Far be it for me to start blogging about Windows topics in a Mac blog, but this one is a special case. Yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman and CEO gave the Keynote speech. Which, incidentally, is also his last one as he is retiring from Microsoft.

It’s interesting to note in comparison with a Steve Jobs Keynote how an MS Keynote would progress. For one thing they have more gimmicks and entertainment mixed in. They have to work harder (I guess because they have less interesting points to share), and there is a lot of creative stretching involved as well. Nothing to write home about though.

Our favorite gadget and tech sites gave it equal time and had online real-time coverage of the Bill’s CES Keynote, just like the Macworld Jobs keynote speeches. It’s kinda odd reading though, specially if you’re used to following Macworld coverages. Check out the live reportage of Gadgetell and Engadget.

One of the more entertaining moments is a seven-minute produced clip about Bill’s last day at Microsoft, with appearances by Matthew McConaughey, Jay-Z, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Jon Stewart, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and even Apple stalwarts Bono and Al Gore (Apple board member). It’s one of those things Apple could have done, but it’s a bit surprising Microsoft did it. Gizmodo’s Brian Lam says “this video makes Bill Gates look cooler than Steve Jobs”, and I agree (up to a point: Bill wore a pink shirt and a purple sweater to the Keynote).

I enjoyed the video immensely, and you can watch it for yourself here.

Bill, you old coot, we’re going to miss ye.

Japan’s Apple Store in Tokyo is in the high-end shopping district called Ginza. Specifically, Block 3, or Ginza 3. The location is a bit intimidating for the budget-conscious among us, since it’s ensconced in a place where across the street is Tiffany’s and Bvlgari, but the prices seem to be roughly the same as in Manila, my home base. Its advantage is that everything is there.

It’s roughly in the middle of the enormous shopping area, and only the Ginza subway line goes directly there (the cab flagdown rate is Y660, so that option was out). You’d have to know which exit to get out of to avoid walking a lot. I was told to find exit A13 which pops out right across the street from the store, in front of the classy Matsuya Department Store.

The Ginza store has the distinction of being the first Apple Store to open outside of the United States, and I was excited to go there. I had broken off rooting for stuff in Akihabara (something I could have happily done for weeks) Friday afternoon to go to Ginza for the Leopard launch, not realizing that being an authentic Apple Store, they’d shut it down for a couple of hours before the 6pm release.

I was there 4:01.

There were some guys at the door, and oblivious me tried barging in only to be stopped by one of them saying in rapid Nippongo that I should line up like everyone else, or something like that. I took a look to one side and saw the forming line and it dawned on me I wouldn’t be able to get in for a couple of hours yet.

After the Apple guy realized I didn’t speak Japanese, he managed to explain that they had just closed in prep for the 6pm launch, and that I should line up. I went to the end of the line, which was nearly a block long already, and waited. The people around me all had white earbuds on, and they were all just calmly looking around. I realized I was among my kind and relaxed. (I did cause a bit of attention when I pulled out an iPhone to listen to music - their phone system requires 3G, so an iPhone was a rare thing over there.)

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5:30pm, Friday, October 26: Hundreds form a four-block line outside the Apple Store in Ginza, Tokyo, braving the rain and cold (the Doodler being one of them), waiting for the doors to open at 6pm for the launching of Mac OS 10.5. One more:

Picture gallery (on the street and in the store), and full first-person account this weekend. (Yeah, I took these pictures - it’s my first time to be part of a real, authentic Apple Store wait-in as opposed to just reading about them and thinking, what idiots these guys are; I would never do that. Famous last words. I was tickled pink, although that may be from the freezing rain. More later.)

Al Gore’s been put on the front page of the Apple website to honor him for winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts at making the planet aware of global warming. Another award! Way to go, Al.

We just wonder though if his being on the Apple board have anything to do with it. The bigger wonder is seeing Jobs be the suck-up this time around.

But, really, Al deserves it anyway.

(Sorry for all the screencaps and Macpics lately. Have been in Fort Ilocandia, Ilocos Norte for a conference for the past few days and it’s been hell posting anything from here. Things’ll normalize tomorrow, don’t worry.)