Go Ahead, Microsoft, Flatter Apple Again

BusinessWeek Online ^ | OCTOBER 17, 2001 | Charles Haddad

[CheneyChick]

Mac heads shouldn't get too upset when they see how closely Windows XP apes Apple's OS X. In the long run, imitation can only help Jobs & Co.

Even though Windows XP won't be officially released until Oct. 25, I can hear the Mac faithful howling already. Once again, Mac heads are accusing Microsoft of building its latest PC operating system on innovations pioneered at Apple. And, quite frankly, they have a point. New XP features such as Windows Movie Maker, My Pictures, and the revamped Windows Media Player strike me as awfully similar to Apple's iMovie, Image Capture, and iTunes software.

[Eddeche]

And they brag about that??? How sad...

I don't know if Apple brags about it or not.

I was just using it as an ad-hominem attack on Apple :-D

[breakem]

MAC user since May 1985. Bought a Micron PC with flat screen and 1 gig speed last November. MSN ISP and Windows ME. Have spent about 100 hours of phone time with three different companies trying to stop errors, reload the system, get the internet up and on and on and on.

Often just stop and go downstairs to the 333 Mhz i-mac and do what I have to do in the time I need to do it.

IBM I've Become Macintosh.

[Elenya]

Apple Folk are like tea drinkers and PC People are like coffee drinkers.

I'm an Apple folk and I'm like a coffee drinker.

GO MAC GO! ;o)

[NapaCA]

Bush won, Windows won, end of story.

And McDonalds "won"... so that must mean that McDonalds has the best food, huh?

[Timesink]

Hey, pathetic name-caller! Your claim, even if true (and I have no reason to believe it is), is completely irrelevant to the reality that they are SEPARATE COMPANIES.

[MarkL]

While I'm no Micro$oft lover, I have a few words for Apple...

Xerox

PARC

Smalltalk

mouse

`nuff said!

Mark

[NapaCA]

They all had their chance, HP included, but only Apple brought it to market. 'Nuff said.

[bootyist-monk]

The Xerox Star from 1981

Gee, Mac Users, look familiar? Thank you PARC and the Alto. The only difference between Jobs and Gates is that Jobs had the idea to steal it first, then claim it as his own and have Mac users protect it with almost Scientology-like fever.

Owning and using both, I find the Mac superior only in digital manipulation and non-linear editing. And then, only by the smallest of margins. Photoshop for Windows is just as powerful as for the Mac. AfterEffects remains the killer app for Mac, in my opinion. I find the Mac OS unstable quite frequently, and not nearly as reliable as Windows 2000.

While I enjoy the Mac, there is a reason that 95% of the population prefers Windows, and price and business practices by Microsoft are only part of the story. As a complete package with the ability to exploit everything you want your computer to do, Windows remains the superior product. I've been using beta XP for almost four months, and find it to be the best version yet. While I'm concerned about the licensing arrangement, and possible sniffer software, I believe XP will be flying off the shelves.

Mac had better adapt, or it will die. Fancy titanium cases are cool, but coffeehouse prices and closed architecture are leading it down the same spiral as another superior product that should still exist - the Amiga.

[bootyist-monk]

Ah, wrong. See the Xerox Alto from 1972.

[prisoner6]

LOL! You must be on serious medication!:) Tweakable Apples? Apples that people can actually open the case?

Apple doesn't even see fit to provide 3.5 floppy access and all at a cost 3 times as much as a comparable PC!

Hohoho!

Oh bTW did I mention thaqt A LONG time ago, before LOTS of Current Apple Folk were touting the ...ummm debatable attributes of Apple machines, I used a Radio Shack CoCo to run programs and access the Pre-Internet? Like Apple it used a 68x processor with an external clock.

If you wanted to go to the trouble of learning machine language it was a pretty cool box.

Still wouldn't measure up to a PC though...

prisoner6

[cmsgop]

Great News!!!!!

[better_dead_then_red]

Hmmm...bought my first Mac G4 after a half dozen PCs...I couldn't be happier! I am saving the last PC (and still working, well working as well as a PC will work I guess) for a trip to the range. I am wondering what a 12 gauge deer slug will do to it at 25 yards. I can't wait to find out.

[classygreeneyedblonde]

Imitation is the best compliment......

[prisoner6]

Yeah but you probably don't drink coffee black like God intended. With few exceptions Apple folk that are sane enough to drink coffee still mucky it up with all kinds of blasphemy like sugar and cream/milk.

Or they like girly-man coffee like hazelnut goat puke caramel that they sell at Starbucks! LOL :)

prisoner6

[better_dead_then_red]

Ah poop...I walk into just about anywhere with my titanium powerbook and have a crowd around me so fast. I am convinced I could pick up women with the the thing. Its a very popular machine. I personally know four former pc users who have bought one in the last couple months. Go the way of the Amiga?!! You're dreamin'

[Vermonter]

LOL! You must be on serious medication!:) Tweakable Apples? Apples that people can actually open the case?

Apple doesn't even see fit to provide 3.5 floppy access and all at a cost 3 times as much as a comparable PC!

Hohoho!

Apple machines have been user upgradeable for years. Processors, drives, memory, PCI cards. Where have you been?

I haven't used a 3.5 inch floppy in years and I'm happy not to have to pay for a drive that supports them....

3 times as much as a comparable PC...... Not a chance! (of course, no one's ever going to agree on comparable)

[Elenya]

Black coffee for me, and I can't even stand the smell of the flavored ones. Yikes! :o(