington state's H.B. 1515 bill that would have extended the state's current anti-discrimination laws to people with alternate sexual orientations.[81] Microsoft was accused of bowing to pressure from local evangelical pastor Ken Hutcherson who met with a senior Microsoft executive and threatened a national boycott of Microsoft's products.[82] Microsoft also revealed they were paying evangelical conservative Ralph Reed's company Century Strategies a $20,000 monthly fee.[83] Over 2,000 employees signed a petition asking Microsoft to reinstate support for the bill.[84] Under harsh criticism from both outside and inside the company's walls, Microsoft decided to support the bill again in May 2005.[84][85]
Microsoft hires many foreign workers as well as domestic ones, and is an outspoken opponent of the cap on H1B visas, which allow companies in the United States to employ certain foreign workers. Bill Gates claims the cap on H1B visas make it difficult to hire employees for the company, stating "I'd certainly get rid of the H1B cap."[86]
Logos and slogans
In 1987, Microsoft adopted its current logo, the so-called "Pac-Man Logo", designed by Scott Baker. According to the March 1987 Computer Reseller News Magazine, "The new logo, in Helvetica italic typeface, has a slash between the o and s to emphasize the "soft" part of the name and convey motion and speed." Dave Norris, a Microsoft employee, ran an internal joke campaign to save the old logo, which was green, in all uppercase, and featured a fanciful letter O, nicknamed the blibbet, but it was discarded.[87]
Microsoft's logo with the "Your potential. Our passion." tagline below the main corporate name, is based on the slogan Microsoft had as of 2008. In 2002, the company started using the logo in the United States and eventually started a TV campaign with the slogan, changed from the previous tagline of "Where do you want to go today?."[88][89][90]
There are also other taglines that Microsoft previously used, such as "Making it all make sense.".[91]
| Microsoft "blibbet" logo, used until 1987. |  Microsoft "Pac-Man" logo, designed by Scott Baker and used since 1987, with the 1994–2002 slogan "Where do you want to go today?"[88][89] |  Microsoft logo as of 2009, with the current slogan "Your potential. Our passion."[89] |
Environmental record
In relation to the electronics part of its business (e.g. game consoles, computer peripherals, etc.), Microsoft was ranked the 2nd worst company for the environment out of 18 companies rated in Greenpeace's Greener Electronics guide in June, 2008. It received a score of 2.2/10, placing it ahead of only Nintendo.[92]
Microsoft has taken actions to become more environmentally friendly.[93] Some examples include:
- Microsoft's newest building on its campus in Hyderabad, India was built as an environmentally friendly structure. Microsoft Research India developed a project called Digital Green in 2008, which aims to educate farmers in India on how to use azolla – an aquatic fern fed to cows, yielding increased milk production.[94][95]
- Microsoft has phased out the use of polyvinyl chloride plastic in its packaging material, due to environmental concern, and to match actions by competitors.[96] Polyvinyl chloride, also referred to as PVC or vinyl, can release toxins into the environment during production and if it is burned after production. These toxins are synthetic chemicals that can be linked to cancer, and issues with the reproductive and immune systems. In six months time, Microsoft was able to eliminate approximately 361,000 pounds of polyvinyl packaging by transitioning to a packaging utilizing polyethylene terephthalate plastic (PET). The company claims to be examining eco-friendly packaging made of corn starch, sugar, and vegetable oil.[96]
- The company has installed over 2,000 solar panels spanning 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) on top of its buildings in its Silicon Valley campus.[97] These panels supply 480 kilowatts of power, generating approximately 15 percent of the total energy needed by the campus and cutting the greenhouse gasses that would otherwise be produced to supply that power.[93]
- Microsoft has created one of the worlds largest private bus systems (the "Connector") as mass transit system in the Seattle area. Employees, interns, vendors and contractors are encouraged to use regional public mass transit (such as King County Metro and Sound Transit) with subsidised fares. For on-campus transportation, the "Shuttle Connect" uses a large fleet of hybrid cars, saving over 20,000 gallons of fuel per year.[93][98]
- The company uses an irrigation system at its Redmond campus that senses upcoming weather changes, saving 11 million gallons of water per year.[99] The company has received a silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program for environmental design.[93]
- Beginning in June 2008, Microsoft has added compost bins in all cafeterias on its Redmond campus, and replaced all polystyrene plates and cups and plastic flatware with biodegradable alternatives. In the first two months after this transition, the Redmond campus reduced its non-compost trash output by 50%.
However, in February 2010, Microsoft recently took a stance against adding additional HOV and mass transit lanes to an important bridge connecting Redmond to Seattle, on the grounds that the bridge replacement cannot have further delay.[100]
Criticism
Anti-competitive
Since the 1980s, Microsoft has been the focus of much controversy in the computer industry.[101] The majority of criticism has been for its business tactics, often described with the motto "embrace, extend and extinguish." Microsoft initially embraces a competing standard or product, then extends it to produce their own version which is then incompatible with the standard, which in time extinguishes competition that does not or cannot use Microsoft's new version.[102]
Microsoft also actively manipulates standards bodies to create standards that Microsoft effectively controls, regardless of technical or market suitability.[103] These and other tactics have resulted in lawsuits brought by companies and governments, and billions of dollars in rulings against Microsoft.[104][14][46]
David Meyer writing on Zdnet.com pointed out that, "Microsoft has a long history of applying for, and being granted patents for, inventions that many argue—and can sometimes demonstrate—were based on earlier work carried out by others, or based on a common, self-evident idea."[105] This was in response to its 2008 patent application for the ability to progress in page-up or page-down increments with a single keystroke — a method that has been pervasive for decades.[106]
Freedom and privacy
Free software proponents point to the company's joining of the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA) as a cause of concern. A group of companies that seek to implement an initiative called Trusted Computing (computing in which a computer is not only secured for its owner, but also secured against its owner as well), TCPA is decried by critics as it allows software developers and platform controllers to enforce indiscriminate restrictions over how consumers use software, and over how computers behave.[107][108]:23[109][110]
"Large media corporations (including the movie companies and record companies), together with computer companies such as Microsoft and Intel, are planning to make your computer obey them instead of you."
