Paul Thurrott is writing about what he’s seeing at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2005 over on the Windows IT Pro website (he even brought his Apple Powerbook to the show – that should go over well).
Though the Longhorn demonstrations Gates and his minions provided were interesting, they were visually unimpressive, falling short of the graphical excellence found today in Apple’s Mac OS X. However, various Microsoft representatives told me that the Aero Glass user interface demonstrated during the keynote was not the final user experience and would instead by dramatically nicer looking in later beta releases. The Aero Glass interface that Gates demonstrated did support OS X-like transparencies, translucencies, animations, and other effects, however. Gates also showed off application scaling, which will help legacy applications display correctly on the high DPI displays of the future, and a sample media-oriented sample application that takes advantage of Longhorn’s display features.
Longhorn will feature a search box directly in the Start Menu because that’s where people start doing things in Windows, according to Microsoft. Longhorn will support virtual folders that collect links to documents into logical groups. For example, Longhorn will ship with virtual folders called All Documents, Authors, Keywords, Rating, Recent, and Types by default.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft promises Thurrott “a dramatically nicer looking” final user experience in later beta releases. How long can Microsoft keep up the charade of promises of better things to come in the future? “Later beta releases?!!!” Hello, Microsoft, anybody home? Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger ships on Friday. That’s this Friday, not the last one in 2006. Looks like even Thurrott is underwhelmed. Probably because he’s delving into Mac OS X Tiger by covering a feature per day on his Internet-Nexus blog here. Looking at Longhorn next to Mac OS X Tiger is like comparing Bea Arthur to Evangeline Lilly. Sorry, Bea. If Thurrott, of all people, remains unimpressed, Microsoft is doomed. What’s next, John Dvorak’s Apple “Switch” commercial?
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Thurrott: Longhorn ‘has the makings of a train wreck’ – 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
Microsoft’s new mantra: ‘It Just Works’ ripped straight from Apple’s ‘Switch’ campaign – 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
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
My next box will be an Apple box. The PM looks like a go for me… but I may need something more portable so I may have to settle for the aging PB line.
The box I get after that will definitely be a Windows box. I hope Longhorn is out around that time.
As long as I can get things done on the machine, I don’t really care if Longhorn looks like Tiger, or vice-versa.
One of the cooler things I like about Windows-based boxes, newer technologies are implemented faster. I’ve been waiting on Apple for over a year to come up with something interesting… and I’m still waiting. 🙁
My next box will be an Apple box. The PM looks like a go for me… but I may need something more portable so I may have to settle for the aging PB line.
The box I get after that will definitely be a Windows box. I hope Longhorn is out around that time.
As long as I can get things done on the machine, I don’t really care if Longhorn looks like Tiger, or vice-versa.
One of the cooler things I like about Windows-based boxes, newer technologies are implemented faster. I’ve been waiting on Apple for over a year to come up with something interesting… and I’m still waiting. 🙁
My next box will be an Apple box. The PM looks like a go for me… but I may need something more portable so I may have to settle for the aging PB line.
The box I get after that will definitely be a Windows box. I hope Longhorn is out around that time.
As long as I can get things done on the machine, I don’t really care if Longhorn looks like Tiger, or vice-versa.
One of the cooler things I like about Windows-based boxes, newer technologies are implemented faster. I’ve been waiting on Apple for over a year to come up with something interesting… and I’m still waiting. 🙁
Screw Aqua and Aero…Evangeline Lilly is hot!
A New Mac User – I fully agree that the it just works slogan is in no way applicable to microsoft, in accordance with this post: http://www.internet-nexus.com/2005_04_17_archive.htm#111426206683392947 he claims that it has been in use in relation to microsoft for many years. My point was that even if some people had said of microsoft that their tech “just works” saying it does not make it true, when apple started using it they at least had the products to back up the claim.
I, for one, cannot wait for “Unicorn”… err, “Longhorn” to ship. My life is getting hectic keeping up with all the latest computer technologies, and it will be a relief to step back to late 2001…
After Longwaits Alpha and Beta releases, will the next one be called CaCa?
If they gave a copy of it to Thurrot (or should that be Thought-not), would it be a case of “the CaCa hitting the fan” ?
Good point up above about the “authors” smart folder. I guess that feature would have been great on OS 9, before we switched to Users in OS X. Certainly Longhorn will allow the computer to have distinct users and seperate all of their items? My 5-year-old totally understands the concept and can easily switch to her account and use her programs.
Or is your average PC user to confused to make that work?
Seriously, will seperate users accounts be part of Longhorn? I didn’t notice anything in Thurott’s article… although, to be honest, I just scanned it.
Most of the times I’ve heard “It Just Works” was in situations like this… after someone has used a Mac for the first time for a week and have gotten pictures and video clips from their camera, put them into iPhoto and iMovie for correction, bundle that all together in iDVD and produce something nice for someone’s birthday. Then, after explaining how they did it, they incredulously say to me,”It Just Works!”
Anyone that has not used a Macintosh and are unaware of the truly glorious idea of universal drag and drop really doesn’t understand what that phrase means.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
“One of the cooler things I like about Windows-based boxes, newer technologies are implemented faster.”
Absolutely true in a lot of cases, but they’re usually implemented better on the Mac. USB and Bluetooth are excellent examples of things that were attached to PC motherboards for some time but only really became actually USEFUL when applied to the Mac.
