Apple handles what in the networking world is called the "last mile" (even less actually). MS handles almost everything else.

Very good question, and I agree with his "direct and humble" response.

Apple makes products that work and MS makes copies that don't.

apple polishes apple and microsoft has to worry about getting things running right on stuff people even built in their baseman

@tonashideska: Arrogance is bliss.

Uhm, that's absolute horseshit. If anything, it's entirely the opposite business model. Apple has the tendency to release garbage onto the marketplace, whereas Microsoft takes years and years to polish a finish model, to the point of egregious waiting periods.

Just for kicks, check out these: [www.applegazette.com]

Look at him punching about half way through the video punching an invisible steve jobs. God i love competition.

Why can't apple fanboys get over hating MS already. I worked for Apple for 5 years and still love my Xbox and can praise MS when they do something right.

PS Bill give me Mac support for the Zune :)

Even in my rabid Apple fanboyism, I truly believe that there is room to appreciate Bill Gates. In that last few years particularly, I have gained a new respect for his direct style with a sense of humor. Let's face it, Apple has a measly 7% market share in the real world, yet Bill still finds the time to give some props to Apple. Even better grant an interview with the Giz. Given the choice, I would choose to have lunch with Gates over Jobs. Besides the fact that the intimidation factor is much less with Bill, I also enjoy eating meat.

@xgenius:

That's why they're called "Fanboys" :)

@shiftyeyedgoat: if your right i guess that theory did not work to good with vista eh, or do you think they need more than the 5 years it tuck to keep polishing it. lol

I like the fact he still wears glasses.. with all that money he could have robot eyes, but nah.. he keeps it real, old school style.

Eh.. the difference is that microsoft targets different consumers than Apple, and Apple changes the mistakes of Microsoft and makes it there own keypoints of sales. Have no idea what i just said. *walks away slowly*

I call BS. He makes it sound like MS is daring, fearlessly trying out things that haven't been proven when the competition is afraid to. If I recall, Billy boy poked fun at Apple's iTunes music store and the Nintendo Wii's motion-sensitive controls, suggesting that these attempts were cute, but that they'd never succeed. And now MS is the one with the also-ran music store and the one rumored to be developing a motion-sensitive controller for the Xbox 360.

The only difference between Microsoft and Apple is that Steve Jobs is a geek who looks like a marketroid, and Bill Gates is a marketroid who looks like a geek. The end.

@shiftyeyedgoat: So the success of the iPod, the iPhone, and slow but increasing growth of the Macintosh platform have all been garbage (which in turn would lead to low sales and failures)? Yes, they have had some flops... like the Apple Game Console and the Newton... given that was over 10 years ago.

The Xbox has helped Microsoft, but products like Vista, Tablet PCs, and somewhat the Zune have not helped them (BROWN??). They are innovating in certain areas, and lacking in others. And waiting to release a product doesn't help (6 years for an operating system that didn't include some promised features).

Don't get me wrong, Microsoft isn't a bad company and I'm not trying to bash them... BUT I had higher expectations for them. If they came out with something (hardware or software) that strikes me with awe, I'll get it... but currently, I'm not holding my breath.

@snitch29: Err, Apple couldn't ship Leopard working properly on hardware they make themselves, so I think some credit's due to Microsoft for shipping an operating system (Vista) that, believe it or not, is perfectly compatible with a huge range of hardware. It's immensely well-polished, but all the additions over XP make it a definite hound for resources.

Aside from the occasional monopolistic tendencies, Gates is a great businessman and philanthropist, and it's good to see he's willing to open up about Microsoft and acknowledge where they stray from the competition and where the competition has beat them to the punch.

@snitch29: Of course, there are still more people using Vista than all the people who own Macs combined, so your point is moot. Even Microsoft products that the media (erraneously) label as failures sell better than the best Apple ones. When MS succeeds? Apple will probably NEVER sell as many Macs as MS sold copies of Windows XP.

the good thing about Billy is that he really knows his company and admit where there failing, but he got a bunch of douche bags working for him that should be working on a Mcdonald drive thru, and are really making alot of bad choices for the company if Billy is gone so if microsoft because his the only one keeping alive

while i thought the mannerism's that were used while asking the initial question was rather rude considering the context of the interviewee, i am very saddened to see this is bill gates' last year. i think the man is an absolute financial genius, and while i've turned to the dark side (apple) in recent years, i really appreciate everything this man has done for the computer industry. steve jobs may have more enthusiasm for his products (or at least portray it as so), but he does not even come close to holding a candle to bill gates for his impact on the future. steve slowly does things to make more and more money (no free ringtones?!), while bill gates is continuously giving his away... and most importantly, in well thought out, intelligent ways. hell, this man might even cure aids! i think even warren buffett would agree... well done bill gates, you were a childhood hero, and are still one of the men i respect most that have graced my life. best of luck in your future, and don't forget to enjoy the family life too!

oh, and if my spelling and/or english is terrible, forgive me... i'm a lowly engineer.

