14 DAY TRIAL // Speaking to Jon Stewart on the Daily Show this week, biographer Walter Isaacson made what can be regarded as the most concise yet accurate comparison ever between Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Apple’s late Steve Jobs.
Commenting on Jobs’ relationship with Bill Gates, as well as both their roles in the early days of the computer industry, Isaacson asserted that Jobs was artistic and romantic, whereas Gates didn’t even have a trace of these traits.
However, “Bill Gates is awesomely smart,” he said, balancing out the comparison between the two technology gurus, “with that processor power smartness to him,” he added.
Isaacson continued, saying “[Gates] makes a great business model for Microsoft but he never makes the artistic products. I mean, in the end, he makes the Zune and Steve makes the iPod.”
Even though Isaacson made these remarks with a straight face, Stewart burst into laughter, saying “That is the best eulogy I have ever heard in my life!”
Truth be told, the remark is harsh (towards Gates), to say the least, but who can argue that that’s not the case?
The clip is embedded below for your viewing pleasure.
Walter Isaacson is the author of the official Steve Jobs biography, a 600+ page-long book that looks at a lifetime of achievements and failures attributed to the American genius who co-created Apple in his parents’ garage with his best friend, Steve Wozniak.
Jobs was on his death bed when Isaacson was interviewing him for the last pages in the book. Little did Isaacson know that he would write one final chapter that he hadn’t planned to pen down - the scene where Jobs admits to the biographer that he is losing the battle with cancer.
Isaacson’s book is available on iTunes in the iBookstore for iPad reading, as well as on Amazon in both e-format and a hardcover version all around the world.
While the hardcover version may be hard to find on bookshelves following the recent death of the Apple co-founder, you should have no trouble obtaining the digital version.
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