Added on 12 Nov 2009(1236 Views)
A few days ago I went out with some friends and, as a Windows user, I could not stop talking about the latest and so far best Windows version to come out of Redmond – Windows 7. I was excited because I had recently left my trusty XP behind and switched to Windows 7; and the move was a step up. And as I talked about how the OS looks, one of my friends could not stop but utter the following: “sounds a lot like Mac OS X.” Bollocks, I said. But it turns out I was wrong. It turns out that Redmond-based software giant Microsoft could not stand all the talk about how good Mac OS X looks. So it decided to do something about it – copy Mac’s look and feel. This fact came to light when Partner Group Manager with Microsoft, Simon Aldous was interviewed by PCR’s Andrew Wooden. Here’s what he said.
“One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it’s very graphical and easy to use. What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it’s traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics. We’ve significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it’s built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance.”
Naturally, Andrew Wooden was intrigued and asked Simon Aldous if Windows 7 was built on top the foundations of Vista, by using the style of the Mac platform. Here’s what Aldous replied:
“We’ve taken everything that’s good about Vista, along with the core infrastructure of the operating system, and we’ve made it faster and slimmed down the code to make it more effective. We’ve also tried to listen to what customers want in terms of a much slicker user interface and the ability to engage with it far more intuitively. That’s the product that we’re delivering.”
The winners here are the users; me, you and every other Windows 7 user out there. Microsoft saw something that works, that is popular, and found a way to implement it in its products. Isn’t that what we all want? Better software applications to play with?
UPDATE Friday 11.13.2009: Microsoft denied it copied Mac's look and feel - details here .
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RSSTags: Microsoft, Windows 7, Apple, Mac OS X
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Comments
back to the future - 13 Nov 2009 14:50
"One of these days" is a reference to future intention. Are you there? What can you see?
Mk12 - 13 Nov 2009 06:08
I don't like it when people say it as "Mac vs PC". If you're talking hardware, than thats Mac computers vs. any other computer, and you can't argue about that, Macs are very good quality, they don't pack it full of garbage to sell it for less. If you're talking Software, that's Windows vs. Mac OS X, and OS X is the clear winner. It's much more user friendly, and also much better for tech-savvy people too. Or you could be talking Apple vs Microsoft..
Anon - 13 Nov 2009 01:38
Other Anonymous, Macs do have viruses. Just no one knows about them. My Grandpa runs a mac, he left the virus protection off and caught around 200 viruses just from normal surfing. I admit that some other features about macs that you mention might be true, but I prefer PC even though it has more viruses and is supposedly less efficient. I use PC because it has so much more compatibility with the programs I use.
Anonymous - 13 Nov 2009 00:34
I say people should switch to a mac. 1) You have to back up all your data to an OS who had to resort to stealing ideas 2)Macs have no viruses and never freezes windows 7 does not have any of those either, but it just a matter of time 3) I used to be a pc user, but when i switched i felt like this weight that was holding me down just went a way everything was so much more sleek and efficient it just blew me away No surprise they copied Apple.
DigitalDave - 12 Nov 2009 20:13
It's no big suprise as Microsoft stole the look of British computer makers Acorn Computers and its GUI (RISCOS 3) in 1993 !
D-man - 12 Nov 2009 16:05
And they copied Apple's retail store strategy as well.
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