The intense rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, the founders of Apple and Microsoft, is well-known.
In fact, it helped build the tech world we know today. Over the course of more than 30 years, the two mega-personalities had a love-hate relationship that changed from cautious collaborators to bitter rivals to friends who had a lot of respect for each other.
During the height of their fight in the 1990s, things got so bad that they often insulted each other in public. Most of the insults were personal.
Jobs and Gates were too hard on each other and their work at the time because they were both trying to be the best in their field. In the late 1990s, however, there were rumors that Gates’ $130 million lakefront property was designed on Macs instead of Windows-powered PCs. This was seen as a major embarrassment for Gates.
How to plan the perfect humiliation Archintosh said in a 1999 article that the rumor started with a UPS driver who delivered packages to the architecture firm that designed Gates’ huge Washington mansion Xanadu 2.0.
The 66,000-square-foot property was designed by James Cutler Architects and the award-winning firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. It was named after the fictional home of Charles Foster Kane, who is the main character in “Citizen Kane” (BCJ).
Back then, BCJ was known for having offices all over the US that only used Macintosh computers. A report says that the company started using Macintosh CAD systems in the 1980s and became one of the largest MicroStation Mac users very quickly.
MicroStation is a platform for CAD software that is used in the fields of architecture and engineering. Since the 1980s, it has been around. The most recent versions of the software are only available for Microsoft Windows, but in the 1990s, it was also available for Macintosh. Apple Computer sold the Macintosh Quadra 700 from October 1991 to March 1993. It was able to run the software.
The Quadra 700 was the first computer from Apple to come in a mini-tower shape. It cost $5700 when it came out, which is about $12,500 today. It had a Motorola 68040 processor, 68 MB of RAM, and either an 80 MB or 160 MB hard drive.
Untrue rumor or hard-to-understand fact? Was Gates’ dream house in Medina, Washington, which looks out over Lake Washington, really made with Macintosh computers? Well, the architects who worked for Bohlin Cywinski Jackson at the time said that almost all of the megaproject was drawn by hand, which wasn’t unusual back then. Almost every part of the very complicated design was drawn on sheets in the old-fashioned way. But it looks like the BCJ architects who worked on the project modeled the garage part of the mansion in ModelShop.
James Cutler Architects didn’t say what kind of computers or tools they used on this project, though. Since they worked closely with BCJ, it’s possible that they were inspired to use Macintosh computers for the design work. Who can say? But yes, Macs were used to design Gates’ mansion, even though they were only used in a very small way.
Xanadu 2.0 – an architectural marvel and a technological masterpiece One of the most expensive homes in the world is Bill Gates’ huge mansion in Medina, which looks out over Lake Washington. Even though it is now thought to be worth $130 million, the billionaire had to pay a huge $1 million in property tax in 2009 because it was worth $147.5 million. The expensive house took 7 years and $63 million to build. More than 300 construction workers helped build it.
The house with a Pacific Lodge theme is not only a feat of architecture, but also of technology. One of the best parts is the high-tech system that controls the temperature and lighting in each room. A number of sensors keep an eye on the system.
Also, each guest is given a device that looks like a pin and records their personal preferences, such as their preferred temperature, lighting, and even music. Inside the mansion, several of the walls have special screens that show photos, paintings, and even high-end art.
A computer keeps an eye on a 40-year-old maple tree all the time. When the computer thinks the tree is getting too dry, it will automatically water it. Most of the mansions’ basic tasks are also taken care of by themselves. Gates’ mansion is probably the smartest home on the planet.
Even though the mansion is 66,000 square feet, it only has 7 bedrooms, which is a little strange given its size. But there are 6 kitchens and 24 bathrooms, 10 of which have bathtubs. The reception hall is so big that up to 200 people can fit inside. It has a huge 22-foot video screen and a 6-foot-wide limestone fireplace on one of the walls.
A swimming pool that is 60 feet long has its own 3,900-square-foot building with things like an underwater music system and a floor painted with fossils. You could also swim under a glass wall to get to the terrace outside.
Gates keeps his collection of cars in the property’s garages. The most interesting is the underground garage, which is made of concrete and stainless steel and can hold up to 10 cars. The huge personal library is 2100 square feet and has a manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci from the 1600s that is worth $30.8 million.
There is also a steam room, a sauna, and a gym that is 25,000 square feet in size. But one of the strangest things about Xanadu 2.0 is that every year, a barge from St. Lucia brings new sand to the lakefront shore. Even with all of this, Melinda, the ex-wife of a billionaire, never thought of Xanadu 2.0 as her forever home. That’s too bad!
