No iPods, iPhones allowed in Gates household

***AppleInsider*** · 03-02-2009, 01:23 PM

The three children of Bill and Melinda Gates may not be allowed to have a product from a certain Cupertino-based rival in their home, but that doesn't mean Mrs. Gates doesn't wish for an Apple gadget every once in a while.

Melinda Gates told Vogue in a recent interview that the couple's three children try to have "as regular a childhood as possible,", but that doesn't include Apple's ubiquitous iPod digital music and video player or its cellular companion, the iPhone.

"There are very few things that are on the banned list in our household," she said. "But iPods and iPhones are two things we don't get for our kids."

Gates' husband Bill, of course, founded Microsoft, which sells its own line of digital media players under the Zune brand name. So when it comes to the market-leading iPod, it's look-but-don't-touch for the Gates family, including the three children (aged 12, 9, and 6), and even Melinda herself.

"Every now and then I look at my friends and say, 'Ooh, I wouldn't mind having that iPhone,'" she said.

Melinda Gates, who was hired by Microsoft at the age of 22 and worked on products like Encarta, Expedia, and Microsoft Bob, went on to marry the founder of the company. Vogue describes her as possibly the "most ambitious woman on Earth."

Together, Bill and Melinda Gates run their eponymous charity organization that enjoys assets of around $35 billion.

The two say they still plan to give all of their fortune away. The interview didn't mention whether the three Gates children, aged 12, 9, and 6, use Zunes, but it does detail some of the charitable causes, from the American high school system to global public health, to which the couple has devoted itself.

DiscoNomad · 03-02-2009, 01:29 PM

ROTFLMAO!!!! SO FUNNY! Poor kids are hiding iPods like weed under the bed. Gates, don't punish your family just because your company can't even copy an Apple product correctly. It's not their fault Zune's and Winblows Mobile are total crap. Someone call child services...

Enigmafan420 · 03-02-2009, 01:30 PM

Could it be considered child abuse if the kids are forced into using a Zune?!?

McDave · 03-02-2009, 01:35 PM

What? Have technology that actually works? With no excessive licensing or support? That's a dangerous precedent!

McD

themoonisdown09 · 03-02-2009, 01:36 PM

I don't see anything wrong with not letting them use a competitors product. I know that people who work for Budweiser aren't allowed to drink other beer (or so I'm told) and the same goes for people who work at Coca-Cola.

macxpress · 03-02-2009, 01:37 PM

Thats too bad to see how bigheaded the Gates family is. I'd use whatever I wanted thank you very much! If Microsoft made a device that was actually worth something this wouldn't be an issue. Instead they tried to copy the iPod and seriously failed.

slcossio · 03-02-2009, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by themoonisdown09

I don't see anything wrong with not letting them use a competitors product. I know that people who work for Budweiser aren't allowed to drink other beer (or so I'm told) and the same goes for people who work at Coca-Cola.

Yeah that's probably true, difference is that these kids don't work for Microsoft...

kim kap sol · 03-02-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by themoonisdown09

I don't see anything wrong with not letting them use a competitors product. I know that people who work for Budweiser aren't allowed to drink other beer (or so I'm told) and the same goes for people who work at Coca-Cola.

There's nothing wrong with that?

DiscoNomad · 03-02-2009, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macxpress

Thats too bad to see how bigheaded the Gates family is. I'd use whatever I wanted thank you very much! If Microsoft made a device that was actually worth something this wouldn't be an issue. Instead they tried to copy the iPod and seriously failed.

Exactly...maybe they should pick up an Apple products once in a while and see the difference. Apple certainly does not have any policy against using competitor products...if employees do use them it just means that the Apple products aren't good enough and need to be made better. Apple has its ear to the ground and thats why they kick ass.

camroidv27 · 03-02-2009, 01:43 PM

I guess I should pick up a Vogue to see what the story really was...

I'm sure there are unsaid things going on that we don't know about. All in how things are phrased.

I'm not defending the Gates, as I think people should use what they want and buy what they want. But I would really like to know the true reason for no Apple products, instead of what is assumed from an article.

allblue · 03-02-2009, 01:43 PM

In other news: I've just made myself a cup of tea.

plum1030 · 03-02-2009, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allblue

In other news: I've just made myself a cup of tea.

