"The digital decade is happening", says Gates

8 January 2007

In a conference speech ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Bill Gates has emphasised the role to be played by online connectivity in the future of the computer industry.

Addressing delegates in a keynote speech, Mr Gates stressed the importance of multiple platforms and products combining as one functional group.

"The key thing missing is the connections [between hardware and content]", he told assembled experts, outlining his belief that "connected experiences" were the most important aspect of current and future technologies.

Mr Gates also pointed to the challenges that lay ahead in terms of adapting not only to different software, but to different hardware as well.

"The word PC is now a word that encompasses a lot of different things, from a six-inch screen to a 60-inch screen," he said in a pre-speech interview.

Senior Microsoft officials revealed that Microsoft was planning to use its internet protocol TV (IPTV) technologies, which will allow users to watch programmes over their internet connections, on its Xbox 360 games console as well as conventional PCs.

Category: Miscellaneous