Bill Gates on Charlie Rose (1996)

Remember Interactive Television? Neither do I.

I found a great 1996 Charlie Rose interview with Bill Gates. In 1996 they were already talking about the failure of interactive TV. You can cut to that part of the interview here.

On a related note, while the Apple TV looks pretty cool, it's still a ways off from a product I'd be willing to pay $300 for and is nowhere near interactive. Where's the backwards compatibility? Why can't I sit in bed watching cable news or HBO on my laptop? These fundamentals need to be worked on before I invest in television again.

See also:
The Road Ahead: Future Homes (1995) 15 March 2007