Describing both the need for improvements in global health and the technologies that could create those gains, Bill Gates on Tuesday characterized himself as an "impatient optimist."
For those that know him, both terms describe him well.
Bill Gates talks about efforts to fight Malaria as part of a broad global health speech on Tuesday.
(Credit: CNET News)In the 15 months since he left full-time work at Microsoft, Gates has focused on his philanthropic efforts--which focus on areas where there is great suffering as well as the means to alleviate that suffering through attention and increased resources. But, too often, change is not coming quickly enough.
"When it comes to global health, Bill and I are optimists--but we're impatient optimists," Melinda Gates said in a statement ahead of a speech on Tuesday. "The world is getting better, but it's not getting better for everyone, and it's not getting better fast enough."
Melinda Gates pointed to a program in South Africa where antiviral treatments are helping those living with HIV, but she said that for every two getting the treatment, there are five others that are missing out.
"That's the kind of thing that makes us impatient optimists," she said.
In the Washington, D.C. address, which is being carried live over the Internet, the Gateses spoke of areas where change is taking place, pointing to some of the "Living Proof" success stories that his foundation has highlighted on its Web site recently.
In his speech, Bill Gates noted that the U.S. government has increased its spending on global health each of the last 10 years and said that the investment is paying off.
"We're here to say two words you don't often hear about government programs," Bill Gates said. "Thank you."
He pointed to what he called the most beautiful picture he had ever seen--a chart of childhood deaths worldwide that shows death falling by more than half since 1960, when 20 million kids a year died annually.
But, he said, even the current level of 9 million childhood deaths a year is too many. Gates called on policymakers to commit to reducing by nearly half the number of children that die each year, from the present level of 9 million per year to less than 5 million by 2025.
"U.S. support has already helped to reduce deaths of young children by more than 50 percent in the past 50 years," Bill Gates said in a statement ahead of the speech. "If we keep up our commitment, it's possible to cut child mortality in half again--just 15 years from now. What's more, we can do it with proven interventions that already exist."
Despite the global economic challenges, the foundation has increased its own spending this year.
In particular, the Gateses advocate a focus on fighting malaria, vaccinating 90 percent of children against preventable diseases, providing basic health services to three quarters of the world's pregnant women and newborns, and treating diarrhea and pneumonia.
"A few interventions make a dramatic difference," Bill Gates said, showing computer modeling that shows that work in those areas alone could allow the number of global childhood deaths to drop below five million per year. "This is well within the realm of possibility."
Melinda Gates noted the development of a vaccine against rotavirus--a major global health threat, but one that remained invisible because it wasn't a factor in developed countries such as the United States.
"It's a fantastic success," Melinda Gates said. "We've created a vaccine for the poorest children on the planet and it's just beginning to reach them."
One of the challenges, though, is that the vaccine needs to be refrigerated throughout its journey from manufacture to delivery to those being immunized.
In the speech, Melinda Gates told the story of a young HIV-infected girl who went from very ill to robust after a year on retroviral treatment and brought out a Namibian a capella group that tours the country with songs that educate people about HIV. Bill Gates talked about some of the methods being used to fight Malaria and other diseases.
But he also saved some of his words to answer those skeptical of his efforts, worried that the aid was only fueling corruption or actually holding back long-term self sufficiency.
"The goal here is to help countries become self-sufficient," Gates said, noting that onetime aid recipients like Thailand and Brazil are now net contributors. "Aid done properly can help a country unleash their potential."
Not all of the criticisms are myths, though, Melinda Gates said. She noted that very little progress has been made in some areas, such as protecting the health of new mothers and newborns. Roughly half a million women in poorer countries die during childbirth, while one in 32 children in the developing world die in their first month of life.
Bill and Melinda Gates spoke earlier on Tuesday on ABC's World News Tonight, talking about the role that just a couple of new vaccines can have in saving millions of lives.