A hybrid memory system, combining a hard drive and flash memory, has been demonstrated by Samsung and Microsoft. The aim is to combine the fast read/write access times of NAND flash with the storage capacity of a rotating hard drive. By using the 1Gbit flash as a cache for the hard drive, the drive does not need to spin continuously. When the write buffer is full, the drive is spun up and data written to magnetic storage.
Boot up times can also be reduced, claimed the firms, by using the flash as a boot buffer during shut-down. Microsoft calls the device a hybrid hard drive (HHD). It is designed to work with Longhorn, the next generation of Windows. “Hybrid drive architecture… is an advancement that will improve the performance and reliability of any computer using the Windows Longhorn operating system,” said Tom Phillips, general manager of Microsoft’s Windows group.
ht: “You have NO idea of what is about to hit you…Longhorn will leapfrog over OS X in such a dramatic way that your tongues will reach the ground!”
Let’s Super Trooper-ize this statement:
Trooper: “Listen up right moo!”
Stoner 1: “Dude…did you just say Moo?”
Trooper: “You have MOO idea of what is about to hit moo…Longmoo will leapfrog over OS X in such a dramatic moo that your tongues will reach the moo!”
Stoner 2: “I’m freakin out man! I’m freakin out!”
“By using the 1Gbit flash as a cache for the hard drive, the drive does not need to spin continuously. When the write buffer is full, the drive is spun up and data written to magnetic storage.
Boot up times can also be reduced, claimed the firms, by using the flash as a boot buffer during shut-down. Microsoft calls the device a hybrid hard drive (HHD).”
Hmmm … sounds like how an iPod already works! Good copying there!
APPLE: Aqua Quartz
MSFT: Aero Glass
A coincidence that these sound and look similar?
I think MICROSOFT should change its name to COPYSOFT.
– Mark
As I recall, OS 10.0 wasnt exactly that great in its release. Actually it wasnt until 10.3 that I began to be satisfied with Quartz.
“By using the 1Gbit flash as a cache for the hard drive, the drive does not need to spin continuously. When the write buffer is full, the drive is spun up and data written to magnetic storage.
Boot up times can also be reduced, claimed the firms, by using the flash as a boot buffer during shut-down. Microsoft calls the device a hybrid hard drive (HHD).”
Hmmm … sounds like how an iPod already works! Good copying there!
Only you Thor, would make such an ignorant statement.
APPLE: Aqua Quartz
MSFT: Aero Glass
A coincidence that these sound and look similar?
Mark, They dont sound similar.
Gimp, “Only you Thor, would make such an ignorant statement.”
Gimp, looks like you’ve done some deep anal-ysis there! Obviously have some issues otherwise you wouldn’t be so defensive!
OS X 10.1 was usable (with lots of updates), and OS X 10.2 was a great improvement. OS X 10.3 was a minor refinement by comparison, but still worthy improvements in speed and functionality. Quartz is actually but one part of OS X.
Aqua Quartz and Aero Glass sound more similar than they are different but nothing to get concerned about. Microsoft will be more interested in copying other OS X features (as usual).
An interesting thread here:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2005/04/23.html#a9915
Click on the “Comment” button at the bottom right of the article:
“Steve Jobs claims Microsoft is “shamelessly copying””
Robert Scoble works for Microsoft, and has this private blog which includes lots of Microsoft content. He is a blogging apologist. I’ll let you make up your own mind about Microsoft.
“Actually, what even funnier is that shortly after Apple introduced “Aqua”, Microsoft showed “Aero.” Now that they’ve added translucency, they’ve stuck “Glass” onto the end.” – Peter
Well, this is how much they have confidence in their Longhorn. The Glass does not contains any Aqua. Instead the Glass is full of Aero, in other words, the glass is empty. Not even half empty, but fully empty.
Aww geez, Thurrott said something good about Apple again. I guess that means we’re near the apocalypse again. Dogs and cats living together, all that stuff.
That MDN take was classic. Mmmmmm….Evangaline Lilly…
Some of the comments here make no sense.
Thurrott “finally warming up to Macs?” Nobody read that he’s voluntarily been purchasing them for years?
“What’s next, a switch ad for Dvorak?” You mean you don’t remember how he used to be the back page columnist for the old MacUser magazine?
You guys just like to make up enemies, don’t you? It’s bad practice…you lose sight of who the real enemies are.
^ It’s not just ‘Come on you guys’ . . .
It’s COMEONYOUGUYS-tastic!
A link to some uninspiring Windows Longhorn (v5048) screenshots: http://www.flexbeta.net/main/comments.php?catid=1&shownews=12884
See here, look at this nonsense. Microsoft is adding to all Documents:
Authors
Keywords
Rating
Recent
Types
by default. And people accuse Apple of micromanaging the user experience!
Like you can’t figure out how to organize your files, and Spotlight can find it no matter where it is? Here MS is already forcing you into their mold so that their WEAK serach technology has a chance of working.
This is rich. (But not rich media.)
This was a time MDN when you should of praised Paul.
I love bashing Paul as much as the next guy, but you should of taken this opportunity to praise him for being objective and talking up the Mac. This is why we get such a bad reputation.
While the rest of the PC world continues to enjoy a superior technological platform, delusioned Mac fanatics continue to live in their dreamworld where all that matters is an operating system with bling bling. LOL.
Back off of Bea Arthur, please