“Do you have any idea where you saved your last file? Both Microsoft and Apple Computer are betting the answer is no. And their newest operating systems bear uncannily like-minded search tools as a result,” Ina Fried reports for CNET News.
MacDailyNews Take: Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger is due in 10 days. Microsoft’s stripped-down Windows ‘Longhorn’ is due by Christmas 2006, or well over a year and a half from now. If you’re going to compare “newest operating systems,” how far out in the future can you go? This is ridiculous. In no other industry would this stupidity ever happen. Do you think Car & Driver compares this year’s Mercedes to what Ford has on the drawing boards for their 2007 model? Of course not. If Microsoft were a car maker today, they’d be promising power door locks and cruise control “real soon now” while breathlessly — as though theses features were something new and different — showing the world animated models of how they would eventually work on their cars. And CNET would have the scoop, we’re sure.
Fried continues, “The Longhorn preview Microsoft gave reporters last week revealed that with the new OS, the software giant is introducing composited graphics for the desktop, something Apple has had since Mac OS X’s debut. The result is that Longhorn’s windows can be see-through, revealing the contents of other windows or the desktop below.”
MacDailyNews Take: Apple previewed Mac OS X on January 5, 2000. We searched CNET and the Web and couldn’t find a single article that pitted Windows 2000 against Mac OS X. Articles that compared Mac OS X to Windows did not start appearing until Mac OS X was shipping and available to customers.
Fried continues, “‘You can imagine videos on top of videos and even translucency,’ said Jim Allchin, head of Microsoft’s Windows unit. In one application of the new technology, windows that are maximized or minimized spring to life in a way similar to the ‘genie effect’ through which Mac OS X windows are sent down to the Dock.”
MacDailyNews Take: Thanks, Jimmy, but we don’t have to “imagine” it (and neither did Microsoft, apparently), we’ve had translucency and the “genie effect” shipping since September 2000.
Fried continues, “Both companies’ OSes have a search window, identified by a magnifying glass icon, in the upper right-hand corner. Users of Tiger–the new Mac OS–can save a search query as a ‘smart folder,’ while Microsoft has its yet-to-be-finally-named “virtual folders” that offer a similar function. But similarities–and the issue of who copied who–aside, there’s a key difference between Tiger and Longhorn. Apple is coming out with Tiger in two weeks; Microsoft hopes to have Longhorn out by the second half of next year.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ should be compared to what’s available from other vendors. In Microsoft’s case, that would be Windows XP SP2. Comparing Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ to vapor from other companies is patently idiotic and seems to us to be the only method Wintel-centric media outlets have left by which to continue prop up the Wintel hegemony as customers wait and wait and wait for something that, as promised today, won’t even be able to measure up to what’s been in their local Apple stores for years. Stating that one OS is due in days and the other in over a year and a half at the end of an article after treating them both as concrete products throughout doesn’t suddenly transform the article into something meaningful.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
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
Why doesn’t Apple advertise Mac OS X on TV? – April 12, 2005
Analyst: Tiger proves ‘Apple is light years ahead of Microsoft in developing PC operating systems’ – April 12, 2005
Apple to ship Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ on Friday, April 29; pre-orders start today – April 12, 2005
Apple Announces Mac OS X Server ‘Tiger’ to ship Friday, April 29 with 64-bit application support – April 12, 2005
Analysts: Apple’s new Tiger operating system could really impact Mac sales – April 12, 2005
Piper Jaffray raises Apple estimates on Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ release news – April 12, 2005
Apple’s Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ vs. Microsoft’s Windows ‘Longhorn’ – March 31, 2005
New Microsoft Longhorn chief was former Pepto-Bismol brand manager – March 18, 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
I guess Redmond DID get their photocopiers ready….
Hey, what about comparing a Walkman c. 1980 to my iPod. Gee, the iPod has a whole bunch of features the Walkman is missing…. Wonder why!?
MW: “already,” as in, it’s already too late for M$!
Transparrent windows are less usefull than initially seemed the case. Only now are Apple realising their potential in Tiger with semi-transparent control panel windows and dashboard in 10.4 – other than that they seem largely eye-candy.
This will be on M$ homepage shortly, I’m sure!!
http://news.com.com/Java+glitch+hits+OS+X+update/2100-1016_3-5675631.html?tag=nefd.top
They can’t say it’ll be fine to wait forever for Longvapour. Between now and end 2006 a lot of people will have made the switch.
It’s all good publicity for Apple, so stay relaxed folks.
Do you suppose that some of these Longhorn “demonstrations” are really Windows “themes” applied to Mac OS X?
Jerry –
Transparent windows are exactly that — eye candy — and will be until the day Longhorn actually ships, when they will instantly become an important innovation designed to reduce eyestrain, increase productivity and enhance the user’s computing experience.
By the time Patchers actually have a sort-of working copy of LongBore on their machines Mac users will be on to OS X 10.5!
Redmond will be in catch up mode forever!
MW: year, as in the year the tables turn on M$.
re: Follower (of many sheep)
one word:
CRAP.
I thought this was a very good article. It was very honest in mentioning Longhorn’s proposed features that OS X has had for years, and it even pointed out that Longhorn is still a long way away.
As to comparing two products with very different release dates, while it doesn’t seem to be the smartest thing to do, this isn’t exactly the only time this happens. For example, analysts will compare the next version of gaming consoles for Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, even though they won’t be released in the same year. They are just giving a preview of the next step from what is current. In all actuality, Tiger is not the current OS quite yet. Even after Tiger ships, it is still not necessarily wrong to compare XP to Panther since both have been around for quite some time. And there may be many people that may be wondering if they should purchase the Mac with the Tiger OS or wait for Longhorn (just like people waited to buy the mini until Tiger was released – it was a question of can I live with Panther or do I want to wait for Tiger). Comparing Tiger to Longhorn isn’t idiotic, in fact, I think it’s complimentary by showing that Apple’s current system is better than what MS can create years from now.