And, while most of his time is going toward his foundation work, Bill Gates said he still spends time at his other job--at Microsoft.
"I love the work that Microsoft does," Bill Gates said in an excerpt of the interview posted to ABC's Web site. "I love the magic of software."
Here is one of the foundation's Living Proof videos:
My great aunt is 92 and, as of Friday, she's a Windows 7 PC.
Now, Hilda is already not your typical nonagenarian. She is frequently online, does her finances in Quicken and recently abandoned AOL for Gmail (something I still haven't gotten my parents to do).
Unfortunately, while her mind is quick as ever, her Windows XP PC had slowed dramatically over the past few years, becoming nearly unusable. It's one of those things that many find so irksome about Windows PCs.
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In any case, Hilda (I'm sparing her some spam by not including her last name) decided she needed a new computer and I offered to help. It was just a day after Windows 7 had made its debut and we headed to a local computer store. I found her a basic PC, monitor, and printer for $450 after rebate. She didn't really need the monitor, but it helped me a great deal as I transferred all of her files from her old PC to the new one.
If it were still the Windows Vista days, I might have been tempted to downgrade her new computer to Windows XP, so she wouldn't have to adjust to the new operating system.
But, with Windows 7 working so well, I actually felt comfortable she could make the switch, even though she's at the other end of the age spectrum from Kylie.
It took me almost no time to set up the new computer, but several hours to transfer over her settings and documents and then re-install Quicken and her other programs.
Amazing techie that she is, it took her almost no time to adjust to Windows 7's new look and feel. It's a few days in and I'm glad to report that things have continued to be smooth.
"It really is not very different from the XP I used before," she told me in an e-mail this week.
Although some scoffed at the notion of Windows 7 house parties, Elliott Minor of Albany, Ga., said his event was a hit.
Roughly two dozen people showed up to the event, which was held at his church. Although not a huge gathering, the event seemed to be one of many that served Microsoft's purpose--helping spread the word about its just-launched Windows 7 operating system.
Two techies from the area teamed up to highlight Windows 7's key features and answer questions.
"Judging from the oohs and aahs of guests, I'd say they were favorably impressed," Minor said in an e-mail interview.
Minor said he and the organizers tried to get in the Windows 7 spirit. "We served Windows 7 cake and cupcakes--all with green icing topped by a red 7--pimento cheese sandwiches on 7-grain bread, and we gave 'em 7-Up to help wash it down," Minor said. (Pimento-cheese? Well, at least it's healthier than Burger King Japan's seven-patty Windows 7 Whoppers.)
Anyway, rather than keep the party pack given to party hosts, Minor raffled them off, generating $77 for a local soup kitchen. (That's in contrast to the many folks that tried to put their swag up for sale on eBay.)
In all, Microsoft expects the house parties and meet-ups to reach some 800,000 people. Events are taking place in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, Italy, India, and China. Microsoft employees have been having events for a little while now (such as this one), while the customer-hosted parties kicked off last Thursday on launch day.
For a look at other Windows 7 launch parties, check out this feature from Gizmodo. Meanwhile, I doubt this is what Redmond had in mind, but some folks in the UK did a funny video suggesting people have a Windows 7 torrenting party (Warning: some f-bombs and references to drug use).
Seth MacFarlane
Microsoft said Monday it has canceled its sponsorship of a planned variety show with the creator of the "Family Guy."
In a statement, a Microsoft representative said the show--a variety show to be done by Alex Borstein and Seth MacFarlane--was not "a fit with the Windows brand." Microsoft had hoped to use the show to tout its just-released Windows 7 operating system.
"We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of 'Family Guy,' but after reviewing an early version of the variety show it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand," the representative said.
Microsoft had announced plans earlier this month to present the Fox TV special.
Now who didn't see this coming?
Microsoft said on Monday that it will open up the data format behind its Outlook program.
In a blog posting, Microsoft group manager Paul Lorimer said the company is working to publish the specifications behind Outlook's .pst files.
