Microsoft's Mac Envy from Technology Posts January 30, 2007
Does Microsoft really have Mac envy? Informationweek.com had an interesting post dealing evidence that surfaced in a recent anti-trust case against Microsoft. The documents disclosed included correspondence between Microsoft evangelists, Microsoft executives and Vista project manager Jim Allchin. According to the Informationweek article, the documents were written following some Windows evangelists return from the Apple World Wide Developers Conference back in June of 2004.
Among the more interesting points in the documents were observations concerning Mac OS X 10.4’s new file search capabilities, video chat, and desktop widgets. The documents detailed Microsoft’s understanding that they needed to raise the bar on past efforts before making their beta demonstration in September of 2005 at the Professional Developers Conference. It became obvious that the Windows Vista (then known as Longhorn) beta that that planned to display to the public would be very quickly compared to Mac OS X and if efforts weren’t doubled, Microsoft would be left with nothing but bad press.
The story doesn’t explain how this information is relevant to the anti-trust case, but it’s sure to be a feather in the cap of Mac evangelists around the world. Mac users have long alleged that Microsoft developers have liberated some of their most innovative technologies from the Apple campus. Court cases have found truth in these rumors in the past and it seems that tangible evidence has once again surfaced.
Its no wonder that, given this information, Apple engineers have been ultra-secretive about the features of the upcoming revision to Mac OS X. Version 10.5 is said to include some truly revolutionary innovations. Apple has even stated its desire to keep these new technologies under wraps to prevent competitors from “firing up their photocopiers.”
Interesting article; I think this was identified when the first screenshots of Vista
were leaked to the public. Everyone said it was a rendition of how the Apple OS looks and
feels.
As a PC user and a developer of Microsoft type application; this
sentence made me laugh; "I would buy a Mac today if I was not working at Microsoft."
Does Microsoft really have Mac envy? Informationweek.com had an interesting post dealing evidence that surfaced in a recent anti-trust case against Microsoft. The documents disclosed included correspondence between Microsoft evangelists, Microsoft executives and Vista project manager Jim Allchin. According to the Informationweek article, the documents were written following some Windows evangelists return from the Apple World Wide Developers Conference back in June of 2004.