I read this post by Om Malik on Is Steve Jobs Bill Gates 2.0? and was surprised of the comparison based on a number of hard to personally agree reasons:

1. The anti-DRM crusaders see Steve Jobs (because of iTunes) as the antichrist, just like anti-monopolist people saw Bill “Microsoft” Gates as devil incarnate. (Okay, that’s just a warm up pitch.)

2. The iTunes and iPod control of the digital media/convergence markets is quit akin to the Windows domination of the PC business.

3. The device is still in “beta” and is not going to be available for another few months, perhaps longer. Add to this the harsh truth that Steve could only get Disney (like they have a choice) to commit to the iTunes Movie Store; what you see is a Microsoft type strategy of chilling the market with a yet unfinished product, and get everyone scared shitless.

4. well the man wore a shirt, a red one on top of that.

I am not sure how serious Om is on this one but I certainly can’t figure out how Steve Jobs can be compared as Bill Gates 2.0 for a number of reasons:

1. The antichrist perception of Steve Jobs is a passing sweeping statement and nothing close to being taken seriously as with the case of Bill Gates. Bill Gates was viewed worldwide with newspapers, magazines, talk shows and correspondents airing and analyzing the devil incarnate of Bill, especially when the hotkey for excel to show the “tortured souls” video was widely known. A lot of paranormal or psychic experts shown on television decoded different signs proving Bill Gates was anti-Christ.
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2. I would agree that iTunes and iPod is dominant in the market place in terms of sales but it doesn’t dominate the market the way pc did which compelled the industry to use the software as a means of necessity and survival if they are to remain competitive in their processes and productivity. iPod and iTunes rely solely on Fad and fashion. The underlying technology of iPod is not rocket science compared to the millions of lines of codes of Microsoft Products which very few companies could replicate. iPod is just like growing apples in your terrain where similar mass production can be found in China and Asian countries where the labor force is cheaper.

3. Steve Jobs announced a “beta” device similar to Bill Gates’ style at the Macworld Show in San Francisco. I’ll give you a quote I read in a book about Germany’s SAP: Americans issue a press release for a product then lock themselves in their garage to work on it, while Germans lock themselves up in the garage and when they are ready they issue a press release.

4. Steve Jobs stopped using his black turtleneck. His iPod is about fashion and style and its time he dropped the boring costume altogether.

While Steve Jobs’ iPod and iTunes is phenomenal, they are nothing close to Bill Gates, than a walkman was in the 1970’s; though, still an unprecedented feat at that. As Engadget would put it (read from OM), it is in your den, living room, car and your pocket—typical walkman.

Can Steve Jobs become Bill Gates 2.0?

Yes. I believe Steve Jobs could correct the mistakes he did in the past and become Bill Gates 2.0 but it takes more of what he is doing right now to belong to the same level and breathe of Bill Gates. In the next post, I shall discuss on how I think Steve could make it to that echelon.

Who is closer Bill Gates 2.0 at the moment?

Google. Plain and simple. How and Why? We will talk more about that in succeeding posts.

[tags]Apple, Steve Jobs, Microsoft, Bill Gates[/tags]