The World's Greatest Innovations Are Yet to Come According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer

While technology advances of the past decade have been profound, they will be entirely eclipsed by the innovations coming during the next several years, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer says. The next 10 years will be revolutionary, Ballmer maintains. Steve Ballmer shared his insights in a featured keynote address to more than 800 attendees including U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, Congressman Chris Cannon, Governor and Mrs. Jon Huntsman, Jr., Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, Senator President John Valentine and other legislators at the Utah Technology Council's 2006 Hall of Fame this past weekend.

"The last ten years have been unbelievable," Ballmer noted. "When you think about it, the majority of the world at large didn't have access to even personal computers or mobile phones just a decade ago. The Internet wasn't nearly the phenomena it's turned into today."

"However, the next ten years will bring even more dramatic advancements in the way people communicate, collaborate and expect to see information," Ballmer maintains. "At this minute, the majority of the world's information does not yet exist in digital form. Industries such as healthcare have only just barely begun to see the benefits of what technology can do."

"Imagine a future in which we can speak to our computers, and the computer will not only recognize our voice, but it will also understand our intent," Ballmer continuted. "When I travel to Utah, suppose my computer were able to gather and correlate everything I needed; everything I would want to read and know in advance? These abilities are coming. Imagine a future in which a discussion such as this one is not videotaped, but it's wirelessly broadcast to participants everywhere, who can view it on a paper-thin screen on which they can write, circle, comment, and e-mail forward to others as they please. How much more valuable could technology be?"

In response to questions from Utah entrepreneurs, Ballmer told the CEO of a Utah life sciences company, "I understand your needs for paper -- but technology's challenge, and Microsoft's challenge, is to give you something that is as visually appealing and useful as paper. My hope is that in five years I receive an e-mail from you that says 'You finally won me over. The screen is better than paper.'"

Following Ballmer's remarks, UTC inducted Dr. Jim Kajiya, an acclaimed graphics and hardware designer, and Dr.Dinesh Patel, a biotechnologist and pharmaceuticals expert, into the UTC "Hall of Fame." Dr. Kajiya and Dr. Patel become the 21st and 22nd inducted into the Hall of Fame. This evening's event was the eighth annual Hall of Fame celebration and brought together Utah's largest-yet gathering of technology and life science leaders, which comprised a sold-out audience of more than 800 attendees.

About UTC

As the premier professional organization for Utah's more than 3,900 technology companies, the Utah Technology Council (UTC) exists to form closer relationships with industry and community leaders, develop superior management talent, sharpen professional skills and help gain access to capital.