By SteveJack

Mac users may have noticed that almost every article regarding Apple’s Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger also covers Microsoft’s Windows Longhorn which isn’t due to be released until “late 2006.” I’ve certainly noticed. That got me to asking my usual question, “Why?” I think it’s pretty clear. Nearly every segment of the PC food chain needs Longhorn to succeed, as Charles Cooper pointed out in a recent article for CNET News.com. Because of the importance of Windows to the economy, Microsoft’s dominance needs to be protected. Box assemblers like Dell, antivirus outfits like Symantec, institutional Microsoft shareholders, you name it — a lot of companies and people need the Wintel hegemony to continue unchallenged.

So, while the tech media feels it has to cover Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger release, many outlets also feel the burning need to inject the promise of Longhorn into these articles. One has to wonder, when Longhorn is finally released, will reviews of Microsoft’s operating system include comparisons and references to what Apple has planned a year-and-a-half out? I highly doubt it. Windows Longhorn will, in some articles, be compared to whatever Apple’s OS is available at the time or, frequently, reviewed all by itself without any mention of Apple’s Mac OS X.

(Off on a tangent I go! I get annoyed by how Mac OS X reviews almost always contain references, criticisms, or praises about how well it works with Windows and/or Windows files. Guess what? I don’t give a sheet how well I work with Windows and I won’t even after I start reading critiques of Windows based upon how it works with Macs. I don’t measure the success of my Mac based on how well it deals with lesser platforms, especially one that works so hard to be a knock off of my own. How much of my computing life do I have to devote to making sure the stuff I do quickly and effortlessly on my Mac can work on computers purchased by people who weren’t smart enough to buy a Mac? Yeah, yeah, I realize Windows is the majority, most of us are stuck having to work with Windows, it’s good for everyone to know that Microsoft Office runs on a Mac and their files will be compatible, blah, blah, blah… stick an extension on it, will ya? Back to the article at hand.)

The reason for Longhorn being injected into Mac OS X Tiger articles is obvious. Right now, Windows users who are reading about Mac OS X Tiger have a very unpleasant feeling. It’s painfully apparent that the personal computers they are using, even with the latest hardware and Windows XP SP2, are far behind Apple’s Mac platform. To protect against people switching en masse from Windows to Macintosh, people need to be told repeatedly of the promise of Longhorn, even if it’s vaporous, continually shedding features, and quite a long way away. “Sit tight, Longhorn’s coming, it’ll be okay,” many of these “Mac OS X Tiger” articles seem to implore. Some articles even speculate on Apple releasing Mac OS X for x86 PC hardware. They do that to keep people from ditching their PCs for Macs, too.

The problem for the Wintel-centric media is that Longhorn is now so stripped down that even diehard Windows fans are calling it “Windows XP SP3,” “a train wreck,” and worse. I really don’t know how this is going to be dealt with by the Wintel protectors. I think that, despite the best efforts of many, Apple stands to gain Mac users and Microsoft will lose Windows users to the Mac OS X platform. Just how many users will shift is the only real question. The gulf, previously seen only by Mac OS X users who’ve used Windows XP, is now just too obvious and wide between the two platforms. Even non-Mac users are now seeing the chasm between Windows XP and Mac OS X Tiger.

So, when you read Mac OS X Tiger reviews and articles and wonder why Microsoft’s non-shipping, year-and-a-half away operating system is constantly being mentioned, just keep in mind that they’re doing so in order to minimize the unpleasantness their Windows-only readers are feeling. I don’t think it’s going to work very well this time. And that’s a very good thing for Apple in the long run; even if Apple themselves continue doing very little to specifically promote Tiger.

SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a regular contributor to the MacDailyNews Opinion section.

