Gates retires, predicting new digital era

He may be preparing to relinquish his role as virtual ruler of the hi-tech world, but Bill Gates's vision on the future of the industry still carries weight. So when the soon-to-be-former chairman of Microsoft predicted voice-activated (Microsoft) programmes in cars, smart phones that buy your movie tickets, and computerised furniture as he opened the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Sunday night it was worth taking notes.

Delivering the keynote address for the technology world's top trade show for the 11th and final time, Gates said the "first digital decade", centred on the keyboard and the mouse, was over.

"The second digital decade will be more focused on connecting people," he said, predicting it would also feature progress in training machines to react as people do, with "natural user interfaces" responsive to speech and touch.

To demonstrate, he once again showed Surface, a touchscreen coffee table that can interact with devices placed on it - including mobile phones and even household objects. He also described a smart phone which could be asked about a film, then find the closest showing and book you tickets. He said that such technologies could become ubiquitous within a few years.

Some may be sceptical as to whether this technology will take off commercially, just as there were sceptics when Gates talked about a world in which entertainment would be delivered via the computer - at his first speech at the ICES in 1994. Few homes had computers then.

The success of the home PC and the internet has since silenced his critics and helped Microsoft become one of the most powerful companies in the world.

But although it is still the third largest American company by stock market value, it is no longer as dominant as it once was - with Google and other more internet-focused companies gaining momentum.

Typically, Gates used his speech to promote Microsoft and announce a series of deals: to provide the technology to NBC to deliver simultaneous live internet streams from the 2008 Olympics; movie deals with MGM and Walt Disney; and Ford's decision to install voice-activated software in Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles.

The normally unassuming software tycoon also bowed to the occasion by parading various high-profile friends and international celebrities, including movie legends Steven Spielberg and George Clooney; music stars Jay-Z and Bono - and even White House hopefuls Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton, who appeared in a comic video on what Gates might do later this year when he steps down from his day-to-day responsibilities at Microsoft after nearly 35 years. Jokes about a political or music career were contrasted with the reality, that he will be spending more time on his philanthropic activities with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Courtesy:thehindu.com
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