@ph15h:

Funny post.

@the story:

All I have to say is, give props to Bill Gates for granting this interview. Richest man in the world grants twenty minutes of sit down with some kid journalist (no offense meant, Wilson)?

There are tons of Hollywood actors and executives who have a small fraction of his wealth and accomplishments who wouldn't give the Giz the time of day.

Kudos to Bill Gates.

@Andy S.: Microsoft couldn't be the first to market with a massive online music store tied into Windows Media Player and a Microsoft MP3 player because they were already being hounded by antitrust lawsuits. In some cases, they have to cede things to smaller companies that won't be targeted of trying to establish a monopoly.

Case in point: Apple's eventual difficulty with the iPod/iTunes integration at the complete lack of support for any other devices. If Microsoft did that, and especially if they did it first, the public outrage would have been (even more) massive.

@snitch29: And how long overdue was it and STILL unsatisfactory?

Do you use vista? Are you currently using Vista? How can your comment have any veracity or substance if you aren't a first person user?

I've used Vista Business for almost a year now along with my XP Pro laptop. I often look at my laptop and wonder how I lived with something that feels so antiquated.

I won't point out which bitter and angry group I am referring to, but it is a shame that so many people choose to hate Bill Gates and MS without really understanding why. Sure, there are people who are fully justified in their anger, but there are many more who just hate because they don't know what else to do with their free time.

As a long-time mac user I think it's great when Apple comes out with that surprise killer product but this hype-game has gotten really old. With the Intel switch and everything else changing in the world then there's nothing wrong with releasing a 99% complete product because todays consumer knows there's a price to buying a Gen1 product. (Plus, it's not like Apple products are as bulletproof as they once were)

Everybody is talking about the "products". But a company to be successful involves a lot of other tasks, like marketing, communication, sales organization, etc. Maybe Apple is successful with the iPod, and all the stuff they are creating. But if they are so d@mn good at everything, why aren't they bigger?

From a business perspective, that was a horrible question to ask Bill Gates. It is obvious that there are many advantages of being the first entity to release a product. You don't need Bill Gates to tell you that. Hell, Steve Jobs would have given you the same answer.

Microsoft hobbled itself by going for the monopoly. It could've done great stuff in an environment with real competitors, but as a monopoly it is greatly limited. So while Apple can (fairly) tie all kinds of things to their media player empire and their OS, MS can never go there because it would be anticompetitive and harmful to innovation.

The upside is that they've made themselves so essential to infrastructure worldwide that they can never go out of business. The United States could collapse and Microsoft will still be there, raking in money.

@Illrigger: Dude microsoft sold dozen of copies Vista and probabily hundreds of copies of XP nothing more, now if you tell me millions of new computers where sold with the vista or XP install thats another story. its no secret new customers have been pushed to use vista heck you can't even get a new PC with XP unless you special order it anymore. its not microsoft selling its OS its PC manufactures selling PCs with windows because apple wont open up to them. Face it

Why do apple fanboys have to exist?? Can't you guys just stop being fanboys, stop being one sided and actually agree for once that MS does some really great things, not just Apple. Microsoft has innovated and changed the marketplace in many ways along with Apple, so give credit where credit is due.

Neither company is flawless, MS has a larger share, so it's that many more people to appease, while Apple appeals to a smaller demographic, so they can concentrate on the needs and desires of THAT demographic. How many people REALLY need or want a video ipod or iphone? Itunes scares the crap out of just about anyone older than 45...

@shiftyeyedgoat: i have a new hp pavillion dv2000 running vista, for work and i have a new aluminum imac running leopard and XP at home. and let me tell you vista sucks

@quiksilver180: That wasn't my point of contention. My point is that Apple held the multiple decade business creed of releasing what they considered "innovating" and "cusp of technology" and hoping products would stick. For the record they finally found one in the iPod, which launched their name out of pitiful insignificance into a valid computer manufacturer.

Microsoft spends YEARS in development of products and almost always releases late trying to address any and all issues that will be presented. Not often, they overshoot their targets and release software that is tantamount to a late beta, rather than an actual release product.

This is literally the exact opposite of what the OP wrote about either company, and it is so flagrantly wrong that it must be corrected.

Admitted Apple fanboy here... But great response by BG and I absolutely agree that their scope is so massive in comparison with Apple that sometimes it works in their favor (360 as an extender, media centers, etc.), but when it doesn't they really get some rotten press and very little in the way of kudos for the risks they do take.

Apple's much more narrow software and hardware focus just allows them to make that much more obsessive, polished products. I love them for it, but no small part of me wishes they had a real media center, more business focused apps, greater hardware compatibility for games (video drivers, ugh) and so forth. Yes, I want my cake and to eat it too...

Big props to Bill on this one...

"Apple steers clear of products that might be iffy in their first iteration-portable music rentals"

Oh what a fucking crock of horse shit.

