Then I hope you're not targeting IE 8, or especially 7. They are horrible at CSS, and especially when you start scripting.
When it comes to Apple being "bigger", NO!, it's not!
We were talking about using muscle to be able to push a new product. Apple has more money, and is the dominating manufacturer in smart phones, tablets, and music players. If Apple believed in the loss-leader, they can afford to do far more than Microsoft. But they won't. Apple believes in profit from day one (something I like from a company).
with basically, three major products, those being the iPhone and iPad and Macs; the iCloud and apps/iTunes stores are just support for those 3 products.
Again, then admit Microsoft has one major product -- the XBox 360. Everything else is support for that. Oh, Windows and Office? You weren't counting software for Apple, so you don't get to count them for Microsoft.
They look nice, and work quite well, but, they're not really any better than comparable products from other manufacturers that offer their products at much lower prices.
Remember my friend? The iMac was clearly superior to all the cheap plastic PC offerings. When it comes to high-end slim notebook PCs, others do start to compete, but then they're around the same price too, or more.
High-end Apple products are just higher-priced, and not superior, like a Lexus might be considered superior to a Ford Focus.
The workmanship and attention to detail is clearly superior.
if the application works in one browser, it should work on all other browsers, even on the tiny screens.
Only in the dreams of every web designer. Reality is different. Recently, a company said it looked at the $100,000 cost to write an IE version of their web site, so they just decided not to support IE.
Also, as far as I know, IE is still, by far, the most used web browser on the market,
I think I was wrong on the 15%, maybe. On desktop IE still has about 50% and still dropping. On mobile, IE is mixed in with the 15% "Other" category, not even enough to register as itself. The problem here is that browser stats depend on the source, and different demographics can be visiting sites tracked by the different sources.
However, one course that shows IE at 54% desktop also shows Safari at 65% on the mobile. That's more than IE has on the desktop, and after only five years on the market.
Also, because MS did not do well in the mobile space in the past, is no reason to discount them in the future.
Microsoft did do well, once, at least in the US (Nokia owned the non-US smartphone market). Then Microsoft lost it -- twice. The problem with your prediction is you need to give a really good reason why Microsoft's proven losing trend should end. You also give no really good reason why Apple's proven winning trend should end. You're basing everything on press releases.
BTW, during my testing with browsers, the one which I have the most problems with, is Safari
If you're developing for mobile, and you as you say develop for the most common, then Safari would be it -- 65% remember? In any case, Safari is not the best browser, or the most standards-compliant. However, it is near the top, far above IE, about equal to Firefox depending on the aspect of standards you're looking at.
When it comes to Apple thinking ahead, well, they're behind right now, with the Surface tablets scheduled to start eating Apple's lunch
Surface is just an attempt to copy the iPad. How is that thinking ahead on Microsoft's part? And behind right now? Surface isn't even out yet. The copy of Apple's product hasn't even hit the market!
That is the most successful computer product in the history of man
Thank IBM and Compaq for that, not innovation on Microsoft's part.
Microsoft spends many times as much on research, and it's busy acquiring other companies which will add to it's products and services lineup.
Like that online ad company aQuantive. That was a great $6.3 billion wasted. Apple bought an online ad company too, for under $300 million. They're reaping the profits now with iAd. It's one thing to buy a company, it's another to successfully integrate it into your product strategy to improve your products and make money. Or how about that loss of half a billion buying Danger, then to use it to release that disaster known as the Kin?
Meanwhile, Apple buys chip designers, NAND flash storage accelerators, mapping companies, and gesture recognition companies -- all of which have seriously or definitely soon will add to Apple's products and profits. Basically, Apple has a better hit to miss ratio on buying companies.
Apple has been, basically, standing still when it comes to product development
Again, I guess Apple revolutionizing four markets in only a decade isn't enough for you? Name one market Microsoft has revolutionized in the last decade. No? Okay, how about an easier one: Name four markets that Apple revolutionized, and that Microsoft failed in their attempt to copy. I can:
When it comes to products and services, and in the variety of those services and products, Microsoft outclasses Apple.
Variety does not matter. Apple is living by an old philosophy: Pick a few things and be absolutely the best at them. Don't pick a lot of things and be best at nothing.
Interviews show that Apple doesn't believe in putting out a product unless all of those involved can be personally proud of it. Microsoft will put out a product just to get into a new market, to make next quarter's earnings, or just to stave off an attack by an innovator in the market. Examples of the latter: IE7 released because Firefox was eating IE6's lunch after monopoly Microsoft refused to improve it for five years. Windows Mobile 6.5, touch added to WM6 in reaction to the iPhone being released. Neither of those Microsoft products were any good, but Microsoft needed to release something. For earnings necessity, Vista was released way before it was ready because Microsoft needed some money flowing into the client OS division after five years of nothing (the delay was caused by pathetically inadequate development processes).
Keep checking the stock market, and especially the Apple stock price, because, in about 2 years, you might have to sell your Apple stock.
BTW, Apple is, mostly, a hardware company, and makes most of its money from hardware sales, and the software is just for support.
Microsoft is a software company, which also designs and sells hardware. Microsoft makes most of its money from software, especially in the Office arena, and server markets. Microsoft is now delving deeper into the hardware arena, BIG TIME!, and may surpass Apple’s sales and profits in the hardware area in about a year or two. You are comparing “Apples and Microsofts” and, if one were to discount the area where each one is not a “major” player in, then, you’d have to take away Apple’s software, and Microsoft’s hardware. If you could do that, then, Apple would be dead, and Microsoft would still continue being the biggest software company in the universe.
Apple has more money in the bank than Microsoft, but, when it comes to the total value of the assets of the companies, if a fire sale were to be held, with both companies selling all of their hardware and software, there is no doubt that, Microsoft would end up way ahead in the money collected from the sales, because, it’s got the much bigger selection and the the most used combination of products and services.
When it comes to the Macs, it’s only in your mind that they are superior to the PCs, especially if the PCs are made with the same parts and functionality and performance in mind. And, lately, governments and universities and businesses, are beginning to refuse to use Macs in their work environments, because, the Macs are not EPEAT compatible. That’s going to hurt Apple’s bottom line.
When it comes to the system I’m writing, my primary test browser is FF, and I later test for other browsers. I’m not targeting any specific version of a browser. My testing for IE, has been with IE9 and IE10.
BTW, when it comes to IE marketshare, they were dropping a few months ago, but, one of the reports I saw a couple of months ago, showed that IE is increasing its market share again, even if slowly. IE 9, and now, IE10, are beginning to outclass and outperform the other players in the market, and that’s according to browser tech experts and tests conducted. When Windows 8 launches, IE10 will be the default browser for Microsoft, and, because of the $40 upgrade to get people to move from XP and Vista and Windows 7, IE10 will become the instant leader in browsers, by a large margin.
You have to admit, for a company which has had a number of failures, Microsoft ain’t doing that bad. And, it’s got a future which is a lot more secure than Apple with its “measly” 3 products. ;)