No iPods, iPhones allowed in Gates household

13

Comments

  • Reply 41 of 70
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by user_23 View Post


    http://hideapod.com/



  • Reply 42 of 70
    brlawyerbrlawyer Posts: 828member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bumblbee3 View Post


    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.



    Actually this was already (un)revealed by SJ in an interview to Playboy back in the 80s (when he had just become a billionaire).



    The reporter asked him about his charitable actions; then he said he helped some institutions/people, but declined to specify that in any way. He does NOT need to publicize his deeds, and surely does not to buy his way into Heaven as BG does (after, of course, a boatload of money received from monopolistic practices and tied assistance from his "partner" companies)...
  • Reply 43 of 70
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by quinney View Post


    ..... and partially a futile attempt to buy his way into heaven.



    Ouch.



    I haven't laughed out louder in a long time!
  • Reply 44 of 70
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by freelander51 View Post


    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 ;-)



    I'll comment on it.

    The Gates' philanthropic efforts are two things...

    1) Good Public Relations for the Beast

    2) An attempt to ensure that his legacy isn't "the guy who screwed up the personal computer industry for its first three decades"



    Carnegie is remembered for building a concert hall and a university not for his bad business dealings.



    It is also important to remember that Bill hasn't given away his fortune. He has simply shifted it from his personal accounts to HIS charity which HE runs.
  • Reply 45 of 70
    Apple should send a box full of Apple stuff to the kids with a giant red ribbon - full of iPods and computers monogrammed with their own initials instead of an Apple logo.

    And then Bill can be heartless enough to send it away, at which point his kids would grow up secretly hating Microsoft. They would then go work for Apple when they finish school and take over after Steve Jobs, and usher in Apple's greatest era of development.
  • Reply 46 of 70
    aakaaaka Posts: 17member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 801 View Post


    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.



    LOL this if funny. I must try this on my niece and nephew.



    A
  • Reply 47 of 70
    razorpitrazorpit Posts: 1,796member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hombrephaty View Post


    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).



    I see you only have 4 posts, you need to post more!
  • Reply 48 of 70
    nicky gnicky g Posts: 20member
    It strikes me as pretty "crazy control freak" for him to even give a crap about something like whether his wife or kids use Apple products. Give me a break. Well, I guess being married to/child of a billionaire has other perks. Something tells me not every last cent will be given away...
  • Reply 49 of 70
    I remember reading a couple of years back a similar article in which Ballmer said his kids cant have an iPod or use Google
  • Reply 50 of 70
    virgil-tb2virgil-tb2 Posts: 1,416member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 801 View Post


    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.



    On a completely unrelated note, Steve Jobs' daughter is hot.



  • Reply 51 of 70
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by freelander51 View Post


    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 ;-)



    That is BS. The foundation is just a tax dodge and a way to keep control of m$ft. It all came about as a way to put a positive image on the criminal when they were being investigated by the Feds. Yes they make donations to keep their tax exemption, but that is about it. So spare us the empathy cr@p, gates does not deserve it at all.



    As to their products, it's not a question of hipness, it's a question of junkware.
  • Reply 52 of 70
    "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's nothing quite like making your children feeling normal by banning the most ubiquitous music player known to man from your household!!





    Whattya wanna bet that they all secretly have one stashed away in their underwear drawer or under their bed or both!!



    Is Bill Gates really that big of a megalomaniacal freak?!?
  • Reply 53 of 70
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    Let's face it, Gates could cure AIDs and cancer single handedly and some people on here would still think that everything he does is a tax dodge.



    Surely people trying to avoid tax don't give away all of their money? That is Bill's stated intention.
  • Reply 54 of 70
    And would someone please explain why one would call a press conference every time a donation is made? I thought the whole idea of "giving" was to do it and go on.....not self aggrandizement. \
  • Reply 55 of 70
    allblueallblue Posts: 393member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    Let's face it, Gates could cure AIDs and cancer single handedly and some people on here would still think that everything he does is a tax dodge.



    Surely people trying to avoid tax don't give away all of their money? That is Bill's stated intention.



    ...and some people hold on to a perception even in the face of evidence to the contrary. As it happens, I'm going to give away every single last penny I possess, and that's not BS, it's all written down in a document entitled 'Last Will and Testament'.
  • Reply 56 of 70
    monstrositymonstrosity Posts: 2,234member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by freelander51 View Post


    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 ;-)



    If overnight Hitler became a humanitarian I wouldn't let him off the hook in a hurry either.
  • Reply 57 of 70
    mr squidmr squid Posts: 58member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bumblbee3 View Post


    Interesting.



    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.



    It does not matter. Even if Bill Gates gave away all of his wealth, and ended world hunger, he would still be evil and Steve Jobs would still be better. In the fanboi universe...
  • Reply 58 of 70
    virgil-tb2virgil-tb2 Posts: 1,416member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    ... Surely people trying to avoid tax don't give away all of their money? That is Bill's stated intention.



    I don't remember Mr. Gates ever saying he was going to give away all his money. As has been noted previously, he transfers money to the foundation that gives it away. He still has billions and billions of his own money and he's not going to go on government assistance or get a job at the local burger king or anything.
  • Reply 59 of 70
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2 View Post


    I don't remember Mr. Gates ever saying he was going to give away all his money. As has been noted previously, he transfers money to the foundation that gives it away. He still has billions and billions of his own money and he's not going to go on government assistance or get a job at the local burger king or anything.



    Source.



    In other words, the majority of his money will be left to charitable causes when he dies. There won't be a Paris Gates.
  • Reply 60 of 70
    I am sure Paris Hilton has gotten laid in a Motel 8.
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