Former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki turned his rainbow colors in for pin stripes briefly Tuesday for a paid appearance at IBM’s PartnerWorld 2001 conference in Atlanta, using an IBM ThinkPad to run his presentation after suffering technical interface problems with his Mac PowerBook.
According to Macworld UK magazine , Kawasaki quipped that it was “a historic moment” for him to use a ThinkPad to run his PowerPoint presentation. “If Steve Jobs could only see me now,” Kawasaki said.
Kawasaki’s use of a ThinkPad was apparently due to problems in getting his PowerBook to interface with the audio/visual system at the conference hall and not because he has personally switched to a Windows-based laptop, according to Shawn King, host of the online radio program, “The Mac Show,” who spoke to Kawasaki’s office Wednesday.
Kawasaki’s address was mostly to discuss the worldwide business market and the outlook for startups and small business to thrive in a competitive economy. He said the new economy bubble hasn’t burst and will come back sooner rather than later. Learning from the demise of so many ‘dot-com’ companies, Kawasaki said more startups need to spend time on devising a solid business plan and being realistic as to the market. “If you need a flame-thrower instead of matches to jump-start your company, then something is wrong,” he said.
Kawasaki also urged engineers to “think digital and act analogue” when it comes to designing future electronics and software products by thinking about their practical use by consumers and whether they will sell.
Kawasaki is Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Garage.com and has been since its founding in October 1997. Garage.com is a venture capital investment bank that provides funding services for high technology and life sciences startups.
Previously, he served as Chief Evangelist of Apple Computer during his tenure there from 1995 to 1998. Prior to joining Apple, he was Chief Executive Officer of Fog City Software, Inc. Kawasaki is a columnist for Forbes Magazine and author of seven books including “Rules for Revolutionaries” and “How to Drive Your Competition Crazy”.