"Data portability has become an increasing need for our customers and partners as more information is stored and shared in digital formats," Lorimer wrote. "One scenario that has come up recently is how to further improve platform-independent access to e-mail, calendar, contacts, and other data generated by Microsoft Outlook."
The move, he said, will "allow developers to read, create, and interoperate with the data in .pst files in server and client scenarios using the programming language and platform of their choice."
Lorimer said the documentation effort is still in its early stages. "We are engaging directly with industry experts and interested customers to gather feedback on the quality of the technical documentation to ensure that it is clear and useful."
Once released, Lorimer said Microsoft will offer it "under our Open Specification Promise, which will allow anyone to implement the .pst file format on any platform and in any tool, without concerns about patents, and without the need to contact Microsoft in any way."
Microsoft's discount Windows 7 upgrade for students has proven to be a tough assignment for some of those who signed up for the offer.
The software maker is offering students the option of buying a downloadable upgrade version of Windows 7 for $29--a significant savings off the full boxed copy of the new operating system. However, a number of students have reported problems when trying to download and install the new version of Windows.
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In a blog posting, Microsoft says it is aware of several issues that folks have encountered. Most common is the fact that folks can't easily go from the 32-bit version of Vista to the 64-bit version of Windows 7. That requires a clean installation.
Those in that camp can either get a refund or contact Digital River, the company managing the digital downloads, to try to get a disc with the operating system.
In addition to that issue, Microsoft notes that it is investigating two other errors that folks have been encountering. For some folks, the download hangs at a certain percentage and won't continue or resume.
"This appears to be a series of isolated issues that are often related to the user's Internet provider or installed third-party software," Microsoft said.
In other cases, users get a generic unspecified error message. "While not widespread, this issue appears to be caused when one of the downloaded files is incomplete or has become corrupted on the user's computer."
Students in that camp should try re-downloading the operating system, Microsoft said.
Microsoft said strong demand for Windows and Xbox buoyed the company's financial results in the past quarter.
The software maker said Friday that it earned $3.57 billion, or 40 cents per share, on revenue of $12.92 billion for its fiscal first quarter, which ended September 30. Microsoft also deferred $1.47 billion in revenue ahead of the launch of Windows 7. Adding that back in, revenue would have been $14.39 billion and per-share earnings would have been 52 cents.
Those results topped forecasts, although sales are still down from a year ago.
"We are very pleased with our performance this quarter and particularly by the strong consumer demand for Windows," Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said in a statement. "We also maintained our cost discipline, which allowed us to drive strong earnings performance despite continued tough overall economic conditions."
Chris Lidell,
Microsoft CFO
On the Windows front, Microsoft saw the number of PCs shipping with Windows grow 6 percent in the quarter even though PC sales overall were anywhere from flat to up 2 percent. Microsoft cited, among other reasons, the fact that more Netbooks are using Windows compared with a year ago.
Overall demand for Windows was strong, the company said, with the software seeing its highest first-quarter unit sales ever and September being the strongest overall unit sales in the company's history.
The company sold 2.1 million Xbox consoles in the quarter, according to a PowerPoint chart posted on Microsoft's investor Web site. That's just slightly down from the 2.2 million units sold in the same quarter a year ago, but up from the 1.2 million consoles sold in the previous quarter.
In a conference call, Liddell said that the company sees the economy remaining tough during the current fiscal year, but noted some potential for improvement.
The earnings report came a day after Microsoft launched Windows 7 and followed the disappointing previous quarter when the company reported weaker-than-expected results.
The company said Friday it is continuing to cut costs. In the current fiscal year, which runs through the end of June, Microsoft said it now expects operating expenses of $26.2 billion, a drop of $300 million from its prior forecast.
Microsoft normally releases its earnings in the afternoons, but it moved the report from Thursday afternoon so it wouldn't step on the toes of the Windows 7 launch.
