Two Rival Giants Will Appear Together

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

29 May 2007 05:27 AM

Apple and Microsoft have long been rival companies in the computing world, almost from the very beginning of the birth of the personal computer. Now in the age of digital media, the fire continues to be fueled. Well, prepare for history, as the two rival giants will make a historic appearance on the same stage.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates will come together for a rare joint appearance at the Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital, an executive conference that will be taking place from May 29 through May 31. Known as D5, the conference is already sold out.

Together Jobs and Gates will discuss the digital revolution, both the history and the future of it. The discussion will be completely unscripted and unrehearsed.

It sounds like it will be a very interesting discussion. Among the topics touched on will probably be the revolutionary iPhone, soon to be released. I wonder how the two will address the topic jointly. Will there be heated argument or sly remarks at the other company's expense? I doubt that it will be all buddy-buddy during the discussion, but who knows. The people in charge at D5 have a reputation of asking difficult, right-to-the-point questions in their discussions.

Have you seen the Apple commercials that poke fun at the PC? I love those commercials, not only because I am a Mac fan, but because the commercials are so entertaining. The actor that they have playing the PC is just perfect for the job. The Mac is played by one of the actors in the short-lived television show, "Ed." While the commercials always have the Mac shown in a better light than the PC (of course, as they are Apple commercials), I really enjoy the fact that they use humor instead of negativity to get their point across. The Mac and the PC are on friendly terms, despite their differences.

While many Apple and Microsoft supporters may be looking forward to the upcoming joint discussion as a potential reality show, I really hope that it will go much like the commercials; a little friendly rivalry, a little humor, and a lot of good information to be shared.

Jobs will also appear at the D5 conference alone for other discussions, while Microsoft will be represented at other segments by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

Mary Ann Romans writes about her family's money saving secrets in the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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