Jobs, Gates Reunite Onstage at Digital Conference

May 31, 05:00 AM

Current Headlines: By Edward C. Baig

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- In a rare public appearance together, rival tech titans Steve Jobs and Bill Gates met on stage Wednesday night at a tech conference here in Southern California.

Their meeting was more love fest than slug fest. Jobs and Gates, appearing at the D: All Things Digital conference, talked about their history together and the future of personal computing. Still, the audience wondered if their would be fireworks between the two. Apple CEO Jobs joked: "We kept our marriage secret for over a decade.''

Their mood echoed the spirit at a Macworld conference a decade ago in Boston where Jobs told attendees: "If we want to move forward and see Apple healthy and prosperous again, we have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose." Back then, Jobs was joined by Microsoft co-founder Gates via satellite hookup as the software giant committed to delivering Apple Macintosh versions of its Office suite and Web browser.

Wednesday, Gates said the tech industry is healthy. "We'll look back on this as one of the great periods of invention,'' he said. Jobs said personal computers have proved resilient but there will be an "explosion" of post-PC devices. "IPhone is one of them,'' he said, referring to Apple's hotly anticipated cellphone out next month.

The appearance generated early buzz. Wired magazine called it the biggest reunion since Simon & Garfunkel. Apple and Microsoft remain intense rivals. Microsoft dominates personal computing with Windows, while Macs have a single-digit market share. Apple is a force in digital music with its iPod and iTunes Music Store. Microsoft's Zune music player is a distant also-ran. Apple's iPhone launch next month is one of the most anticipated new gadgets in years.

When Wall Street Journal tech writer Walter Mossberg pointed out to Jobs during another session that iTunes effectively makes Apple a big Windows software developer, Jobs quipped: "It's like giving a glass of ice water to somebody in hell." The conference brought a host of announcements:

*Jobs said the Apple TV set-top box will now play YouTube videos. The gadget wirelessly plays music and video stored on computers on widescreen TVs.

*Palm founder Jeff Hawkins unveiled Palm Foleo, a $499 (after $100 rebate) "mobile companion" to smart phones that looks like a compact laptop. It's equipped with a 10-inch screen, full-size keyboard and Web browser. Due this summer, it's linked to smart phones through wireless Bluetooth technology.

*Start-up Livescribe showed a fountain-pen-size "smart pen" that records text written on special paper. It also records audio, which can be played back. Text and audio can also be uploaded to computers for replay. It will be sold later this year for less than $200.

Also attending the conference, which ends today: Google CEO Eric Schmidt; Arizona senator and GOP presidential candidate John McCain; film director George Lucas; and YouTube founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. (c) Copyright 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.