Advocates of free software also take issue with Microsoft's promotion of Digital Rights Management (DRM) and total cost of ownership (TCO) comparisons with its "Get the facts" campaign. Digital Rights Management is a technology that allows content providers to impose restrictions on the methods by which digital media is used on consumer hardware; and subsequently, detractors contend that such technology may infringe on fair use and other rights, especially given that it restricts legal activities such as re-mixing or reproduction of material for use in slide shows or the resale of the goods by the customer.[112][113]
Misrepresentation
The "Get the facts" campaign argues that Windows Server has a lower TCO than Linux and lists a variety of studies in order to prove its case.[114] Proponents of Linux unveiled their own study arguing that, contrary to one of Microsoft's claims, Linux has lower management costs than Windows Server.[115] Another study by the Yankee Group claims that upgrading from one version of Windows Server to another costs a significant fraction (a quarter to a third) of the switching costs from Windows Server to Linux, even for large enterprises, and that the other major reasons for a switch away from Windows servers were the increased security and reliability of Linux servers and a chance to escape the Microsoft "lock-in."[116]
In 2004, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of the UK warned Microsoft that an ad from the campaign which claimed that "Linux was ... 10 times more expensive than Windows Server 2003", was "misleading", as the hardware chosen for the Linux server was needlessly expensive.[117] The ASA's complaint was that "the measurements for Linux were performed on an IBM zSeries [mainframe], which was more expensive and did not perform as well as other IBM series." The comparison was to Windows Server 2003 running on two 900 MHz Intel Xeon CPUs.[118]
See also
General
- Pirates of Silicon Valley − A movie based on the rise of Apple and Microsoft.
- Actimates − Set of toys developed by Microsoft.
- PCsafety − Part of Microsoft's technical support that deals with malware and virus issues.
- Ultra Mobile PC − Joint specification by Microsoft and others for a small form factor tablet PC.
- Microsoft Studios − A division responsible for the creation of video content for Microsoft and its partners.
- Microsoft Research − A division responsible for the research of computer science.
- Studies related to Microsoft
- Microsoft litigation
- Virus Information Alliance – An international partnership created by the Microsoft Corporation in association with various antivirus vendors.
- Optimization (Infrastructure & Application Platform)
- List of mergers and acquisitions by Microsoft
- List of assets owned by Microsoft Corporation
- List of Microsoft software applications
- List of Microsoft topics
- List of Microsoft Office programs
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- ^ Roy Mark (2005-04-27). "Gates Rakes Congress on H1B Visa Cap". internetnews.com. http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3500986. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ Larry Osterman (July 14, 2005). "Remember the blibbet". Larry Osterman's WebLog. http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman/archive/2005/07/14/438777.aspx. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ a b "The Rise and Rise of the Redmond Empire". Wired. December 1998. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/6.12/redmond.html. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ a b c Randi Schmelzer (2006-01-09). "McCann Thinks Local for Global Microsoft". Adweek. http://www.vnuemedia.com/aw/login/login_subscribe.jsp?id=zf1eaW8N0UQ6/I7ScH8pMBa0vvBdIda7Co4SD6hXb+3YurLHGiElVKfMCKLSDvhMfcWYNjLTbIp5AaUu4URhUaFftYJBpPT7jwY6KH8vjzYvjVSV2x+gdxcTLL4+tmQ2Z5tb84fvTveHEbebObdFah1P+29WbIGTxFtp+/aekDByqf0fbIC4bPDrIVMwdstxi+4MyyvXbRwq0uaWMzTesw7be966TpBoUMjnkuRLrNTx2p8wkW6SQ83Q+90D6V4q4ClrnGOk7MloSfykn7IREg==. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ Jeremy Reimer (2006-01-23). "Microsoft set to launch new marketing campaign". Ars Technica. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060123-6031.html. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ "Microsoft's other taglines.". http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://mundodasmarcas.blogspot.com/2006/05/microsoft-mina-de-ouro.html&ei=L-UlS97OF4_m7APzydC8Bg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CBoQ7gEwBw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmicrosoft%2Btagline%2B%2522making%2Bit%2Ball%2Bmake%2Bsense%2522%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DEb5.
- ^ "Company scores plummet in Greener Electronics Guide". Greenpeace. June 25, 2008. http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/company-scores-plummet. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ a b c d Microsoft vs. Google: Who's greener? – CNET News.com
- ^ The New York Times Microsoft Goes Far Afield to Study Emerging Markets." Vance, Ashlee. Oct. 27, 2008.