What kind of tea? Not a competitor's tea i hope!

danbirchall · 03-02-2009, 01:48 PM

I had dinner with 3 people from MS last night; 2 of them had iPhones and the third was waiting for the next hardware revision to get one. None of them were from the MacBU either... in fact, a couple of them were working on Windows 7

Virgil-TB2 · 03-02-2009, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by themoonisdown09

I don't see anything wrong with not letting them use a competitors product. I know that people who work for Budweiser aren't allowed to drink other beer (or so I'm told) and the same goes for people who work at Coca-Cola.

This is poor reasoning and not true anyway. It's illegal to make consumption of the companies products a condition of employment.

What they can say is that you aren't allowed to consume a competitors product at work but even that is questionable and would probably be overturned in court if anyone bothered to fight it. In the case of Budweiser, it's pretty obvious that you can't drink alcohol at work in any case so that one's completely wrong.

Even if this kind of thing were true, it's petty nonsense as others have already pointed out and will have the opposite to the intended effect. Bill Gate's daughters will undoubtedly still lust after an iPhone (all the more for being denied) and if they are ultimately photographed using one the PR damage will far exceed that of him just letting them have one now. He's being a bad parent here.

Johnny Mozzarella · 03-02-2009, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiscoNomad

Exactly...maybe they should pick up an Apple products once in a while and see the difference. Apple certainly does not have any policy against using competitor products...if employees do use them it just means that the Apple products aren't good enough and need to be made better. Apple has its ear to the ground and thats why they kick ass.

When Steve Jobs first returned to Apple, he used an IBM Thinkpad running NeXT Step.

Johnny Mozzarella · 03-02-2009, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camroidv27

I guess I should pick up a Vogue to see what the story really was...

I'm sure there are unsaid things going on that we don't know about. All in how things are phrased.

I'm not defending the Gates, as I think people should use what they want and buy what they want. But I would really like to know the true reason for no Apple products, instead of what is assumed from an article.

The real reason is because Bill Gates knows the iPod and iPhone are gateway drugs.
If he gets his kids an iPod next they'll want a Mac.

ulfoaf · 03-02-2009, 01:54 PM

No iPods or iPhones ... pretty bad.
Well, maybe you can get a decent MP3 player ... (I've got an iPod mini)
...and maybe you can get a Blackberry ... they are nice and have their advantages .... (I've got an iPhone)

Worst of all .... they have to use Windows !!!

The horror .... the horror.

801 · 03-02-2009, 01:56 PM

On the other hand, the rumor is that Steve Jobs forces his kids to use a Zune then they misbehave, which has cut down on disciplinary problems considerabley in the Jobs household.

SpamSandwich · 03-02-2009, 01:58 PM

No wonder Bill's kids hate him.

ulfoaf · 03-02-2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kim kap sol

There's nothing wrong with that?

Right or wrong, I've know people that have worked for Anheiser Bush and for Coca-Cola, and yes, you can get fired for using competing products!

There was a famous case in the Atlanta (home of Coca-Cola) paper, where a minor exec at Coke was drinking a Pepsi at work. I think she was asked to get rid of it, she thought it was a joke and refused, and eventually was fired.

There are companies out there that are fanatical. These two, Microsoft, and Frito-Lay are all examples, for sure.

RichL · 03-02-2009, 02:02 PM

Bill Gates gets a lot of criticism but, you know what, I kind of miss him. He deserves a lot of credit for giving his money away and he did an infinitely better job of running Microsoft than Ballmer currently does.

Am I crazy for missing him?

Galley · 03-02-2009, 02:03 PM

Would somebody please think of the children?

ulfoaf · 03-02-2009, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

No wonder Bill's kids hate him.

No wonder EVERYBODY hates him .... the awful stuff he has let loose in this world ...

freelander51 · 03-02-2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Together, Bill and Melinda Gates run their eponymous charity organization that enjoys assets of around $35 billion. The two say they still plan to give all of their fortune away.

Funny that no one commented on this so far. The same can not be said of SJ - donating all his fortune...

In all the MS bashing one should not forget that at the end of the day BG is committed on donating most if not all his fortune to those who need it. He is one of the largest AIDS research and Malaria vaccination donors in the world, literally saving hundreds of thousands of kids from death.

Maybe his products are not as hip as Apple's (for sure they're not) but his intentions are laudable. Maybe SJ should try topping him ;-)

Enigmafan420 · 03-02-2009, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ulfoaf

Right or wrong, I've know people that have worked for Anheiser Bush and for Coca-Cola, and yes, you can get fired for using competing products!

There was a famous case in the Atlanta (home of Coca-Cola) paper, where a minor exec at Coke was drinking a Pepsi at work. I think she was asked to get rid of it, she thought it was a joke and refused, and eventually was fired.