Related MacDailyNews articles:
Tech pundit Enderle: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger’s main features ‘borrow heavily from Longhorn’ – May 02, 2005
Microsoft trumpets Longhorn to distract everyone from Apple’s release of OS X 10.4 Tiger – May 02, 2005
Mac fans line up for new operating system as passberby asks ‘what is a tiger?’ – April 29, 2005
Forrester analysts: Apple should advertise Mac OS X Tiger on television and in movie theaters – April 29, 2005
Why doesn’t Apple advertise Mac OS X on TV? – April 12, 2005
PC World review gives Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger 4.5 stars out of 5 – April 30, 2005
Ars Technica: Mac OS X Tiger ‘at least twice as significant as any single past update’ – April 28, 2005
CNET: ‘If you’re tired of Microsoft’s promises, Mac OS X Tiger may be your best incentive to switch’ – April 28, 2005
BusinessWeek: ‘Tiger bolsters Mac OS X’s edge as the best personal-computer operating system around’ – April 28, 2005
Associated Press: Mac OS X Tiger ‘provides another excellent incentive to switch from Windows’ – April 28, 2005
Mossberg: Apple’s Tiger ‘the best, most advanced personal computer operating system on the market’ – April 28, 2005
InformationWeek columnist: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger ‘a compelling upgrade’ – April 28, 2005
NY Times: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger is the most secure, stable and satisfying OS on earth – April 28, 2005
Wired News: Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger ‘full of welcome surprises’ – April 27, 2005
Windows is weak, Longhorn will be cosmetic upgrade; Apple can deliver killer blow to Microsoft – April 27, 2005
Thurrott: ‘Longhorn is in complete disarray and in danger of collapsing under its own weight’ – April 27, 2005
Thurrott: Longhorn ‘has the makings of a train wreck’ – April 26, 2005
Thurrott: Longhorn demos ‘unimpressive, fall short of graphical excellence found today in Mac OS X’ – April 26, 2005
Microsoft employees leaving due to (and blogging about) malaise smothering company – April 25, 2005
eWEEK Editor Coursey: Longhorn so far ‘looks shockingly like a Macintosh’ – April 25, 2005
Due in late 2006, many of Windows Longhorn’s features have been in Mac OS X since 2001 – April 25, 2005
Apple’s Tiger debuts Friday while Microsoft’s Longhorn is burdened with one delay after another – April 25, 2005
Nearly every segment of the PC food chain needs Longhorn to succeed – April 22, 2005
Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Microsoft’s Longhorn: ‘They are shamelessly copying us’ – April 21, 2005
Apple shows off Mac OS Tiger in Microsoft’s backyard while Microsoft previews Windows XP ad push – April 19, 2005
Apple’s Mac OS X reality vs. Microsoft’s Longhorn fantasy – April 19, 2005
Microsoft’s Windows Longhorn will bear more than just a passing resemblance to Apple’s Mac OS X – April 15, 2005
Analyst: ‘Microsoft’s Longhorn is going to have hard time upstaging Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger’ – April 13, 2005
Analyst: Apple in ‘position to exploit Microsoft missteps, claim leadership’ with Mac OS X Tiger – April 13, 2005
Apple’s Schiller: Mac OS X Tiger ‘has created even more distance between us and Microsoft’ – April 13, 2005
Will Mac OS X Tiger add fuel to Apple’s recent momentum in the computer business? – April 13, 2005
Analyst: Tiger proves ‘Apple is light years ahead of Microsoft in developing PC operating systems’ – April 12, 2005
Analysts: Apple’s new Tiger operating system could really impact Mac sales – April 12, 2005
Apple’s Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ vs. Microsoft’s Windows ‘Longhorn’ – March 31, 2005
Microsoft’s Longhorn fantasy vs. Apple’s Mac OS X reality – September 14, 2004
Is Microsoft’s stripped-down ‘Longhorn’ worth waiting for? – September 10, 2004
Silicon Valley: Apple CEO Steve Jobs previews ‘Longhorn’ – June 29, 2004
PC Magazine: Microsoft ‘Longhorn’ preview shows ‘an Apple look’ – May 06, 2004
Microsoft concerned that Longhorn’s look and feel will be copied if revealed too soon – August 25, 2003
Windows ‘Longhorn’ to add translucent windows that ripple and shrink by 2005 – May 19, 2003