- ^ Microsoft India Development Center
- ^ a b Microsoft to phase out toxic plastics – CNET News.com
- ^ Microsoft Solar – Solar Times
- ^ "Fostering Alternative Ways to Commute at Microsoft". Microsoft. http://www.microsoft.com/environment/our_commitment/articles/alternative_commuting.aspx. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ Microsoft Environment :: Microsoft Smart and Sustainable Building Practices
- ^ http://www.publicola.net/2010/02/23/microsoft-takes-out-full-page-ad-opposing-mcginnchopp-520-plan/
- ^ "Microsoft A History of Anticompetitive Behavior and Consumer Harm" (PDF). European Committee for Interoperable Systems. 2009-03-31. http://www.ecis.eu/documents/Finalversion_Consumerchoicepaper.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
- ^ Will Rodger (1998-11-08). "Intel exec: MS wanted to 'extend, embrace and extinguish' competition". ZDNet News. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-100925.html. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ Pamela Jones (2008-02-17). "How to Get Your Platform Accepted as a Standard - Microsoft Style". Groklaw News. http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20071023002351958. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
- ^ Burst.com Inc. (March 11, 2005). "Microsoft Corp. Licenses Burst.com Patents & Settles Suit". Press release. http://www.burst.com/new/newsevents/pressrelease007.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
* Andrew Orlowski (2004-03-05). "Eolas' web patent nullified". theregister.co.uk. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/05/eolas_web_patent_nullified/. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
* Tony Dennis (2002-12-24). "Sendo & Microsoft — it all ends in tears". TheInquirer.net. http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2002/12/24/sendo--microsoft--it-all-ends-in-tears. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
* Dan Nystedt (2005-12-07). "Update: Microsoft fined $32M by South Korea". IDG News Service. http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/12/07/HNmicrosoftfined_1.html. Retrieved 2008-08-18. - ^ "United States Patent concerning "page-up/page-down technology"". United States Patent Office. 2008-08-19. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1%3Cbr%20%3E%3C/a%3E%20&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=7,415,666.PN.&OS=PN/7,415%3Cbr%20/%3E%20,666&RS=PN/7,415,666. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ "Microsoft has been granted a patent on 'Page Up' and 'Page Down' keystrokes.". ZDNet.co.uk. 2008-08-29. http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-218626.html. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ Richard Stallman. "Can You Trust Your Computer?".
- ^ Anderson, Ross (August 2003). [http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html "`Trusted Computing' Frequently Asked Questions: TC / TCG / LaGrande / NGSCB / Longhorn / Palladium / TCPA Version 1.1"]. http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
- ^ Ross Anderson, "Cryptography and Competition Policy – Issues with 'Trusted Computing' ", in Economics of Information Security, from series Advances in Information Security, Vol. 12, April 11, 2006.
- ^ F. Stajano, "Security for whom? The shifting security assumptions of pervasive computing", Lecture notes in computer science, vol. 2609, pp. 16–27, 2003.
- ^ Richard Stallman. "Can You Trust Your Computer?". GNU Project website. http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/can-you-trust.html. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
- ^ David Chisnall (2006-05-04). "DRM: Digital Rights or Digital Restrictions?". Informit.com. http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=465447&rll=1. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
- ^ "Digital Rights Management". http://www.eff.org/issues/drm.
- ^ "Get the facts home". Microsoft. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/compare/default.mspx. Retrieved 2006-05-19.
- ^ Robert Jaques (2006-02-13). "Linux fans hit back at Microsoft TCO claims". vnunet.com. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2150210/linux-fans-hit-back-microsoft. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ Mary Jo Foley (2004-03-24). "Yankee Independently Pits Windows TCO vs. Linux TCO". eWeek.com. http://web.archive.org/web/20070612025517/http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1553727,00.asp. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ "Microsoft's Linux ad 'misleading'". BBC News. August 26, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3600724.stm. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
- ^ "Linux 10 times more expensive? Get the facts, watchdog tells Microsoft". CNet. August 26, 2004. http://news.com.com/Ad+watchdog+warns+Microsoft+to+'Get+the+Facts'/2100-1016_3-5323672.html. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
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Bill Gates
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bill Gates | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bill Gates at the World Economic Forum in Davos, 2007 | ||||
| Born | October 28, 1955 (1955-10-28) (age 54) Seattle, Washington, USA | |||
| Residence | Medina, Washington, USA | |||
| Nationality | American | |||
| Alma mater | Harvard University (dropped out in 1975) | |||
| Occupation | Chairman of Microsoft (non-executive) Co-Chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Director of Berkshire Hathaway CEO of Cascade Investment | |||
| Net worth | ▲US$53 billion (2010)[1] | |||
| Spouse(s) | Melinda Gates (1994–present) | |||
| Children | 3 | |||
| Parents | William H. Gates, Sr. Mary Maxwell Gates | |||
Signature  | ||||
| Website Bill Gates | ||||
William Henry "Bill" Gates III (born October 28, 1955)[2] is an American business magnate, philanthropist, and chairman[3] of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen. He is consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people[4] and was the wealthiest overall from 1995 to 2009, excluding 2008, when he was ranked third.[5] During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of CEO and chief software architect, and remains the largest individual shareholder with more than 8 percent of the common stock.[6] He has also authored or co-authored several books.
Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. Although he is admired by many, a number of industry insiders criticize his business tactics, which they consider anti-competitive, an opinion which has in some cases been upheld by the courts (see Criticism of Microsoft).[7][8] In the later stages of his career, Gates has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, established in 2000.
Bill Gates stepped down as chief executive officer of Microsoft in January 2000. He remained as chairman and created the position of chief software architect. In June 2006, Gates announced that he would be transitioning from full-time work at Microsoft to part-time work and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He gradually transferred his duties to Ray Ozzie, chief software architect and Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer. Gates' last full-time day at Microsoft was June 27, 2008. He remains at Microsoft as non-executive chairman.
Contents[hide] |
Early life
Gates was born in Seattle, Washington, to William H. Gates, Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates, of English, German, and Scotch-Irish descent.[9][10] His family was upper middle class; his father was a prominent lawyer, his mother served on the board of directors for First Interstate BancSystem and the United Way, and her father, J. W. Maxwell, was a national bank president. Gates has one elder sister, Kristi (Kristianne), and one younger sister, Libby. He was the fourth of his name in his family, but was known as William Gates III or "Trey" because his father had dropped his own "III" suffix.[11] Early on in his life, Gates' parents had a law career in mind for him.[12]
At 13 he enrolled in the Lakeside School, an exclusive preparatory school.[13] When he was in the eighth grade, the Mothers Club at the school used proceeds from Lakeside School's rummage sale to buy an ASR-33 teletype terminal and a block of computer time on a General Electric (GE) computer for the school's students.[14] Gates took an interest in programming the GE system in BASIC and was excused from math classes to pursue his interest. He wrote his first computer program on this machine: an implementation of tic-tac-toe that allowed users to play games against the computer. Gates was fascinated by the machine and how it would always execute software code perfectly. When he reflected back on that moment, he commented on it and said, "There was just something neat about the machine."[15] After the Mothers Club donation was exhausted, he and other students sought time on systems including DEC PDP minicomputers. One of these systems was a PDP-10 belonging to Computer Center Corporation (CCC), which banned four Lakeside students—Gates, Paul Allen, Ric Weiland, and Kent Evans—for the summer after it caught them exploiting bugs in the operating system to obtain free computer time.[16]
At the end of the ban, the four students offered to find bugs in CCC's software in exchange for computer time. Rather than use the system via teletype, Gates went to CCC's offices and studied source code for various programs that ran on the system, including programs in FORTRAN, LISP, and machine language. The arrangement with CCC continued until 1970, when the company went out of business. The following year, Information Sciences, Inc. hired the four Lakeside students to write a payroll program in COBOL, providing them computer time and royalties. After his administrators became aware of his programming abilities, Gates wrote the school's computer program to schedule students in classes. He modified the code so that he was placed in classes with mostly female students. He later stated that "it was hard to tear myself away from a machine at which I could so unambiguously demonstrate success."[15] At age 17, Gates formed a venture with Allen, called Traf-O-Data, to make traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor.[17] In early 1973, Bill Gates served as a congressional page in the U.S. House of Representatives.[18]
Gates graduated from Lakeside School in 1973. He scored 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT[19] and enrolled at Harvard College in the autumn of 1973.[20] While at Harvard, he met Steve Ballmer, who later succeeded Gates as CEO of Microsoft, and computer scientist Christos Papadimitriou, with whom he wrote a paper about pancake sorting.[21] He did not have a definite study plan while a student at Harvard[22] and spent a lot of time using the school's computers. He remained in contact with Paul Allen, joining him at Honeywell during the summer of 1974.[23] The following year saw the release of the MITS Altair 8800 based on the Intel 8080 CPU, and Gates and Allen saw this as the opportunity to start their own computer software company.[24] He had talked this decision over with his parents, who were supportive of him after seeing how much Gates wanted to start a company.[22]
Microsoft
BASIC
After reading the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics that demonstrated the Altair 8800, Gates contacted Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), the creators of the new microcomputer, to inform them that he and others were working on a BASIC interpreter for the platform.[25] In reality, Gates and Allen did not have an Altair and had not written code for it; they merely wanted to gauge MITS's interest. MITS president Ed Roberts agreed to meet them for a demo, and over the course of a few weeks they developed an Altair emulator that ran on a minicomputer, and then the BASIC interpreter. The demonstration, held at MITS's offices in Albuquerque, was a success and resulted in a deal with MITS to distribute the interpreter as Altair BASIC. Paul Allen was hired into MITS,[26] and Gates took a leave of absence from Harvard to work with Allen at MITS in Albuquerque in November 1975. They named their partnership "Micro-Soft" and had their first office located in Albuquerque.[26] Within a year, the hyphen was dropped, and on November 26, 1976, the trade name "Microsoft" was registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico.[26] Gates never returned to Harvard to complete his studies.