There are companies out there that are fanatical. These two, Microsoft, and Frito-Lay are all examples, for sure.

That was at work-which I believe is the point.

You would have a helluva lawsuit on your hands if you got fired for drinking Sam Adams at home when you worked for bud.

teckstud · 03-02-2009, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allblue

In other news: I've just made myself a cup of tea.

After reading this and the last thread- I could have sworn AI has hired W.

quinney · 03-02-2009, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Melinda Gates, who was hired by Microsoft at the age of 22 and worked on products like Encarta, Expedia, and Microsoft Bob, went on to marry the founder of the company. Vogue describes her as possibly the "most ambitious woman on Earth."

More than Madonna? More than Clinton? More than Octomom?

teckstud · 03-02-2009, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galley

Would somebody please think of the children?

Leave no child behind! What is he thinking?

Quadra 610 · 03-02-2009, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freelander51

Funny that no one commented on this so far. The same can not be said of SJ - donating all his fortune...

In all the MS bashing one should not forget that at the end of the day BG is committed on donating most if not all his fortune to those who need it. He is one of the largest AIDS research and Malaria vaccination donors in the world, literally saving hundreds of thousands of kids from death.

Maybe his products are not as hip as Apple's (for sure they're not) but his intentions are laudable. Maybe SJ should try topping him ;-)

Who cares??

All I care about is the product. I couldn't give a sweet shit what the chairman/CEO does in terms of charity unless it somehow reflects on the company's bottom line, and then I only care if I'm an investor.

Besides, Gates' philanthropy has nothing to do with MS as a business. Nor does it have anything to do with the fact that Apple currently has more cash on hand than MS, for example.

And as for Gates not allowing any Apple tech in the house . . . it's probably because they would serve as constant reminders of what the MS licensing hog has done to innovation and R&D over the years. It has something to do with swirling down the toilet.

Than again, BG doesn't quite have it together these days, so his decision might just be an irrational, nonsensical act, much like releasing a swarm of mosquitos into an audience.

hombrephaty · 03-02-2009, 02:14 PM

That's nothing. At Ballmer's house, you can't eat apples or play Apples to Apples. Or use the word "google", even when referring to eyes. Or use Sony products. Or use deodorant (this one has nothing to do with competition, but is simply one of Steve's rules).

quinney · 03-02-2009, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freelander51

Funny that no one commented on this so far. The same can not be said of SJ - donating all his fortune...

In all the MS bashing one should not forget that at the end of the day BG is committed on donating most if not all his fortune to those who need it. He is one of the largest AIDS research and Malaria vaccination donors in the world, literally saving hundreds of thousands of kids from death.

Maybe his products are not as hip as Apple's (for sure they're not) but his intentions are laudable. Maybe SJ should try topping him ;-)

It is true that Jobs does not hold regular press conferences to trumpet his donations, but it might be wrong to draw conclusions from that.

The fact that Gates gives away billions of dollars just indicates he is not utterly stingy. He's still a multi-billionaire after all. Generosity is a lot more than just giving away something you do not need. As others have also mentioned, a significant proportion of his "gifts" have been Microsoft
products. Is that charity or business promotion?

His intentions may be partially laudable and partially a futile attempt to buy his way into heaven.

**Marvin** · 03-02-2009, 02:22 PM

Ballmer is the same. It's mainly the higher up employees who will do that because it's symbolic. You know how the press goes nuts when they see Ballmer at a talk and there's a Mac laptop there.

If they are seen using Apple products, it suggests that they prefer those products to their own. That would be ridiculously bad for business. Although their families don't work for the company, they are still very strong representatives.

Employees who aren't public-facing ones, it doesn't really matter. It's the same reason why unsuccessful businessmen will try to drive around in good cars and wear nice clothes. It's to give the illusion of success.

Consumers are mostly like sheep and have what someone else is having. If a product is undesirable, it is automatically pushed down the must buy list. This is why Apple's hype factor is very important. It's not just the quality of the product but the desirability and that comes from association more than anything. I know people to whom this doesn't matter one bit and have bought other touch screen phones due to them having MMS.

allblue · 03-02-2009, 02:26 PM

With apologies for introducing a serious element into this Happy Hour thread...
I'm afraid the B&MG Foundation is not the act of selfless altruism as the (very successful) spin suggests, but is a tax avoidance mechanism designed for the extremely wealthy. The article states the Foundation has $35 bn (up from $32.5 bn last year), and as long as it spends at least $1.5 bn p.a. it pays no tax on the earnings of the rest. So one of the world's wealthiest men is effectively being 'taxed' on his investment earnings at a rate of just c.4.5%, with the added perk of deciding where and how he spends it. When this faux largesse is used to subsidise cheap laptops running Windows into developing countries, thus undercutting Linux alternatives, the self-interest could hardly be more blatant.

dualie · 03-02-2009, 02:45 PM

She'd have to be the most ambitious woman on earth to hook up with Gates. It certainly wasn't for his fabulous good looks and sparkling personality.

