JENNINGS: I read an article coming up here on Firefox (Web browser) and its perceived ability to do this better than you. Is that fair?
GATES: Well, there's competition in every place that we're in. The browser space that we are in we have about 90 percent. Sure Firefox has come along and the press love the idea of that. Our commitment is to keep our browser that competes with Firefox to be the best browser — best in security, best in features. In fact, we just announced that we'll have a new version of the browser so we're innovating very rapidly there and its our commitment to have the best.
JENNINGS: Are you going to have to push your browser faster because of competition?
GATES: Well, competition is always a fantastic thing, and the computer industry?
JENNINGS: I knew you were going to say that (laughs).
GATES: (smiles) … is intensely competitive. Whether it's Google or Apple or free software, we've got some fantastic competitors and it keeps us on our toes.
Posted by asa at February 16, 2005 06:29 PMIt dissapoints me that because of his celebrity status many will just hear the implication that IE is currently and take it for granted.
But hey all publicity is good right?
Posted by: Paul on February 16, 2005 06:59 PMCurrently best, make that.
Posted by: Paul on February 16, 2005 06:59 PMto sum it up:
GATES: Well, we innovate after others try to compete. take office: its slow, crappy, crash-prone. we're going to wait a few more years for other competitors, then say we've been planning it all along.
Posted by: Joey on February 16, 2005 07:20 PMI saw this on CBS too, and his comments were basically all the same to everything, sometimes devoid of meaning.
He admits they have good competition from Apple, Google, and others (BTW, can someone explain why they consider not being #1 in search a threat? Maybe it's because I can't imagine why he could need any more money or how a search engine [though I guess it's turning into a whole lot more, which may explain it] threatens their Windows/Office/whatnot megalopoly.)
Posted by: Robert Morris on February 16, 2005 08:56 PMWhoops, make that ABC, not CBS. (Sorry!)
Posted by: Robert Morris on February 16, 2005 08:57 PMYeah, here it is:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=506354&page=1
Wow, a monopolist praising competition.
Posted by: Joe Grossberg on February 17, 2005 07:47 AM" In fact, we just announced that we'll have a new version of the browser so we're innovating very rapidly there"
Hehe, since when did "new version from Microsoft" imply "innovation"?
Posted by: Jugalator on February 21, 2005 01:36 AM