The company continued to lose a significant amount in its online business, with the operating loss growing to $480 million from $321 million a year ago. Revenue for its online business, which includes Bing and MSN, dropped to $490 million from $520 million a year ago. However, Microsoft said it has seen a mid-single-digit increase in U.S. search revenue.
Looking ahead, Liddell said that Microsoft sees some signs that more businesses will buy new PCs starting next year, though the upgrade cycle will probably stretch over several years.
For the current fiscal year, Microsoft said it expects Windows sales to roughly reflect the PC market, while Office unit sales will lag. It expects its server unit to slightly outpace the overall market, while entertainment unit sale should be roughly flat. For its online business, Microsoft said it expects to outperform the broader market, excluding its MSN Internet access business.
Liddell said Microsoft continues to be hopeful that its search deal with Yahoo will gain needed regulatory approvals and be completed early in calendar year 2010. Liddell said to expect $100 million to $200 million in costs related to that deal, if it closes.
Here's a chart of last quarter's segment-by-segment results, though keep in mind that the Windows numbers are affected by the amount that Microsoft deferred because of the coming launch of Windows 7.
(Credit:
Microsoft)
Update at 6:45 a.m. PDT: More details added throughout.
Update at 7:55 a.m. PDT: Added details from conference call with analysts.
NEW YORK--Whereas the Manhattan launch of Windows Vista was largely about the glitz, Thursday's event here was more hands-on tech demo than Hollywood premiere.
Most of the focus at the Windows 7 event was on showing off new PC models and showing how they connect with one another and with other devices, such as high-definition televisions, cameras, and photo frames.
Also on display were a large number of touch-screen models, both laptop and all-in-one desktop varieties, with many running Microsoft's Touch Pack, which includes Surface applications such as Virtual Earth and Lagoon.
But the device that attendees most wanted to get their hands-on--Dell's Adamo XPS--was quickly whisked away after being shown off by Microsoft's Mike Angiulo during the keynote.
* * * Another touchy subject
If any Windows Vista Ultimate owners were still holding their breath that Microsoft might yet rescue them with a free or ultralow-cost upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate, they might as well exhale.
Vice President Brad Brooks told CNET News that the answer was a straightforward "no," though it is a decision he said he understands is disappointing. Brooks, as did Tami Reller in an interview earlier this month, pointed to the fact that some Ultimate owners were among those that held house parties and thus did get a free copy of Ultimate.
* * *
On the plus side, there's no need to check a bag
In keeping with the event's more low-key nature, even the swag bag was a bit, shall we say, skimpy.
Inside was a T-shirt, a puzzle, a poster, a deck of cards, and the Steve Ballmer edition of Windows 7 Ultimate--essentially some of the same goodies given to those that hosted Windows 7 house parties. With Vista, by contrast, launch attendees got a copy of Office, a Windows game, an Xbox controller, and, of course Vista.
The Windows 7 bag itself was one of those reusable shopping bags, rather than the shoulder bag needed to hold all of the Vista goodies. That said, I'm sure that the Windows 7 launch had a much smaller carbon footprint.
* * *
The other Steve
While Steve Ballmer was in new York, the other Steve--Windows unit President Steven Sinofsky--was across the globe, presiding over the Japanese launch of the product.
Although some of us in the domestic press core thought that perhaps Sinofsky was just trying to avoid us, Sinofsky said in his remarks in Japan that he was there because of the importance of that market.
"In fact, many people have been asking me, 'Why are you here working on the launch of Windows 7 in Japan and not with your boss in New York?'" Sinofsky said in his speech there. "We are very passionate and excited about the support that we're receiving from the Japanese market. And particularly because of the Japanese attention to the product quality and the development of Windows 7, which makes it so important for us to make sure that we're in touch with the Japanese customers."
Sinofsky also noted the fact that Japan is home to a number of PC makers and a leader in consumer electronics, such as the many televisions with which Windows 7 aims to connect.