The General · 03-02-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allblue

With apologies for introducing a serious element into this Happy Hour thread...
I'm afraid the B&MG Foundation is not the act of selfless altruism as the (very successful) spin suggests, but is a tax avoidance mechanism designed for the extremely wealthy. The article states the Foundation has $35 bn (up from $32.5 bn last year), and as long as it spends at least $1.5 bn p.a. it pays no tax on the earnings of the rest. So one of the world's wealthiest men is effectively being 'taxed' on his investment earnings at a rate of just c.4.5%, with the added perk of deciding where and how he spends it. When this faux largesse is used to subsidise cheap laptops running Windows into developing countries, thus undercutting Linux alternatives, the self-interest could hardly be more blatant.

Also, I remember a year or two ago, an investiagtion where certain groups were getting money only if they used a certain pharmacy companies products, and that turned out that billy boy owns tons of stock in the pharmacy company he was trying to force people to use, and in using that company, increasing the pharmacy companys profits, and his stock value. he is a crook, always has been. remember, he was well off as a child, and his parents gave him the $ to buy dos and sell to ibm. once a spoiled little brat, always a spoiled brat..

Adjei · 03-02-2009, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freelander51

Funny that no one commented on this so far. The same can not be said of SJ - donating all his fortune...

In all the MS bashing one should not forget that at the end of the day BG is committed on donating most if not all his fortune to those who need it. He is one of the largest AIDS research and Malaria vaccination donors in the world, literally saving hundreds of thousands of kids from death.

Maybe his products are not as hip as Apple's (for sure they're not) but his intentions are laudable. Maybe SJ should try topping him ;-)

How do you know he doesn't donate his fortune, when did it become a law or requirement to donate your fortune, I don't donate most of the money I make, does that make me a bad person, I think you should donate the money you make after all there are people in 3rd world country who could probably use some of your money.

jcsegenmd · 03-02-2009, 02:58 PM

johnny mozarella

you missed the real pun, which was GATE(s)way drugs

can you imagine what that would do to the stock when the go to Uni and are caught on camera using a Macbook

user_23 · 03-02-2009, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The General

Also, I remember a year or two ago, an investiagtion where certain groups were getting money only if they used a certain pharmacy companies products, and that turned out that billy boy owns tons of stock in the pharmacy company he was trying to force people to use, and in using that company, increasing the pharmacy companys profits, and his stock value. he is a crook, always has been. remember, he was well off as a child, and his parents gave him the $ to buy dos and sell to ibm. once a spoiled little brat, always a spoiled brat..

well, yeah...there's a wee bit of scandal hovering around the B&MGF...

but, would you rather it disappear? Sure, Bill's pockets are growing fatter through charity (purportedly) - but, the people on the receiving end of that charity also benefit. Causing more harm than good? Not likely. In fact, at least one extremely helpful organization in my city would fail if it weren't for the B&MGF.

uhm, and as far as Bill's kids go..sure, yeah right, they use the Zune?

http://hideapod.com/

bumblbee3 · 03-02-2009, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freelander51

Funny that no one commented on this so far. The same can not be said of SJ - donating all his fortune...

In all the MS bashing one should not forget that at the end of the day BG is committed on donating most if not all his fortune to those who need it. He is one of the largest AIDS research and Malaria vaccination donors in the world, literally saving hundreds of thousands of kids from death.

Maybe his products are not as hip as Apple's (for sure they're not) but his intentions are laudable. Maybe SJ should try topping him ;-)

Interesting.

Steve Jobs — Net Worth: US $5.4 Billion (2008 Forbes)

Bill Gates — Net Worth: US$58 Billion (2008) and it was larger back in 1999 when he started the Gates foundation with 4.8 billion. I think he was over 100 billion then. And I know a good bit of the Gates foundation was augmented in 2006 by a huge donation from Warren Buffet.

