Turn that Xbox off - says Barack Obama to School Children

President Barack Obama’s speech to thousands of school children across United States will strike a chord with all parents. But the remarks could be a source of controversy and can make a tech company very unhappy – Microsoft. While fellow competitors like Google was praised high in the President’s speech to school children on Sept 8th ’09, he advised them to switch off that Xbox.

Speaking from his prepared notes, which more or less is an exact rendition of his original speech, his dig at Microsoft’s Xbox came early on:

He spoke about the role of parents and their responsibility to enable children to stay focused on the chosen track and how to get the homework done and also advised to spend very less time in front of the television or playing that Xbox.

“Turn that Xbox off” was his exact words and after forethought added, at least some of the time. The fact that Obama clearly mentioned the Xbox and not a PlayStation or Nintendo Wii did not go unnoticed and may not sit well with the company.

Most other technology brands that were mentioned in his speech received favored comments especially Apple. Obama encouraged the children to work harder to become an innovator or an inventor creating good things like the next iPhone, a new medicine or a vaccine.

He was also full of praise for other Microsoft competitors like Google, Twitter and Facebook when he mentioned that students who sat in these very seats twenty odd years ago have changed the face of communication by creating Google, Facebook and Twitter.

I noted that his speech mentioned five major brands, all of which were technology related and these inventions and creations were clubbed along with other major events of the world like Depression, World War for civil rights and landing of man on the moon.

The only other brand mention was Harry Potter books! Remarkable isn’t it?

Catch up on the President’s speech which is now available on YouTube.com

Popularity: 2% [?]