Really, being in Japan is about being part of the Windows ecosystem that really starts here in Japan," Sinofsky said. "And it's great to be here to recognize the great contribution that everybody here in Japan makes to the development of Windows 7 for all of our customers around the world."
And here it is (on right), your Hallmark moment:
As Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer prepares to launch Windows 7 in New York on Thursday, the stage is lit up with screens and changing colors.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Microsoft is rolling out Windows 7 around the globe Thursday, and we're bringing you live updates from New York, as CEO Steve Ballmer introduces Microsoft's newest operating system at a special event.
The product is now on sale online and at stores worldwide. Microsoft itself has started sales of Windows 7 and has expanded its online store to sell PCs from Sony, Lenovo, Dell, Acer, and Hewlett-Packard.
The one place where you won't find Windows 7 on store shelves is India because of a customs dispute there, though it is shipping on new PCs.
"It will be available in retail shortly," a Microsoft representative said on Thursday.
The following is a play-by-play of the launch event, which has concluded. You can check out all of CNET's Windows 7 coverage here.
10:30 a.m. EDT: Folks have been allowed into the Skylight Studios, where the launch is taking place. We're not in the keynote room, but they are serving mimosas. There's lots of modern art in the walls and artsy people running around in blue shirts. Each shirt has a single-word reference to Windows 7 features, such as "Snap" and "Peek."
10:35 a.m. EDT: They've let folks inside the keynote room, which looks like the inside of a comedy club with table seating in front and standing room in the rear. On stage are lots of flat-panel displays on the screen.
10:48 a.m. EDT: The two largest screens are now playing commercials with Kylie and other kids talking about Windows and Windows Live features.
10:50 a.m. EDT: It's not exactly Windows 7 news, but Microsoft is expanding testing for the online Office Web Apps--the browser-based versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
11 a.m. EDT: Event is kicking off. In the house, CEO Steve Ballmer and Kylie, the oh-so-cute kid from the Windows commercials. Speaking first, Microsoft Windows Vice President Tami Reller.
Windows' top saleswoman, Tami Reller, introduces the new operating system.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Windows 7 had 8 million beta testers, Reller noted.
11:02 a.m. EDT: For those who have an XP Netbook and have been wondering how to update it to Windows 7, CNET has an exclusive on Microsoft's plan.
11:05 a.m. EDT: Kylie speaking with really important announcement--she's now 5 and a half.
She's also there to do the intro of the main speaker.
"I'm a PC, and here's Steve Ballmer," Kylie said.
Ballmer is discussing his meeting with Kylie. "You were late," she interrupted. But Ballmer has a present: a small pink PC.
CEO Steve Ballmer greets Kylie, the young star of a Windows 7 ad campaign.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Now he's into his sales pitch.
"I'm Steve Ballmer, and I'm a Windows 7 PC, effective immediately," Ballmer said.
11:08 a.m. EDT: Ballmer said the secret sauce for Windows 7 was the testers, partners, and feedback.
One of the things the development team did was put up a "wishing wall" bulletin board, which collected various customer feedback from the technical to the emotional to the visual on how Windows could improve.
On to its features, Ballmer notes that Windows 7 works the way you want, simplifies everyday tasks. and makes new things possible, such as multitouch.
Ballmer notes that there isn't one killer feature, but rather things that appeal to different people.
"A road warrior like me--I like the new wireless features," Ballmer said. "Everybody finds the things that delight them."
Steve Ballmer is "fired up."
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
11:14 a.m. EDT: Ballmer brings on Brad Brooks, Windows' vice president of marketing. "Who wants to see a little bit of Windows 7?" Brooks asked.
He's showing how it's easier to import photos using Device Stage, a feature that hardware makers can use to put up custom options whenever their product is plugged into a Windows 7 PC. He takes the photos off the camera and makes a movie with Windows Live Movie Maker.
