Psst - Bill Gates! Your inner geek is showing.

Or perhaps that's actually your inner Steve Jobs?

Granted, Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Gates doesn't have quite the crazed charisma of Apple's CEO Jobs. But the new prototype computer Gates was fondling in front of hundreds of hardware developers on Tuesday looked so much like a Mac that it was impossible not to draw comparisons between the two men and their machines.

The parallels went further than just a sexy computer on display and a crowd of enthusiastic onlookers who obviously couldn't wait to get their hands on it. During his opening keynote speech at the 12th annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, Gates also talked about the importance of designing visually appealing, easy-to-use PCs and software.

"Whoa, did I get on the wrong plane and end up at MacWorld?" wondered hardware developer Frank Copper. "Since when does Microsoft care about how computers or software looks? Someone has obviously hacked and reprogrammed Bill."

Only Gates' dogged focus on security issues had a distinctly unMac-like tone, soothing a crowd that had perhaps begun to fear that something really weird was happening: Had the success of Apple's new iTunes Music Store finally sent Gates into a total Mac-attack mode?

No, insisted Microsoft representatives after Gates' speech, the new emphasis on creating cool PCs with fun features is not at all an attempt to copy Apple's business model.

Full Article:
Wired