Microsoft's BASIC was popular with computer hobbyists, but Gates discovered that a pre-market copy had leaked into the community and was being widely copied and distributed. In February 1976, Gates wrote an Open Letter to Hobbyists in the MITS newsletter saying that MITS could not continue to produce, distribute, and maintain high-quality software without payment.[27] This letter was unpopular with many computer hobbyists, but Gates persisted in his belief that software developers should be able to demand payment. Microsoft became independent of MITS in late 1976, and it continued to develop programming language software for various systems.[26] The company moved from Albuquerque to its new home in Bellevue, Washington on January 1, 1979.[25]
During Microsoft's early years, all employees had broad responsibility for the company's business. Gates oversaw the business details, but continued to write code as well. In the first five years, he personally reviewed every line of code the company shipped, and often rewrote parts of it as he saw fit.[28]
IBM partnership
In 1980, IBM approached Microsoft to write the BASIC interpreter for its upcoming personal computer, the IBM PC. When IBM's representatives mentioned that they needed an operating system, Gates referred them to Digital Research (DRI), makers of the widely used CP/M operating system.[29] IBM's discussions with Digital Research went poorly, and they did not reach a licensing agreement. IBM representative Jack Sams mentioned the licensing difficulties during a subsequent meeting with Gates and told him to get an acceptable operating system. A few weeks later Gates proposed using 86-DOS (QDOS), an operating system similar to CP/M that Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products (SCP) had made for hardware similar to the PC. Microsoft made a deal with SCP to become the exclusive licensing agent, and later the full owner, of 86-DOS. After adapting the operating system for the PC, Microsoft delivered it to IBM as PC-DOS in exchange for a one-time fee of $50,000. Gates did not offer to transfer the copyright on the operating system, because he believed that other hardware vendors would clone IBM's system.[30] They did, and the sales of MS-DOS made Microsoft a major player in the industry.[31]
Windows
Gates oversaw Microsoft's company restructuring on June 25, 1981, which re-incorporated the company in Washington state and made Gates President of Microsoft and the Chairman of the Board.[25] Microsoft launched its first retail version of Microsoft Windows on November 20, 1985, and in August, the company struck a deal with IBM to develop a separate operating system called OS/2. Although the two companies successfully developed the first version of the new system, mounting creative differences undermined the partnership. Gates distributed an internal memo on May 16, 1991, announcing that the OS/2 partnership was over and Microsoft would shift its efforts to the Windows NT kernel development.[32]
Management style
From Microsoft's founding in 1975 until 2006, Gates had primary responsibility for the company's product strategy. He aggressively broadened the company's range of products, and wherever Microsoft achieved a dominant position he vigorously defended it.
As an executive, Gates met regularly with Microsoft's senior managers and program managers. Firsthand accounts of these meetings describe him as verbally combative, berating managers for perceived holes in their business strategies or proposals that placed the company's long-term interests at risk.[33][34] He often interrupted presentations with such comments as, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"[35] and, "Why don't you just give up your options and join the Peace Corps?"[36] The target of his outburst then had to defend the proposal in detail until, hopefully, Gates was fully convinced.[35] When subordinates appeared to be procrastinating, he was known to remark sarcastically, "I'll do it over the weekend."[3][37][38]
Gates's role at Microsoft for most of its history was primarily a management and executive role. However, he was an active software developer in the early years, particularly on the company's programming language products. He has not officially been on a development team since working on the TRS-80 Model 100 line, but wrote code as late as 1989 that shipped in the company's products.[37] On June 15, 2006, Gates announced that he would transition out of his day-to-day role over the next two years to dedicate more time to philanthropy. He divided his responsibilities between two successors, placing Ray Ozzie in charge of day-to-day management and Craig Mundie in charge of long-term product strategy.[39]
Antitrust litigation
Many decisions that led to antitrust litigation over Microsoft's business practices have had Gates' approval. In the 1998 United States v. Microsoft case, Gates gave deposition testimony that several journalists characterized as evasive. He argued with examiner David Boies over the contextual meaning of words like "compete", "concerned" and "we".[40]BusinessWeek reported:
Early rounds of his deposition show him offering obfuscatory answers and saying 'I don't recall,' so many times that even the presiding judge had to chuckle. Worse, many of the technology chief's denials and pleas of ignorance were directly refuted by prosecutors with snippets of e-mail Gates both sent and received.[41]
Gates later said that he had simply resisted attempts by Boies to mischaracterize his words and actions. As to his demeanor during the deposition, he said, "Did I fence with Boies? ... I plead guilty. Whatever that penalty is should be levied against me: rudeness to Boies in the first degree."[42] Despite Gates's denials, the judge ruled that Microsoft had committed monopolization and tying, and blocking competition, both in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.[42]
Appearance in ads
Gates appeared in a series of ads to promote Microsoft in 2008. The first commercial, co-starring Jerry Seinfeld, is a 90-second talk between strangers as Seinfeld walks up on a discount shoe store (Shoe Circus) in a mall and notices Gates buying shoes inside. The salesman is trying to sell Mr. Gates shoes that are a size too big. As Gates is buying the shoes he holds up his discount card, which uses a slightly altered version of his own mugshot of his arrest in New Mexico in 1977 for a traffic violation.[43] As they are walking out of the mall, Seinfeld asks Gates if he has melded his mind to other developers, after getting a yes, he then asks if they are working on a way to make computers edible, again getting a yes. Some say that this is an homage to Seinfeld's own show about "nothing" (Seinfeld).[44] In a second commercial in the series, Gates and Seinfeld are at the home of an average family trying to fit in with normal people.