I wonder as a percentage of their net worth, which one (Bill or Steve) has given more to charity. I guess it is possible that BG has been publicizing his giving and SJ has kept his under the radar. It would certainly match up with SJ desire for privacy. But certainly in terms of sheer amount, BG is to be lauded for the amount of money he has funneled into charitable foundations.

Certainly this article thinks there is no comparison (http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/com.../2006/01/70072)
but I do wonder where the truth is.

doc362 · 03-02-2009, 03:18 PM

Why the hatred of Apple, Bill? You wouldn't have any money if you didn't have something decent to copy. You get it wrong every time, but you made it to IBM first.. and we all have to deal with the aftermath to this day.

Give away your money faster.. I'm tired of hearing about you and your failing company.

03-02-2009, 01:23 PM	#1
*AppleInsider* Kasper's Automated Slave Join Date: Nov 1997 Posts: 6,166	No iPods, iPhones allowed in Gates household The three children of Bill and Melinda Gates may not be allowed to have a product from a certain Cupertino-based rival in their home, but that doesn't mean Mrs. Gates doesn't wish for an Apple gadget every once in a while. Melinda Gates told Vogue in a recent interview that the couple's three children try to have "as regular a childhood as possible,", but that doesn't include Apple's ubiquitous iPod digital music and video player or its cellular companion, the iPhone. "There are very few things that are on the banned list in our household," she said. "But iPods and iPhones are two things we don't get for our kids." Gates' husband Bill, of course, founded Microsoft, which sells its own line of digital media players under the Zune brand name. So when it comes to the market-leading iPod, it's look-but-don't-touch for the Gates family, including the three children (aged 12, 9, and 6), and even Melinda herself. "Every now and then I look at my friends and say, 'Ooh, I wouldn't mind having that iPhone,'" she said. Melinda Gates, who was hired by Microsoft at the age of 22 and worked on products like Encarta, Expedia, and Microsoft Bob, went on to marry the founder of the company. Vogue describes her as possibly the "most ambitious woman on Earth." Together, Bill and Melinda Gates run their eponymous charity organization that enjoys assets of around $35 billion. The two say they still plan to give all of their fortune away. The interview didn't mention whether the three Gates children, aged 12, 9, and 6, use Zunes, but it does detail some of the charitable causes, from the American high school system to global public health, to which the couple has devoted itself.

03-02-2009, 01:29 PM	#2
DiscoNomad Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 29	ROTFLMAO!!!! SO FUNNY! Poor kids are hiding iPods like weed under the bed. Gates, don't punish your family just because your company can't even copy an Apple product correctly. It's not their fault Zune's and Winblows Mobile are total crap. Someone call child services... Last edited by DiscoNomad; 03-02-2009 at 01:34 PM..

03-02-2009, 01:35 PM	#4
McDave Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: New Zealand Posts: 416	What? Have technology that actually works? With no excessive licensing or support? That's a dangerous precedent! McD The IT Industry is a blank canvas for people who know a lot about paint to demonstrate how little they know about art.

03-02-2009, 01:37 PM	#6
macxpress Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 551	Thats too bad to see how bigheaded the Gates family is. I'd use whatever I wanted thank you very much! If Microsoft made a device that was actually worth something this wouldn't be an issue. Instead they tried to copy the iPod and seriously failed. Website: MacXpress 2.66 GHz Quadcore MacPro (Nehalem) 24" LED Apple Cinema Display 2.4 GHz 24" Aluminum iMac (Rev A) 867 MHz PowerMac G4 (Quicksilver) w/17" Apple Studio LCD 16GB iPhone 3G(S)

03-02-2009, 01:43 PM	#10
camroidv27 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Arizona Posts: 334	I guess I should pick up a Vogue to see what the story really was... I'm sure there are unsaid things going on that we don't know about. All in how things are phrased. I'm not defending the Gates, as I think people should use what they want and buy what they want. But I would really like to know the true reason for no Apple products, instead of what is assumed from an article. openSuSe 11.2, 32 and 64 bit, for Mac and PC! "Shiny capt'n. Everything thing is A-Okay."

03-02-2009, 01:30 PM	#3
Enigmafan420 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 74	Could it be considered child abuse if the kids are forced into using a Zune?!?

03-02-2009, 01:36 PM	#5
themoonisdown09 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 63	I don't see anything wrong with not letting them use a competitors product. I know that people who work for Budweiser aren't allowed to drink other beer (or so I'm told) and the same goes for people who work at Coca-Cola.