Now next year when/if Longhorn is released, will they compare Longhorn to Apple’s next OS? Probably not, and much of that will be because Apple will have released very very few details about their next OS. If Apple talked more about their future products, then the media would probably compare those more often. So I think this writer did a good job and I wouldn’t come down too hard on him.
Be prepared. This is just the beginning of a long campaign to convince people that Windows are as capable as Max OSX. Microsoft is planning to launch a TV campaign in that effect. If they can’t show anything on a computer screen they will try to show it on TV screens.
That is what all this is about? So I can find my last file?
my 5 year old copy of W2000 does that just fine, thanks.
CNET has always been a major tool…. for MS.
King A,
Ina is a her.
the MS commericials running now about “potential” are enough to make me nauseous. they think that because they sell word to millions of people they are credited with making their lives better? What a crock! Come on Apple make iWork better, I need to get rid of word
It is so exciting to read all of the great press reports of the “soon to be released Longhorn”.
The “real IT world” knows that the cutting edge technology that Microsoft is developing will change the future of desktop computing!
The new graphics core and file structure makes Longhorn the most advanced PC OS ever developed. The current releases of Longhorn all ready is years ahead of any offering from Apple and the OS is still in the development phase.
In the very near future the internet will be the exclusive home of Microsoft and Longhorn. Most developers of internet based e-commerence have embraced .NET and require that users must use IE. When Longhorn is distributed and .NET will make API calls locally and execute C# code the Apple OS will be relegated to non-internet use only.
Furthermore, the Apple OS is so slow… why would anyone want to use it. You type and the letters do not show up in real time, you resize a window and it does not move in real time. Apple has created an over-bloated eye candy machine that won’t even be able to access most serious internet sites.
©
Hey Joe. How are you liking your mini? How much time do you find yourself on the various systems you have?
I am gonna hold off on my opinion on Tiger til I can actually try it out and use it. I hope they intro new PowerMacs soon tho, none of my current machines will be able to host multi-vidchats.
You know who is gonna love spotlight? My Mom. She is ALWAYS losing files when she saves them.
i’ll tell you exactly how far this scenario will play out. Until mac releases os 10.5 and there’s still no sign of longhorn.
Hey Sputnik, can I have some of what you are drinking/smoking/popping? Maybe it’s cash that you get from MS that makes you delusional.
Either way, go back into your “real IT world” and believe what you want and enjoy the mess that MS creates for you. Turd.
looks like sputnik is a little out of touch with reality, eh?
don’t feed the troll, kids
PITY FOR OUR PC FRIENDS
you must have understanding. Windoze users are used to updates every 3 years or so. They think Tiger WILL be the competitor to Longhorn.
…everyone relax, as soon as they see mac updates come more frequently then M$, then all this will stop.
Hmmm, Sputnik, eh? An appropriate name, methinks, for essentially useless technology representing itself as worldshaking FUD.
You speak of OS X and its “slowness” as if you actually HAVE a copy thereof running on a Mac for which it was designed. If you’re the Wintel aficianado you claim to be, you wouldn’t be caught dead with such a configuration, so I think we can all safely infer you’re blowing smoke out your a** here. By the way, as a software developer I have a half dozen PCs running the highly vaunted XP/SP2 right now and they can BARELY boot up! WHY? Because they’re OLD, don’t possess enough memory to handle such bloatware, and spend half of their processing cycles looking for viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, and the like. Talk about molasses (and it’s not even pretty)!
The OS X reality handily trumps Longhorn fantasy, sir. Wake up, get used to it, and find some intelligent reason in your Neverland World!
“Now next year when/if Longhorn is released, will they compare Longhorn to Apple’s next OS? Probably not, and much of that will be because Apple will have released very very few details about their next OS.”
Mainly because Apple is innovating. You can bet that if Microsoft had ANY new features that Apple didn’t have, they wouldn’t be letting Apple know what they’re going to be shooting for over the next 15 months. This is back to the old Microsoft that figures they can pull an Excel… remember Lotus 1,2,3? To keep people from buying it, they kept promising that the next version of Excel would do all the same things and more! That’s all this is about. Microsoft wants to convince people that Longhorn will give them everything OSX 10.4 does PLUS the ethereal “more”.
Microsoft’s problem is that Apple is gaining marketshare faster than the rest of the market for the moment. If this continues, then negligible amount of people locked into using OSX for the next four years may become troublesome. They want to make sure those people still using 98 or 2000 who are in the market for a new computer purchase a PC so that they can run Longhorn over a year from now. Just the fact that they’re promoting XP means that they no longer think they can just expect Wintel users to upgrade to another Wintel… Apple’s hardware adoption rate frightens them.
I believe the Sputnik post was supposed to be humorous.
I have to agree w/ King A that the article was fair by making it clear that Longhorn was a long time from release. These articles are important in that MS release constant “info” on the new and upcoming software making most people think they should wait for it since it will have all these killer “features” when in fact they can buy Tiger in 10 days and get all of those plus much more.
the one feature I think Apple needs to talk about more is the native PDF support. It is so nice to have everyone be able to print to and view pdfs without extra software, I use it constantly.
The funniest thing to me, is that Apple will most likely be previewing (with a possible release 3 month later) 10.5 “Sabretooth” at MacWorld SanFran at about the same time Longtimegone is set to release with most of the “real innovations” removed. Then we will see some comparisons