Post-Microsoft
Since leaving Microsoft, Gates continues his philanthropy and, among other projects, purchased the videos rights to the Messenger Lectures series titled The Character of Physical Law, given at Cornell University by Richard Feynman in 1964 and recorded by the BBC. The videos are available online to the public at Microsoft's Project Tuva.[45][46]
In April 2010, Gates was invited to visit and speak at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he asked the students to take on the hard problems of the world in their futures.[47][48]
Personal life
Gates married Melinda French from Dallas, TX on January 1, 1994. They have three children. The Gates' home is an earth-sheltered house in the side of a hill overlooking Lake Washington in Medina. According to King County public records, as of 2006 the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $125 million, and the annual property tax is $991,000.
His 66,000 sq. ft. estate has a 60-foot swimming pool with an underwater music system, as well as a 2500 sq. ft. gym and a 1000 sq. ft. dining room.[49]
Also among Gates's private acquisitions is the Codex Leicester, a collection of writings by Leonardo da Vinci, which Gates bought for $30.8 million at an auction in 1994.[50] Gates is also known as an avid reader, and the ceiling of his large home library is engraved with a quotation from The Great Gatsby.[51] He also enjoys playing bridge, tennis, and golf.[52][53]
Gates was number one on the "Forbes 400" list from 1993 through to 2007 and number one on Forbes list of "The World's Richest People" from 1995 to 2007 and 2009. In 1999, Gates's wealth briefly surpassed $101 billion, causing the media to call him a "centibillionaire".[54] Since 2000, the nominal value of his Microsoft holdings has declined due to a fall in Microsoft's stock price after the dot-com bubble burst and the multi-billion dollar donations he has made to his charitable foundations. In a May 2006 interview, Gates commented that he wished that he were not the richest man in the world because he disliked the attention it brought.[55] Gates has several investments outside Microsoft, which in 2006 paid him a salary of $616,667, and $350,000 bonus totalling $966,667.[56] He founded Corbis, a digital imaging company, in 1989. In 2004 he became a director of Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company headed by long-time friend Warren Buffett.[57] In March 2010 Bill Gates was dropped down to the 2nd wealthiest man.
Philanthropy
Gates began to realize the expectations others had of him when public opinion mounted that he could give more of his wealth to charity. Gates studied the work of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller and in 1994 sold some of his Microsoft stock to create the William H. Gates Foundation. In 2000, Gates and his wife combined three family foundations into one to create the charitable Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is the largest transparently operated charitable foundation in the world.[58] The foundation is set up to allow benefactors access to how its money is being spent, unlike other major charitable organizations such as the Wellcome Trust.[59][60] The generosity and extensive philanthropy of David Rockefeller has been credited as a major influence. Gates and his father have met with Rockefeller several times and have modeled their giving in part on the Rockefeller family's philanthropic focus, namely those global problems that are ignored by governments and other organizations.[61] As of 2007, Bill and Melinda Gates were the second most generous philanthropists in America, having given over $28 billion to charity.[62]
The foundation has also received criticism because it invests the assets that it has not yet distributed with the exclusive goal of maximizing the return on investment. As a result, its investments include companies that have been criticized for worsening poverty in the same developing countries where the Foundation is attempting to relieve poverty. These include companies that pollute heavily and pharmaceutical companies that do not sell into the developing world.[63] In response to press criticism, the foundation announced in 2007 a review of its investments to assess social responsibility.[64] It subsequently cancelled the review and stood by its policy of investing for maximum return, while using voting rights to influence company practices.[65]
Recognition
Time magazine named Gates one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century, as well as one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005, and 2006. Time also collectively named Gates, his wife Melinda and U2's lead singer Bono as the 2005 Persons of the Year for their humanitarian efforts.[66] In 2006, he was voted eighth in the list of "Heroes of our time".[67] Gates was listed in the Sunday Times power list in 1999, named CEO of the year by Chief Executive Officers magazine in 1994, ranked number one in the "Top 50 Cyber Elite" by Time in 1998, ranked number two in the Upside Elite 100 in 1999 and was included in The Guardian as one of the "Top 100 influential people in media" in 2001.[68]
In 1994, he was honoured as the twentieth Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society. Gates has received honorary doctorates from Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Breukelen, The Netherlands, in 2000;[69] the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, in 2002; Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, in 2005; Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in April 2007;[70] Harvard University in June 2007;[71] the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, in January 2008,[72] and Cambridge University in June 2009[73]. He was also made an honorary trustee of Peking University in 2007.[74] Gates was also made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005,[75] in addition to having entomologists name the Bill Gates flower fly, Eristalis gatesi, in his honor.[76]
In November 2006, he and his wife were awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle for their philanthropic work around the world in the areas of health and education, particularly in Mexico, and specifically in the program "Un país de lectores".[77] In October 2009, it was announced that Gates will be awarded the 2010 Bower Award for Business Leadership of The Franklin Institute for his achievements in business and for his philanthropic work.
Investments
- Cascade Investments LLC, a private investment and holding company, incorporated in United States, is controlled by Bill Gates, and is headquartered in the city of Kirkland, WA.
- bgC3, a new think-tank company founded by Bill Gates.
- Corbis, a digital image licensing and rights services company.
- TerraPower, a nuclear reactor design company.
Bibliography
Gates has authored two books:
- The Road Ahead (1995)
- Business @ the Speed of Thought (1999)
Filmography
Gates has appeared in at least one film:
Notes
- ^ Bill Gates topic page. Forbes.com. Accessed April 2010.
