Stop the Noiz

Windows 7: MIcrosoft Still Copying Apple's Cats

Frank Fox - 2009.09.03 - Tip Jar

Popularity:

Short link: http://bit.ly/

Leopard and Vista

Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard", released in October 2007, is a successful operating system that brought numerous improvements to the Mac. Things like Boot Camp, Core Animation, more 64-bit support, Exposé, Quick Look, Time Machine, OpenGL improvements, etc. This powerhouse OS brought major new features to new Macs - and to older Macs (going back to 2002) with PowerPC G4 CPUs and AGP graphics.

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
Could Mac OS X 10.6 "Leopard" have inspired Vista's Aero interface?
Microsoft Windows Vista's Aero interace

Windows Vista, released to retail in January 2007, wasn't a total slouch. It also brought new features, like the Aero interface. (Where have I seen that kind of eye candy before? Maybe it was in the Aqua interface - used by Apple starting with Mac OS X 10.0 in 2000 - and larger icons up to 256 x 256 pixels (Mac OS X 10.5 icons only go up to 128 x 128.) Microsoft shows it knows how to beat Apple on important features like this. Other Vista features include a new Start menu (yawn!), a Windows Movie Maker update (it first came with Windows Me back in 2000, where it was a copy of iMovie, which came out in 1999 and ran under Mac OS 8).

Vista has better security than Windows XP (with no Mac viruses in the wild, that is hard to compare). It came with Windows Media Player 11 - again nothing new, but a nice improvement. In fact, d except for those features copied from the Mac, the list is short on truly new and innovative features.

(If Microsoft really had balls, they should have done a reverse Boot Camp that would have let you boot your PC into Mac OS X. But they are more scared of Mac clones than Apple is.)

At best, Vista should have been a point release of XP (e.g. Windows XP 1.1). Unfortunately for Microsoft, Vista has such poorly optimized code that for most consumers it was actually a negative point release (e.g., Windows XP -0.1).

Apple poured in virtualization technologies, video acceleration, 64-bit support, and helpful features. Microsoft messed up so bad trying to improve stuff that a lot of people wanted to stick with XP instead of upgrading.

Snow Leopard and Widows 7

It is upon this foundation that we have Apple and Microsoft releasing their next round of operating system improvements.

Microsoft's update to Windows is almost two years late and has been branded "Windows 7" (for an explanation of the name, see Why Is It Called Windows 7?). The 400 to 500 million XP and Vista users around the world should praise Microsoft for finally getting ~~Windows XP version 1.1~~ Windows 7 finished. (Not everything is sunshine and roses, but what else would you expect from Microsoft?)

With Windows 7, Microsoft will have caught up to Mac OS X, somewhere between versions 10.4 and 10.5.

There is simply no contest between the two operating systems. Windows still has a long ways to go to completely catch up with Mac OS X 10.5.

The power of Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" with fully integrated 64-bit support, Grand Central Dispatch, OpenCL, QuickTime X, and Microsoft Exchange support is way out past Windows 7. Maybe when Midori, Microsoft's planned post-Windows operating system, comes out, Microsoft can try to catch up with Snow Leopard. By then, Apple will have moved forward again - still leaving Microsoft behind.

Windows users can keep hoping that Microsoft will catch up one day, or they can make the switch and catch up for real. (Anyone who thinks Microsoft is catching up with Apple has never really used Mac OS X.)

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Recent Stop the Noiz Columns

Dell XPS 13 Takes on the MacBook Air, 2012.01.20. Although Apple's MacBook Air wasn't the first ultrabook, it set the standard. How does Dell's new XPS 13 compare?
10 Reasons iPhone Users Should Like Android, 2012.01.12. Android is good for Apple, because good competition creates better products and more innovation.
Will Apple Introduce Its Own TV or Just Improve Apple TV?, 2012.01.11. Steve Jobs claimed to have "finally cracked" TV, but does that mean Apple will be introducing its own TV set?
More in the Stop the Noiz index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay