Google chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt speaks to an audience during the Seoul Digital Forum yesterday. Photo / Reuters
There are few bigger ideological divides in the tech blogosphere than the one that splits Apple and Microsoft devotees.
It's fair to say then that this week's rare joint appearance of Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Apple boss Steve Jobs was highly-anticipated by tech bloggers around the world.
A transcript
of the joint interview that transpired and videos are available here.
The Times does a good wrap-up of the blogosphere's response.
The interview was pretty placid really. There were lots of quotes like this one from Steve Jobs: "The world is a better place because Bill's goal isn't to be the richest guy in the cemetery "
It was however a very interesting encounter. My overall impression is that Gates and Jobs have far more in common than they are perceived to have and that they also have great fondness and respect for each other. They share a lot of amazing history, which accounted for some of the more sentimental moments in the interview. Age has mellowed them.
It's amazing what influence Gates and Jobs have had in the tech industry over such a long period of time. If we fast forward 20 years to hold the same type of interview, including the two most influential people in the world of technology who do you think would be featured? Would it be the brightest and richest internet entrepreneurs the guys behind Skype, Eric Schmidt of Google, or maybe the Youtube founders? Or is the industry moving so fast now that even they will have moved on by then? Who is likely to be perceived as the visionaries of the tech industry come 2027?
The local tech blogosphere:
Richard McManus expresses surprise at a poll he ran that reveals nearly half of Readwriteweb.com readers think Google should be the subject of an anti-trust investigation.
Aardvark and Geekzone on the cool new Microsoft table, which I saw for myself in Seattle, in January.
