I helped Steve create the Mac — Bill Gates



Bill Gates has risked angering a legion of Apple fans by audaciously claiming credit for the company’s iconic Macintosh computer.

In an authorised biography published after his death, Steve Jobs is quoted as labelling the Microsoft chairman a ‘basically unimaginative’ person who ‘ripped off’ other people’s ideas.

Now Gates has taken a thinly-veiled swipe back, saying, "Steve and I worked together, creating the Mac. [Microsoft] had more people on it, did the key software for it."

The 56-year-old multi-billionaire was talking to ABC’s Christiane Amanpour, and departed from the unwavering praise he had given the Apple founder immediately after his passing last month.

At the time, Gates said, "The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. I will miss Steve immensely."

But then came the biography, in which Jobs told Walter Isaacson, "Bill is basically unimaginative and has never invented anything, which is why I think he’s more comfortable now in philanthropy than technology. He just shamelessly ripped off other people’s ideas."

Gates remained restrained in his response but could not help taking credit for the original Mac, the commercially successful personal computer which boosted Apple’s fortunes in the 1980s.

He went on, "Over the course of the 30 years we worked together, he said a lot of very nice things about me and he said a lot of tough things."

Gates pointed out that Jobs’ frustration with him could have been down to Microsoft’s business success as Apple struggled for years, only becoming dominant in the last decade.

"He faced, several times at Apple, the fact that their products were so premium priced that they literally might not stay in the marketplace," Gates said.

"So the fact that we were succeeding with high volume products, you know, including a range of prices, because of the way we worked with multiple companies, it’s tough.

"And so the fact that at various times, he felt beleaguered, he felt like he was the good guy and we were the bad guys - very understandable."

He finished, "We got to work together. We spurred each other on, even as competitors. None of that bothers me at all."




http://www.punchng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=4514:i-helped-steve-create-the-mac-%E2%80%94-bill-gates&Itemid=542

who knows.

I stand with Steve, Bill is far from creative. Taking him ages and windows is still nowhere near Mac.

@Blink182,

How do you judge that?

Bill gates should shut the hell up. Was his windows operating system not stolen from Jobs.

Unfortunately Steve can not reply Bill gates.

Time wasting!!!

lol

After his death

Hah ahha ah aha Microsoft can know plunder the weak Apple board eager for expansion into wider markets and more open software/applications frameworks. Windows 7 OS for IPAD 2 Here we goo!!!!! I bet Steve is turning in his recycle bin now

blink182:

I stand with Steve, Bill is far from creative. Taking him ages and windows is still nowhere near Mac.

Who told you that?

It is a good response from Bill Gates. And, it could be true. Why would Steve Jobs go around running his mouth insulting him for engaging in Philanthropy( I think that's between him and his wife)? I think Bill Gates has been in the OS market as long as Steve. Between both of them, I would choose Bill Gates. Apple is ripping people off if not even worse than Windows. Apple is overrated man!

Let wait for another 10 years to see what comes out of Apple, not people coming here to insult Bill Gates!

Inked_Nerd:

If it's true, why did he wait till Jobs died to make this claim? All these years, and then now? What kept him from saying it while Jobs was alive?

To avoid exchanging of immature words.I think Bill Gates was thinking of his reputation not until now when things really get down to spewing them out on interview.

Humanity should be glad for having both of them in the same generation. That is enough.

honestly, the world is better off without steve jobs. i just dont like the man for the following reasons
- he never gave to charity, even, when he knew he was goin to die, and had barely the time enough to just give a little out to make the world better
- he is a cheat, you can ask steve wozniak and the board members of apple that forced him out
- he is not the kind of boss anyone will like to have, ask apple's employee that have once met with him
- he is selfish, self-centered, egocentric person who believes he is the one always right and every other person is wrong, and every competition is a cheat
- his products are unnecessarily and unduly  over-priced
- even at death, he still shows deep hatred for competition - microsoft (Bill is unimaginative ) and google's android(I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40bn in the bank, to right this wrong)
if you ask me, i'd say steve saying bill is unimaginative is a case of a kettle calling pot black, both of them are the same, steve is just better in packaging other pples inventions

Whatever jo. They both made billions and legacies. Isnt that what the entire invention and industry was all about?
Besides, Steve is known for been brash and been non diplomatic. Apple once kicked him away because of his attitude. And theres has been hundreds of PR nightmares regarding this genius. God bless his soul. Nigeria needs people like Steve and Bill in power.