Tell me, for example, that the original iPod and the iTunes Music Store was anything but "iffy" when they came out. I swear to frikkin' god, almost everybody and their cats originally predicted the failure of those two Apple products. And look where they're at now, both dominating their market sectors. Give me a break.

I'm not so big of a fanboy to declare that Apple invented all these things; they didn't. They're not the almighty "innovators" in that sense.

But to fuckin' suggest that they are not risk-takers is not only disingenuous, but also laughable, because that insinuates that everything that Apple have released and became a huge success was all but guaranteed to succeed. Which, if you think about it, is nothing short of ludicrous.

One thing I've found out though: that he was able to convince Giz and some of its readers with this bullshit means that he might have a pretty good Reality Distortion Field (TM) generator of his own ;)

@snitch29: So you use a product that you find is inferior for apparently no reason other than to find fault in it.

There is no hope for you.

@tonashideska: Actually there was this little product called Microsoft Windows, you might have heard of it, but um... Bill kinda stole that from Steve who stole it from Xerox and made a pretty penny off that one.

At Microsoft, marketing sucks. Period. I give props to the R&D division, there is some amazing stuff out there, but the marketing division plays too much of a role in deciding X and Y feature in a product.

Brown as a color for a Zune was a mistake. Being to ambitious with Vista because of a PDC 2003 marketing concept video was a mistake. Tablet PCs at this time are a mistake.

Again, most of it isn't hardware but the lacking of software integration. Microsoft's weakness is Apple's greatest strength.

If you guys think Bill-o-boy is bad wait until you get a load of Steve Ball-o-boy! He will REALLY rock your world!

Can we say, bend over and kiss your butt goodbye MSFT?

Both Microsoft and Apple control certain markets.
While Microsoft has had a major hold on the software market for a very long time - I'd say more than 80% of commercial software released today is released for Windows first in mind - Apple has recently managed to secure a foothold in digital content and PMPs.
It would also be worth to note that Macintosh was a forerunner where personal computers are concerned. The industry wouldn't be where it is today without that forerunner. In fact, I think the PC would be a very different thing if not for Macintosh.

However, both Apple and Microsoft are taking their cues from the open source sector these days. I only have to look at Beryl/Compiz and the way Vista has been polished up to see a good imitator at work.
There are literally hundreds of more examples. And while the window manager concept taking a firm root (pun intended) on the PC may be attributed to Windows and Mac OS being sold to a lot of (then) inexperienced early adopters who would eventually pave the way for mainstream consumers, development now really comes from different sources.

I mean no disrespect to either corp, they both fill necessary and important niches. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are just two very dissimilar characters, so I'd say comparing them on these terms is perhaps not quite fair to either.
There is no question that both of them know how to play the angles.

Just love the crap some of you love to spew. Vista is not crap and only fools can't work with it.

My little daughter will run rings around most of you haters. I bought her a new laptop from HP with Vista Home Premium and only gave her a few instructions and off she goes, ripping music, music Vids etc. Every program work like chram and she can connect to any wireless network without a hitch.

It is very simple, MS is and will always be the big bad nasty guys for you Orange fan boys. Come on now, you love your Orange, good for you, I don't and yes I support a graphic department of over 20 MACS.

In my company, any employee gets what she or he likes best; PC or MACS as long as they do their job.

PC and MACS is similar to politics and YES, you can have fun correcting me too.

good question, good answer. Now we sorta know why vista had so many problems. You kinda have to look at it as taking all possible risks to win. Like Microsoft tries to provide as much features as possible to meet consumer demand, however it doesn't always work out best. Whereas Apple tries to make everything stable, but this takes time and make consumers demand more, which is why there's always new upgrades of apple products yearly.

@Blue_Mountain:

You know, my wife has an HP laptop with Vista Home Premium for her Medical Practice. We must be doing something wrong, because it takes three minutes to boot, can't log onto our WiFi network on the first (or second, or third) try and feels as high-quality as an 1985 Korean clock radio (no offense intended to the Koreans, your stuff is really good now!).
Now, that's just our experience, and maybe she got a dud HP, and maybe there's a way to make Vista not be so slow, and not throw up so GD many windows and just do what we want it to do, but right now it's craptacular.
That being said, I think both Apple and Microsoft have made some of the most important contributions to modern technology and have changed the way we live. I'd rather use my Mac, but if MS came out with something that spoke to me in the same way that the Apple products do, I'd be all over that.

@Blue_Mountain:

"and YES, you can have fun correcting me too"

All right, I'd just like to correct you on one point.

I've been a Mac fan for a long time, but I don't go around spewing anti-Vista sentiments. Mostly because I don't use it, cuz it's godawfully slow on Parallels or VMWare on my two Macs. I'm quite happy using XP on them both.

See, where you're wrong is, you know the bulk of the people going around saying negative things about Vista? They're not Apple fans; they're actually long-time Windows users.

@Blue_Mountain: Dearhaw has a point. I personally don't use windows and will never really have the need to as far as I can see. All of my friends who work in the programming realm use windows however and all of them HATE Vista and love XP.