Briefly: No Apple products in Gates household; iPad in Hollywood; lawsuit update
Rumors that Bill Gates secretly uses a MacBook are not true, as Apple products never breach his doorstep, according to his wife. Meanwhile, the iPad is emerging as a staple in Hollywood. And Apple has joined Google and others in attempting to have a lawsuit by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen thrown out of court.
Apple products in Gates household
Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has acknowledged that's she's a bit envious of her iPhone-wielding friends. But as she told Vogue in an interview last year, Apple's handheld devices are a forbidden fruit in her household.
"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."
You can now add the rest of Apple's product line to the list. The philanthropist and former Microsoft unit manager told the New York Times Magazine this week that rumors that her husband Bill uses an Apple notebook behind closed doors are "False," adding that "nothing [from Apple] "crosses the threshold of our doorstep."
iPads are similarly off limits and when one of her three children recently argued, ?Mom, I have to have an iPod" she responded with "You may have a Zune.?
iPads in Hollywood
Meanwhile, the Times also recently ran a profile of the iPad's growing popularity in Hollywood, noting that it's "the must-carry accessory on sound stages this season, visible behind the scenes of television and film shoots and in business meetings."
For example, Bob Orci, one of the writers working on the sequel to last year's blockbuster "Star Trek," kicked off a recent meeting with his co-writer and three producers by whipping out his iPad to show off movie stills, potential scene locations, and a photo of a prospective actress that he had edited on the tablet to sport a Vulcan ear.
?When you?re carrying a little TV around, you bring the power of imagery to places that you don?t normally have it,? Orci said.
The report also notes that Apple products have turned up about 2,438 times on television programs through this September, amounting to a wealth of free advertising for the Cupertino-based company, including recent iPad stints on "The Office," ?Modern Family,? ?Fast Money," and ?Fox & Friends.
At the same time, the Apple tablet is being put to work backstage, where actors and actresses using specially designed apps, like Rehearsal, are using it to help them learn their lines ahead of each shoot.
Lawsuit update
In other news, Apple last week joined Google, Facebook, Yahoo and 7 other tech heavyweights in attempting to persuade a judge to dismiss infringement charges lodged back in August by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen over four patents he controls from his now-defunct Silicon Valley laboratory Interval Research Corp.
"Interval has sued eleven major corporations and made the same bald assertions that each defendant infringes 197 claims in four patents," Apple wrote in an October 21st motion. "As the U.S. Supreme Court noted in Twombly, it is in this type of situation in which courts should use their 'power to insist upon some specificity in pleading before allowing a potentially massive factual controversy to proceed.'"
Allen's suit specifically references the following four patents:
United States Patent No. 6,263,507 issued for an invention entitled "Browser for Use in Navigating a Body of Information, With Particular Application to Browsing Information Represented By Audiovisual Data."
United States Patent No. 6,034,652 issued for an invention entitled "Attention Manager for Occupying the Peripheral Attention of a Person in the Vicinity of a Display Device."
United States Patent No. 6,788,314 issued for an invention entitled "Attention Manager for Occupying the Peripheral Attention of a Person in the Vicinity of a Display Device."
United States Patent No. 6,757,682 issued for an invention entitled "Alerting Users to Items of Current Interest."
Apple products in Gates household
Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has acknowledged that's she's a bit envious of her iPhone-wielding friends. But as she told Vogue in an interview last year, Apple's handheld devices are a forbidden fruit in her household.
"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."
You can now add the rest of Apple's product line to the list. The philanthropist and former Microsoft unit manager told the New York Times Magazine this week that rumors that her husband Bill uses an Apple notebook behind closed doors are "False," adding that "nothing [from Apple] "crosses the threshold of our doorstep."
iPads are similarly off limits and when one of her three children recently argued, ?Mom, I have to have an iPod" she responded with "You may have a Zune.?
iPads in Hollywood
Meanwhile, the Times also recently ran a profile of the iPad's growing popularity in Hollywood, noting that it's "the must-carry accessory on sound stages this season, visible behind the scenes of television and film shoots and in business meetings."
For example, Bob Orci, one of the writers working on the sequel to last year's blockbuster "Star Trek," kicked off a recent meeting with his co-writer and three producers by whipping out his iPad to show off movie stills, potential scene locations, and a photo of a prospective actress that he had edited on the tablet to sport a Vulcan ear.
?When you?re carrying a little TV around, you bring the power of imagery to places that you don?t normally have it,? Orci said.
The report also notes that Apple products have turned up about 2,438 times on television programs through this September, amounting to a wealth of free advertising for the Cupertino-based company, including recent iPad stints on "The Office," ?Modern Family,? ?Fast Money," and ?Fox & Friends.
At the same time, the Apple tablet is being put to work backstage, where actors and actresses using specially designed apps, like Rehearsal, are using it to help them learn their lines ahead of each shoot.
Lawsuit update
In other news, Apple last week joined Google, Facebook, Yahoo and 7 other tech heavyweights in attempting to persuade a judge to dismiss infringement charges lodged back in August by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen over four patents he controls from his now-defunct Silicon Valley laboratory Interval Research Corp.