PeeDaVinci:

honestly, the world is better off without steve jobs. i just dont like the man for the following reasons
- he never gave to charity, even, when he knew he was goin to die, and had barely the time enough to just give a little out to make the world better
- he is a cheat, you can ask steve wozniak and the board members of apple that forced him out
- he is not the kind of boss anyone will like to have, ask apple's employee that have once met with him
- he is selfish, self-centered, egocentric person who believes he is the one always right and every other person is wrong, and every competition is a cheat
- his products are unnecessarily and unduly  over-priced
- even at death, he still shows deep hatred for competition - microsoft (Bill is unimaginative ) and google's android(I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40bn in the bank, to right this wrong)
if you ask me, i'd say steve saying bill is unimaginative is a case of a kettle calling pot black, both of them are the same, steve is just better in packaging other pples inventions

He's dead. He cant accomplish that no more. Let him be abeg.

I killed Princess Diana

Walter Isaacson MUST sell book now. How come we are only hearing all these now.

I have no doubt about the rivalry between the two but I really can't take sides here. both are very gifted people and unfortunately Steve is gone.

What is going on now is a battle line being drawn between both companies for life. I won't be surprised if Steve warned Apple's Leadership of a possible plot  by Microsoft to continue to shrink Apple's fortune, or wetin make i talk.

@ topic >>> I believe Mr Bill Gates is lying. I would have given it a bit more credibility if Steve Jobs were around to verify it.

No man is an island. We all learned and use our initiative for creativity.

Well I think to some extent gates is right looking at it from a critical point of view wy was de bio not release while he was allive. Mtcheeeeew

Well I think to some extent gates is right looking at it from a critical point of view wy was de bio not release while he was allive. Mtcheeeeew

Well, both have their differences which is normal. However, there is no basis for comparison or fight as both had different skill sets and areas of expertise. At a very fundamental level, Steve Jobs is a design, organizer and marketer guy who is able to select designs for products that would be very successful. Note, this is not the electronic circuit design as he even relied on Steve Wozniack for such designs and ended up cheating him on how he promised to share the money ($700 VS $5000).

Bill Gates was originally a programmer and hacker and created real software since high school. In fact, when he landed his contract with MITS to create the BASIC interpreter, he (and Paul Allen) had no such product and only wrote it a few weeks (4?) before going to show them the demonstration. (There are several references and Google is your friend ). At the end of the day, both became innovators, inventors, rich entrepreneurs and famous but Gates added philanthropy and an appreciation for the human condition with his foundation. In my opinion, if people could choose skill sets, Bill Gates had the skill sets that would win all the time.

Thanks for the help, Bill. Now sharraap!

I think steve is a sociopath. And i wish he rot in,

Uyi Iredia:

@ topic >>> I believe Mr Bill Gates is lying. I would have given it a bit more credibility if Steve Jobs were around to verify it.

does Bill looks like a fool  that wanted to be exchanging words with that rude steve? You jst compare them. Both in market, product and international recognition !

They all copied XEROX.
Steve has no right to say Bill is unimaginative when he (Steve) also openly admitted to stealing Xerox ideas. (They are both unimaginative, if so)
Apple's major strength is from the (i) gadgets, and applications (I-phone, I-pad, I-pod) etc.
More people use PCs than Macs. Mac computers can't be attacked by viruses that attack PCs, but now that they have a significant market share of home computers, people are writing Mac virus-software that could attack Macs.
The PC has the most user friendly operating system - Windows, than any other OS out there.
Steve claims that Microsoft's Bill ripped his ideas, and is a thief. I wonder what we should call him for ripping Xerox's ideas?
Macbook, Pro, Air overheat when running on websites such as Youtube.
Steve donated 150 million to a cancer research institute sometime in the past. He had a charity organization, but shut it down due to time constraints.
Both were geniuses of our time, whether they invented something, or improved someone else's ideas; they helped shape the information technology era we're in today,

in summary
Steve: gate is unimaginative
Bill: Life's a bitch, death her cuz

Lmaoo.