Gates Kicks Off COMDEX With New Software Model
Live From COMDEX - Bill Gates' Sunday night keynote marked the beginning of COMDEX festivities here in Las Vegas. Speaking to over 11,000 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Gates detailed a new model which is based upon software-to-software interaction. In his almost two hour presentation, he also announced the availability of Visual Studio .Net Beta 1, showcased new office features, debuted the Tablet PC, and continuously emphasized the importance of XML. The Microsoft Chairman showed his lighter side during a ten-minute video, riding a Razor scooter and greeting fellow executive Steve Ballmer with an enthusiastic "Wazzup!".
After numerous election jokes and an introduction by Key3Media CEO, Fredric Rosen, Gates began his speech describing this year's progress as "very impressive." He called XML the key to where we want go, and raised problems with the peer-to-peer infrastructure found in Gnutella. "We can't just swing back and be totally oriented to the client," Gates stated. The new model, dubbed software-to-software, focuses on both the client and the server.
Gates' keynote was also a chance for Microsoft to show off their latest gadgets and goodies, quickly awaking the sleepy audience. Office 10 was the first to take stage, giving attendees a chance to see how UI changes have been made to increase productivity. Beta 2 of the suite was sent to testers last week and final release is expected late next year, according to Gates.
A prototype of the "Stinger" cellular phone was brought out as an example of a "Pocket PC" phone, and as a transition into Microsoft's biggest announcement of the night - the Tablet PC. Information on the Microsoft Tablet first arrived last week in report by ZDNet's John Spooner and the device was an instant hit in Las Vegas. Set to arrive Summer 2002, the Tablet PC will feature a stylus-based touch screen, 10GB hard drive, 500 to 600Mhz processor, and a USB keyboard and mouse. Unlike other tablets, this is a full PC "optimized for people who spend at least part of the day away from their desk." It will support handwritten text called "rich ink," which can be easily manipulated, formatted, and searched. "We've got some incredible people at Microsoft working on this," Gates told the crowd.
While much was said during the extended keynote, many noticed a lack of discussion on speech technologies, which were expected to be a focal point for both Office and the Tablet PC.
A Visual Studio .Net beta demonstration capped off the night, showing developers the simplicity in creating Web applications. Microsoft representatives also announced that the first beta release of the suite had shipped Friday and would be available for download to MSDN subscribers before the end of the night.