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MICROSOFT SEEKS TO MAKE COMPUTERS AVAILABLE FOR 6 BILLION PEOPLE OF THE WORLD
ARMENPRESS
Oct 23, 2007
BUDAPEST, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS: From October 17-19 a conference
of Microsoft Unlimited Potential CEE took place in the capital
of Hungary, Budapest with the participation of 85 people from 20
countries including Armenia.
The goal of the conference was to communicate to tier one influentials
and beyond them government elites, that Microsoft is investing in
software, services and support, through Unlimited Potential to provide
relevant, affordable and accessible technology to the millions of
people in the CEE region that do not yet enjoy its benefits, in order
to support sustained economic growth in the region.
Among the spokespeople were Will Poole, corporate vice president,
Unlimited Potential Group, Vahe Torossian, vice president Microsoft
CEE, Goran Radman, chairman Microsoft SEE, Greg Butler, education lead,
EMEA, Andrey Terekhov, DPE lead CEE and others. The event was also
aimed to present to the public the work of the Microsoft Unlimited
Potential directed towards making the technology available to millions
of people.
"More than 30 years after the invention of the personal computer it
is readily available to only 1 billion of the world's more than 6
billion people," in his statement addressed to the participants of the
conference the Chairman of Microsoft Bill Gates stated that this fact
comes as a surprise to many who rely on PCs and the Internet every
day. "For us, life without these tools is difficult to imagine-ever
more difficult as information technology continues to transform
business, communications, education and entertainment. Microsoft's
founding vision of "a computer on every desk and in every home"
is a reality for the roughly 1 billion people living near the top
of the global economic pyramid. But the digital revolution has yet
to spread very far in many rural areas, impoverished communities and
developing countries," he said in his statement.
According to him, broadening access can aid development. "Wide
deployment of computers, software and telecommunications helps boost
productivity and reduce transaction costs, spurring economic growth.
Computers, mobile devices and software can help expand the quality and
availability of education, health care and other public services." So,
how can we bring more of the countless benefits of information
technology to the next 5 billion people? For those who work in IT, part
of the challenge is to evolve the industry's prevailing business model,
which is designed to serve the top of the economic pyramid. Products
and services are generally priced to suit consumers with significant
disposable income, or businesses with the wherewithal to make large
and continuing investments in IT. Customers are usually expected to
pay the full price upfront for PCs and packaged software that they
will use exclusively.
Microsoft has worked to broaden access to information technology
and related skills for more than a decade, collaborating in this
effort with schools, governments, local businesses and communities
in every country where it does business. These initiatives have
brought technology skills training to 2.5 million teachers, more
than 57 million students and 40 million community participants in 101
countries. "We are expanding our technology training and assistance
programs, and we are creating new, low-cost products and services to
improve access to technology. We are taking these and other steps
because we believe that all 6 billion people who share this planet
deserve a chance to realize their full potential," Bill Gates said
in his statement.
ARMENPRESS
Oct 23, 2007
BUDAPEST, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS: From October 17-19 a conference
of Microsoft Unlimited Potential CEE took place in the capital
of Hungary, Budapest with the participation of 85 people from 20
countries including Armenia.
The goal of the conference was to communicate to tier one influentials
and beyond them government elites, that Microsoft is investing in
software, services and support, through Unlimited Potential to provide
relevant, affordable and accessible technology to the millions of
people in the CEE region that do not yet enjoy its benefits, in order
to support sustained economic growth in the region.
Among the spokespeople were Will Poole, corporate vice president,
Unlimited Potential Group, Vahe Torossian, vice president Microsoft
CEE, Goran Radman, chairman Microsoft SEE, Greg Butler, education lead,
EMEA, Andrey Terekhov, DPE lead CEE and others. The event was also
aimed to present to the public the work of the Microsoft Unlimited
Potential directed towards making the technology available to millions
of people.
"More than 30 years after the invention of the personal computer it
is readily available to only 1 billion of the world's more than 6
billion people," in his statement addressed to the participants of the
conference the Chairman of Microsoft Bill Gates stated that this fact
comes as a surprise to many who rely on PCs and the Internet every
day. "For us, life without these tools is difficult to imagine-ever
more difficult as information technology continues to transform
business, communications, education and entertainment. Microsoft's
founding vision of "a computer on every desk and in every home"
is a reality for the roughly 1 billion people living near the top
of the global economic pyramid. But the digital revolution has yet
to spread very far in many rural areas, impoverished communities and
developing countries," he said in his statement.
According to him, broadening access can aid development. "Wide
deployment of computers, software and telecommunications helps boost
productivity and reduce transaction costs, spurring economic growth.
Computers, mobile devices and software can help expand the quality and
availability of education, health care and other public services." So,
how can we bring more of the countless benefits of information
technology to the next 5 billion people? For those who work in IT, part
of the challenge is to evolve the industry's prevailing business model,
which is designed to serve the top of the economic pyramid. Products
and services are generally priced to suit consumers with significant
disposable income, or businesses with the wherewithal to make large
and continuing investments in IT. Customers are usually expected to
pay the full price upfront for PCs and packaged software that they
will use exclusively.
Microsoft has worked to broaden access to information technology
and related skills for more than a decade, collaborating in this
effort with schools, governments, local businesses and communities
in every country where it does business. These initiatives have
brought technology skills training to 2.5 million teachers, more
than 57 million students and 40 million community participants in 101
countries. "We are expanding our technology training and assistance
programs, and we are creating new, low-cost products and services to
improve access to technology. We are taking these and other steps
because we believe that all 6 billion people who share this planet
deserve a chance to realize their full potential," Bill Gates said
in his statement.