Gates Focuses on Digital Decade at CES Keynote

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates took center stage at International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) Sunday night in Las Vegas, kicking off the computer industry's largest annual convention with a keynote speech that described what he called the "Digital Decade."
Gates was quick to cite plenty of stats to back up his assertions: more than 2 billion digital photos were taken last year; 65 percent of homes are using digital cameras; more than 40 percent of U.S. homes have multiple PCs; and a young generation spends more time on a PC than they do watching television. "We see portable devices proliferating, a higher and higher part of the growing PC market. We see the connections, both through WiFi and 3G , getting to the point where you can get information wherever you want to go -- and we're just scratching the surface," Gates told his listeners.
Virtual Reality Comes to Life Gates believes this is just the beginning. Few would disagree. Network bandwidth has increased dramatically, high-definition television screens are adding a new dimension to classic TV, video games and even PCs. Processors offer memory capabilities up to 64-bit.
High-resolution graphic capabilities are making room for thoughts of representing reality on the screen, Gates said. He sees a day coming when shoppers won't just see a list of items. They will shop in the actual environment, either the stores that really exist or the stores that would exist if it was designed for them personally, Gates explained.
Bigger Is Better The industry is beginning to measure storage on personal computers in terabytes, as well as gigabytes. LCD and plasma screens are getting bigger. Both are part of the equation of what the industry needs in order to deliver on the promise of the digital decade, Gates said.
However, there are still some things missing. One of the most important of which is the connection, in Gates' view. Delivering on connected experiences requires more than just great hardware -- it requires content that consumers can connect to across multiple devices.
"So, delivering on connected experiences -- where people are being productive, doing new creative things, where they're sharing with each other, where they're mobile, where they're just playing games -- that is the key element that's missing, and something that we've all got to deliver on to take full advantage of that hardware and deliver on the promise," Gates insisted.