Gates says Apple may have to follow Microsoft Surface

Ex Microsoft CEO Bill Gates is ‘fanatical' about the upcoming Microsoft Surface. he spoke to Charlie Rose last night on the Rose PBS show. He said that the world's best companies are built by fanatics and “when you're in your 20s and 30s being fanatical comes…well at least it came pretty naturally to me.” He also said he had the idea for tablets “way too early.”

In his 50's now, he still says he is fanatical, especially about the new Microsoft PC/Tablet device called ‘Surface'. He even said that Apple may have to follow Microsoft, not something you hear very often. He calls the Surface ‘exciting'.

Gates said that his goal with Microsoft had been to deliver the “magic of software to people both in their work and in their home.”

He added “I actually believe you can have the best of both worlds. You can have a rich ecosystem of manufacturers and you can have a few signature devices that show off, you know, wow, what's the difference between a tablet and a PC.”

The Surface device is a subject he can talk about with passion. He said “You don't have to make a compromise. You can have everything you like about a tablet and everything you like about a PC all in one device. And so that should change the way people look at things.”

He was asked about the late Steve Jobs in regards to Apple's success with tablet computers. He said “He did some things better than I did.” Although he was keen to point out that the Surface is different. You can be ‘creative' in a way the iPad won't allow. A fusing of the tablet and PC sectors.

He said that Apple may need to create a Surface like device to be competitive. The Surface he said is a “seminal event”.

Kitguru says: Still no official release dates for the Surface device, but the hype continues to build. We wonder how sales will compare against the iPad.

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