"Interval has sued eleven major corporations and made the same bald assertions that each defendant infringes 197 claims in four patents," Apple wrote in an October 21st motion. "As the U.S. Supreme Court noted in Twombly, it is in this type of situation in which courts should use their 'power to insist upon some specificity in pleading before allowing a potentially massive factual controversy to proceed.'"
Allen's suit specifically references the following four patents:
United States Patent No. 6,263,507 issued for an invention entitled "Browser for Use in Navigating a Body of Information, With Particular Application to Browsing Information Represented By Audiovisual Data."
United States Patent No. 6,034,652 issued for an invention entitled "Attention Manager for Occupying the Peripheral Attention of a Person in the Vicinity of a Display Device."
United States Patent No. 6,788,314 issued for an invention entitled "Attention Manager for Occupying the Peripheral Attention of a Person in the Vicinity of a Display Device."
United States Patent No. 6,757,682 issued for an invention entitled "Alerting Users to Items of Current Interest."
Comments
Rumors that Bill Gates secretly uses an MacBook are not true, as Apple products never breach his doorstep, according to his wife.
What a silly and narrow minded attitude to take. At least he always made sure his R & D department had everything Apple ever produced to they could get a clue as to what to do next.
I guess Allen was instrumental in making sure Windows always has at least one dialog box open to keep you from working and guaranteed to annoy the hell out of you.
Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has acknowledged that's she's a bit envious of her iPhone-wielding friends. But as she told Vogue in an interview last year, Apple's handheld devices are a forbidden fruit in her household.
"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."
Doesn't this logic usually backfire in parenting and make them want the forbidden product all the more? I thought Apple products were also banned at Steve Balmer's house too...
What a silly and narrow minded attitude to take. At least he always made sure his R & D department had everything Apple ever produced to they could get a clue as to what to do next.
And Steve Jobs isn't narrow minded when it comes to his products. Are you kidding me? Steve Jobs makes an extra effort to bash others.
The Zune is so bad even Bill Gates' kids are asking for an iPod. What does that tell you?
OK, two words apply here: Child abuse.
?Mom, I have to have an iPod" she responded with "You may have a Zune.?
And Steve Jobs isn't narrow minded when it comes to his products. Are you kidding me? Steve Jobs makes an extra effort to bash others.
Steve Jobs complemented Microsoft several times on their success, he even complemented Gates during TV shows. But like a true artist he criticized Microsoft's lack of creativity.
Gates on the otherhand, never complemented Steve or Apple on any of their accomplishments after releasing Windows.
The Zune is so bad even Bill Gates' kids are asking for an iPod. What does that tell you?
Have you ever used a Zune? Do you even know if its bad of what it has to offer? What it tells me is most kids have iPods and even with their wealth they simply want to be like their friends have have iPods so they can fit in. Thats all it tells me.
Unfortunately Microsoft got to the "pretty nice piece of hardware" stage about 2 years too late to really be a competitor in the game for the high-end.
The Zune is so bad even Bill Gates' kids are asking for an iPod. What does that tell you?
Steve Jobs complemented Microsoft several times on their success, he even complemented Gates during TV shows. But like a true artist he criticized Microsoft's lack of creativity.
Gates on the otherhand, never complemented Steve or Apple on any of their accomplishments after releasing Windows.
You might want to read some of the latest articles here about his latest rant on Google and RIM. Which is common for Steve Jobs.
Apparently, rumors that Apple Insider uses the correct article before a noun are not true either.
And Steve Jobs isn't narrow minded when it comes to his products. Are you kidding me? Steve Jobs makes an extra effort to bash others.
There was no discussion about 'bashing' it was about actually using them. Steve Jobs is savvy enough to not only use PCs running Windows but had OS X running on them in secret prior to the move to Intel. MS have a division creating Mac apps as Apple have a expertise in BootCamp and running Windows.
As I said, to shut ones self off from your opposition's products is narrow minded. Not to mention kind of cruel in this particular case, denying kids an iPod and insisting they use a Zune. Imagine the mocking they got!
The title should've read: Gates rejects all innovative technologies in his household.
To be fair it is the wife it seems not Bill. I bet he has a secret iPad in his den
Meanwhile, the Times also recently ran a profile of the iPad's growing popularity in Hollywood, noting that it's "the must-carry accessory on sound stages this season, visible behind the scenes of television and film shoots and in business meetings.
I?m seeing them a lot in TV shows, and not in an advertisement aspect either, often shrouded and used as they would use any other piece of tech as a prop.
Why does AI insist in often grouping different topics into one post. This ultimately makes the thread really disjointed. This post is really three topics.
I like it. These are stories that aren?t robust enough to carry their own thread. Plus, just as I?m doing now I?m responding to multiple posters and topics in the same post, and we do this anyway as Cretin?s Law ensues.
And Steve Jobs isn't narrow minded when it comes to his products. Are you kidding me? Steve Jobs makes an extra effort to bash others.
Jobs is very vocal about he thinks is good or bad for the company he runs to support, but I don?t think he would disallow anyone to use a MS product. In fact, this last event on Wednesday someone on stage pimped MS Office for Mac while there was no mention of iWork during the event. Also, I would bet money that Jobs has Blu-ray in his home. It?s not a good for a consumer notebook, but it?s great for a home entertainment system, especially Pixar films.