Brad Brooks, vice president of Microsoft marketing, takes over for Ballmer to provide a Windows 7 walk-through.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Now he's showing Media Center on an HP TouchSmart all-in-one PC. A deal with CBS means that all of its shows will be available over the Internet in Media Center. (Disclosure: CNET News is published by CBS Interactive, a unit of CBS.)
11:22 a.m. EDT: Brooks shows a new touch-capable Kindle application from Amazon.com. It will be available in beta test form next month, Brooks said.
11:25 a.m. EDT: Now he's on to HomeGroup, a feature that makes for simple home networking (the downside is that all the PCs have to be Windows 7 machines.)
Brooks demonstrates how HomeGroup can be set up in real time.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Brooks uses Windows Live to play a recorded episode of the "Family Guy" from his home machine in Redmond, Wash.
Brooks uses Windows Live to play a recorded episode of the "Family Guy" from his home machine in Redmond, Wash. The Fox show's creators have partnered with Microsoft to sell the operating system.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)The last feature Brooks is showing is called Play To, which lets you control media from a Windows 7 PC and play it on other devices, such as a sound system, digital photo frame, or TV. He uses a single Dell laptop to stream media to about seven different screens.
The Play To feature wrangles various devices throughout the home, or "man cave."
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)11:35 a.m. EDT: With that, Ballmer is back.
"I hope it's pretty clear why we love Windows 7," Ballmer said. He notes that 300 million PCs will be sold this year.
He said the range and diversity of software is "unsurpassed, and that's at the core of the success of the PC."
"There's simply more you can do with these systems," Ballmer said. "Ninety-five out of 100 times, when people choose a device, they are choosing a Windows PC."
11:37 a.m. EDT: When Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft, they talked about a computer on every desk and in every home, Ballmer said. Today, he said, there's a PC "for every room, for every scenario, and for every person in every facet of their lives."
Ballmer says the range and diversity of software is "unsurpassed, and that's at the core of the success of the PC."
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)11:45 a.m. EDT: Now Windows General Manager Mike Angiulo is showing off some of the new PCs that are debuting with Windows 7, including an Acer desktop that can boot up in 15 seconds.
The Acer AspireRevo, shown off at the Windows 7 launch event, is now on sale in the United States.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)He also shows a Dell machine that charges and docks wirelessly, as well as several touch-screen laptops and, finally, Dell's 9.9-millimeter-thin Adamo laptop.
Mike Angiulo of Microsoft shows Ballmer some of the Windows 7 hardware on display.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)11:50 a.m. EDT: Ballmer wraps up. I'd like to thank CNET's Rich Brown, who helped make sure that Sarah Tew's photos got to you almost as quickly as she was taking them. Stay tuned for more coverage of the Windows 7 launch Thursday and, if you have questions, send them along.
After months of grappling with the issue of how to allow Windows XP Netbook owners to move to Windows 7, Microsoft is ready with its answer.
Starting on Thursday, Microsoft is adding a tool to its online store that will allow those who buy Windows 7 to create a bootable USB drive with the operating system that can then be used to upgrade a Netbook.
"There are lots of XP Netbooks out there," Microsoft's Chris Flores said in an interview. "We wanted to make it as easy as possible for the enthusiasts that want to do this."
Microsoft plans to make available on Thursday a tool that will walk users through the process of moving a downloaded copy of Windows 7 onto a USB drive, be that a memory stick or portable hard drive.
The challenge is that Netbook owners must still tweak their computer's BIOS (Basic Input Output System) to look for a USB drive before booting off the PC's hard drive.
"We're still not recommending this for the average person," Flores said. A rule of thumb is that if a user doesn't understand what is meant by tweaking the BIOS, they probably shouldn't do it.
Consumers should also make sure their USB drive has at least 4GB of free space and check Microsoft's compatibility center and run an upgrade adviser to make sure both their hardware and software will work with Windows 7.
