The (simple) difference between Apple and Microsoft
Monday - April 21, 2008 Filed in: Strategy
We can look at Microsoft and Apple and compare them
strategically: Microsoft is the plumbing for a
commoditized desktop computing market where Apple
delivers a unique computing experience based
primarily on its proprietary technology stack.
Microsoft as the complacent market leader, Apple as
the wannabe - fighting hard to win share. Apple, in
tune with today's computing lifestyle as the
innovator, Microsoft as the raw execution machine,
buying innovation where needed.
But for me, in the shoes of an end-user, all of that is summed up in a simple way:
Type in CNN in Safari (without url etc, just as we wrote it here) and then type in CNN (again without any internet "grammar") in Explorer. Here is what you get:
Microsoft (standard installation Windows XP):
Apple (standard installation OS10.4+):
Bottom line: with Apple you get what you expect, with Microsoft you get spun into their web, literally.
Maybe this is Microsoft's tactic to produce page hits to compete with Google: any user that doesn't know how to type in a URL will be rerouted by default to MSN search. I call that cheating, Microsoft. But even with those tricks, you still need Yahoo!
Getting and keeping customers is about integrity and authenticity, not sneaky monetization techniques to squeeze every cent out of every visitor - leading them down the endless path of search. I am glad Apple is around and here to stay. There is nothing better than getting what you want, quickly.
BTW: talking about Microsoft's complacency, does it still not have anti-aliasing sorted out - or is that the big improvement in Vista?
But for me, in the shoes of an end-user, all of that is summed up in a simple way:
Type in CNN in Safari (without url etc, just as we wrote it here) and then type in CNN (again without any internet "grammar") in Explorer. Here is what you get:
Microsoft (standard installation Windows XP):
Apple (standard installation OS10.4+):
Bottom line: with Apple you get what you expect, with Microsoft you get spun into their web, literally.
Maybe this is Microsoft's tactic to produce page hits to compete with Google: any user that doesn't know how to type in a URL will be rerouted by default to MSN search. I call that cheating, Microsoft. But even with those tricks, you still need Yahoo!
Getting and keeping customers is about integrity and authenticity, not sneaky monetization techniques to squeeze every cent out of every visitor - leading them down the endless path of search. I am glad Apple is around and here to stay. There is nothing better than getting what you want, quickly.
BTW: talking about Microsoft's complacency, does it still not have anti-aliasing sorted out - or is that the big improvement in Vista?