- ^ (Manes 1994, p. 11)
- ^ a b Chapman, Glenn (June 27, 2008). "Bill Gates Signs Off". Agence France-Presse. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i8aV1bK5vmwLaw9wYr9nY5bFc4YA.
- ^ Wahba, Phil (September 17, 2008). "Bill Gates tops U.S. wealth list 15 years in a row". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN1748882920080917. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
- ^ See wealth chart on Forbes topic page on Bill Gates. Forbes.com. Accessed April 2010
- ^ Gates regularly documents his share ownership through public SEC form 4 filings.
- ^ (Manes 1994, p. 459)
- ^ (Lesinski 2006, p. 96)
- ^ Ancestry of Bill Gates
- ^ "Scottish Americans". albawest.com. http://www.albawest.com/scottish-americans.html. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
- ^ (Manes 1994, p. 15)
- ^ (Manes 1994, p. 47)
- ^ (Manes 1994, p. 24)
- ^ (Manes 1994, p. 27)
- ^ a b (Gates 1996, p. 12)
- ^ (Manes 1994, p. 34)
- ^ (Gates 1996, p. 14)
- ^ "Congressional Page History", The United States House Page Association of America. "The Page Program has produced many politicians, Members of Congress, as well as other famous men and women. Some of these include: the Honorable John Dingell, the longest serving Member of Congress, Bill Gates, founder and CEO of the Microsoft Corporation, and Donnald K. Anderson, former Clerk of the House."
- ^ "The new—and improved?—SAT". The Week Magazine. http://theweekmagazine.com/article.aspx?id=803. Retrieved May 23, 2006.
- ^ (Gates 1996, p. 15)
- ^ Gates, William; Papadimitriou, Christos (1979). "Bounds for sorting by prefix reversal". Discrete mathematics 27: 47–57. doi:10.1016/0012-365X(79)90068-2.
- ^ a b (Gates 1996, p. 19)
- ^ (Wallace & 1993 59)
- ^ (Gates 1996, p. 18)
- ^ a b c (.DOC) Microsoft Visitor Center Student Information: Key Events in Microsoft History. Microsoft. http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/3/0/130dd86a-a196-4700-b577-521c4cf5cec1/key_events_in_microsoft_history.doc. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Microsoft history". The History of Computing Project. http://www.thocp.net/companies/microsoft/microsoft_company.htm. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ (Manes 1994, p. 81)
- ^ Gates, Bill. "Remarks by Bill Gates" Waterloo, Ontario (October 13, 2005). Retrieved on March 31, 2008. (META redirects to [1])
- ^ Maiello, John Steele Gordon Michael (December 23, 2002). "Pioneers Die Broke". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2002/1223/258_print.html. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ (Gates 1996, p. 54)
- ^ (Manes 1994, p. 193)
- ^ "May 16, 1991 internal strategies memo from Bill Gates". Bralyn. http://www.bralyn.net/etext/literature/bill.gates/challenges-strategy.txt. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
- ^ Rensin, David (1994). "The Bill Gates Interview". Playboy.
- ^ Ballmer, Steve (October 9, 1997). "Steve Ballmer Speech Transcript — Church Hill Club". Microsoft. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/steve/churchillclub.mspx. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ a b Isaacson, Walter (January 13, 1997). "The Gates Operating System". Time. http://www.time.com/time/gates/gates5.html. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ Bank, David (February 1, 1999). "Breaking Windows". The Wall Street Journal. http://www.breakingwindows.net/1link3.htm. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ a b Gates, Bill. "Remarks by Bill Gates" San Diego, California (September 26, 1997). Retrieved on March 31, 2008.
- ^ Herbold, Robert (2004). The Fiefdom Syndrome: The Turf Battles That Undermine Careers and Companies – And How to Overcome Them.
- ^ "Microsoft Announces Plans for July 2008 Transition for Bill Gates". Microsoft. June 15, 2006. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jun06/06-15CorpNewsPR.mspx.
- ^ "Gates deposition makes judge laugh in court". CNN. November 17, 1998. http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9811/17/judgelaugh.ms.idg/index.html. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
- ^ "Microsoft's Teflon Bill". BusinessWeek. November 30, 1998. http://www.businessweek.com/1998/48/b3606125.htm. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
- ^ a b Heilemann, John (November 1, 2000). "The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But The Truth". Wired 46 (8): 833. doi:10.1007/s11517-008-0355-6. PMID 18509686. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.11/microsoft_pr.html. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ The Smoking Gun mugshots
- ^ MSNBC adblog site
- ^ CNET Project Tuva
- ^ Softpedia
- ^ Guo, Jeff; McQueen, Rob, "Gates asks students to tackle world's problems : Disease and education among biggest challenges", The Tech, Volume 130, Issue 21, Friday, April 23, 2010
- ^ Guo, Jeff, "In interview, Gates describes philanthropic journey", The Tech, Volume 130, Issue 21, April 23, 2010. (video & transcript). "After he spoke at Kresge Auditorium, Bill Gates sat down with The Tech to talk more about his college tour, his philanthropy, and the philosophy behind it."
- ^ Forbes.com coverage of the Gates' Medina, Washington estate
- ^ (Lesinski 2006, p. 74)
- ^ Paterson, Thane (June 13, 2000). "Advice for Bill Gates: A Little Culture Wouldn't Hurt". Business Week. http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/june2000/nf00613b.htm. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- ^ "Bill Gates: Chairman". Microsoft Corporation. 2008. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/billg/default.aspx?tab=biography.
- ^ "Profile: Bill Gates". BBC news. January 26, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3428721.stm. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
- ^ (Fridson 2001, p. 113)
- ^ Bolger, Joe (May 5, 2006). "I wish I was not the richest man in the world, says Bill Gates". The Times (London). http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/united_states/article713434.ece. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ "Microsoft 2006 Proxy Statement". Microsoft. October 6, 2007. http://www.microsoft.com/msft/reports/proxy2006.mspx. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
- ^ Fried, Ina (December 14, 2004). "Gates joins board of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway". CNET. http://www.news.com/Gates-joins-board-of-Buffetts-Berkshire-Hathaway/2100-1014_3-5491312.html. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ "Flat-pack accounting". The Economist. May 11, 2006. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6919139. Retrieved April 1, 2008.
- ^ Cronin, Jon (January 25, 2005). "Bill Gates: billionaire philanthropist". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3913581.stm. Retrieved April 1, 2008.
- ^ "Our Approach to Giving". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/AboutUs/OurWork/OurApproach/. Retrieved April 1, 2008.
- ^ (PDF) 2005 Annual Report. Rockefeller Brothers Fund. January 1, 2006. http://www.rbf.org/usr_doc/2005_Annual_Review.pdf. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
- ^ The 50 most generous Americans.
- ^ Dark cloud over good works of Gates Foundation, Los Angeles Times, January 7, 2006.
- ^ Gates Foundation to review investments, The Seattle Times, January 10, 2007.
- ^ Gates Foundation to maintain its investment plan, The Austin Statesman, January 14, 2007.
- ^ (Lesinski 2006, p. 102)
- ^ Cowley, Jason (June 22, 2006). "Heroes of our time — the top 50". New Statesman. http://www.newstatesman.com/200605220016. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
- ^ "Gates 'second only to Blair'". BBC News. September 26, 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/457951.stm. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
- ^ Nyenrode Business Universiteit (August 13, 2003). "Eredoctoraat Universiteit Nyenrode voor Wim Kok" (in Dutch). Press release. http://www.nyenrode.nl/news/news_full.cfm?publication_id=599. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
- ^ http://news.tsinghua.edu.cn/eng__news.php?id=1370
- ^ Hughes, Gina (June 8, 2007). "Bill Gates Gets Degree After 30 Years". Yahoo!. http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/hughes/13653. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
- ^ Svärd, Madeleine (January 24, 2008). "Bill Gates honored with a doctor's cap". Karolinska Institutet. http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=130&a=47838&l=en&newsdep=130. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
- ^ University of Cambridge (June 12, 2009). "The Chancellor in Cambridge to confer Honorary Degrees". University of Cambridge. http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2009061204. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
- ^ Blakely, Rhys (July 18, 2007). "Gates how piracy worked for me in China". The Times (London). http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2098235.ece. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "Knighthood for Microsoft's Gates". BBC News. March 2, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3428673.stm. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
- ^ Thompson, F. Christian (August 19, 1999). "Bill Gates' Flower Fly Eristalis gatesi Thompson". The Diptera Site. http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/Diptera/syrphid/gates.htm. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
- ^ "Proclamation of the Award". Diario Oficial de la Federación. http://diariooficial.segob.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=4936346. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
- ^ Bill Gates Goes to Sundance, Offers an Education, ABC News, January 23, 2010
See also
- List of billionaires (also see List of college dropout billionaires and List of wealthiest non-inflated historical figures)
- Paul Allen – Microsoft's co-founder, friend, and fellow billionaire
- Gary Kildall – The man who could have been Bill Gates[1]
References
Books
- Fridson, Martin (2001). How to be a Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans of Wealth. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471416177.
- Gates, Bill (1996). The Road Ahead. Penguin Books. ISBN 0140260404.
- Lesinski, Jeanne M. (2006). Bill Gates (Biography (a & E)). A&E Television Networks. ISBN 0822570270.
- Manes, Stephen (1994). Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry and Made Himself The Richest Man in America. Touchstone Pictures. ISBN 0671880748.
- Wallace, James (1993). Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Further reading
- "The Meaning of Bill Gates: As his reign at Microsoft comes to an end, so does the era he dominated", The Economist, June 28, 2008.
External links
Find more about Bill Gates on Wikipedia's sister projects:
Definitions from Wiktionary Textbooks from Wikibooks Quotations from Wikiquote Source texts from Wikisource Images and media from Commons News stories from Wikinews Learning resources from Wikiversity- The Official Site of Bill Gates – The Gates Notes
- Biography of Bill Gates at Microsoft.com
- Bill Gates on Twitter
- Forbes topic page on Bill Gates
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- How I Work: Bill Gates
- TED Talks: Bill Gates trying to change the world now at TED in 2009
- Creativity devoted to Bill Gates and his achievements
| Honorary titles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Warren Buffett | World's Richest Person 1996–2007 | Succeeded by Warren Buffett | ||||
| Preceded by Warren Buffett | World's Richest Person 2009–2010 | Succeeded by Carlos Slim | ||||
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gates, William Henry, III |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gates, Bill |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Business entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 28, 1955 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Seattle, Washington |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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