03-02-2009, 01:43 PM	#11
allblue Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Location: Inside Out Posts: 145	In other news: I've just made myself a cup of tea. Believe nothing, no matter where you heard it, not even if I have said it, if it does not agree with your own reason and your own common sense. Buddha

03-02-2009, 01:48 PM	#13
danbirchall Registered User Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 16	People who work for Microsoft can have iPhones... I had dinner with 3 people from MS last night; 2 of them had iPhones and the third was waiting for the next hardware revision to get one. None of them were from the MacBU either... in fact, a couple of them were working on Windows 7

03-02-2009, 01:54 PM	#17
ulfoaf Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 104	Not the worst of it No iPods or iPhones ... pretty bad. Well, maybe you can get a decent MP3 player ... (I've got an iPod mini) ...and maybe you can get a Blackberry ... they are nice and have their advantages .... (I've got an iPhone) Worst of all .... they have to use Windows !!! The horror .... the horror.

03-02-2009, 01:56 PM	#18
801 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 71	On the other hand, the rumor is that Steve Jobs forces his kids to use a Zune then they misbehave, which has cut down on disciplinary problems considerabley in the Jobs household.

03-02-2009, 01:58 PM	#19
SpamSandwich Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 8,461	No wonder Bill's kids hate him. "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground." —Thomas Jefferson Proud AAPL stock owner.

03-02-2009, 02:02 PM	#21
RichL Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: UK Posts: 331	Bill Gates gets a lot of criticism but, you know what, I kind of miss him. He deserves a lot of credit for giving his money away and he did an infinitely better job of running Microsoft than Ballmer currently does. Am I crazy for missing him?

03-02-2009, 02:03 PM	#22
Galley Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 854	Would somebody please think of the children?

03-02-2009, 02:14 PM	#30
hombrephaty Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 4	But at Ballmer's house... That's nothing. At Ballmer's house, you can't eat apples or play Apples to Apples. Or use the word "google", even when referring to eyes. Or use Sony products. Or use deodorant (this one has nothing to do with competition, but is simply one of Steve's rules).

03-02-2009, 02:22 PM	#32
Marvin Global Moderator Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 5,251	Ballmer is the same. It's mainly the higher up employees who will do that because it's symbolic. You know how the press goes nuts when they see Ballmer at a talk and there's a Mac laptop there. If they are seen using Apple products, it suggests that they prefer those products to their own. That would be ridiculously bad for business. Although their families don't work for the company, they are still very strong representatives. Employees who aren't public-facing ones, it doesn't really matter. It's the same reason why unsuccessful businessmen will try to drive around in good cars and wear nice clothes. It's to give the illusion of success. Consumers are mostly like sheep and have what someone else is having. If a product is undesirable, it is automatically pushed down the must buy list. This is why Apple's hype factor is very important. It's not just the quality of the product but the desirability and that comes from association more than anything. I know people to whom this doesn't matter one bit and have bought other touch screen phones due to them having MMS.

03-02-2009, 02:26 PM	#33
allblue Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Location: Inside Out Posts: 145	With apologies for introducing a serious element into this Happy Hour thread... I'm afraid the B&MG Foundation is not the act of selfless altruism as the (very successful) spin suggests, but is a tax avoidance mechanism designed for the extremely wealthy. The article states the Foundation has $35 bn (up from $32.5 bn last year), and as long as it spends at least $1.5 bn p.a. it pays no tax on the earnings of the rest. So one of the world's wealthiest men is effectively being 'taxed' on his investment earnings at a rate of just c.4.5%, with the added perk of deciding where and how he spends it. When this faux largesse is used to subsidise cheap laptops running Windows into developing countries, thus undercutting Linux alternatives, the self-interest could hardly be more blatant. Believe nothing, no matter where you heard it, not even if I have said it, if it does not agree with your own reason and your own common sense. Buddha

03-02-2009, 02:45 PM	#34
dualie Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 64	She'd have to be the most ambitious woman on earth to hook up with Gates. It certainly wasn't for his fabulous good looks and sparkling personality.

03-02-2009, 02:58 PM	#37
jcsegenmd Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 30	what a hoot johnny mozarella you missed the real pun, which was GATE(s)way drugs can you imagine what that would do to the stock when the go to Uni and are caught on camera using a Macbook

03-02-2009, 03:18 PM	#40
doc362 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 20	Don't worry Melinda.. Why the hatred of Apple, Bill? You wouldn't have any money if you didn't have something decent to copy. You get it wrong every time, but you made it to IBM first.. and we all have to deal with the aftermath to this day. Give away your money faster.. I'm tired of hearing about you and your failing company.

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