“From the end of January any Windows-based personal computer that you buy will come with a new version of Microsoft’s operating system, called Vista. Make no mistake, this is more than just a slicker, prettier version of Microsoft’s current operating system for desktop computers, Windows XP. Vista is considerably quicker, easier and more pleasant to use, and far more stable and secure, than was its predecessor. One of its particular attractions is its more intuitive way of storing, organising and locating files. Included too are better parental controls, a built-in DVD maker, and lots of other improvements. In many ways, especially in its look and feel and ease of use, Vista out-Macs the Mac’s latest operating system—the Tiger version of OS X. However, that could change when Apple releases its Leopard version of OS X in spring,” The Economist reports.
MacDailyNews Take: We can find no other independent Windows Vista review that makes such a ridiculous claim. Is The Economist serious in saying that Microsoft’s Windows Vista beats Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger in terms of “look and feel and ease of use?” Or are they just joking? Maybe we’re reading it wrong and it’s supposed to be satire? Really, the choice of the terms “look and feel and ease of use” is a dead giveaway, right?
The Economist continues, “…The real difference between Unix-like operating systems and Windows is their design philosophies. Windows may squander computing power through its clumsy architecture. But by favouring simplicity of use over simplicity of design, Microsoft has been able to leverage cheap but powerful commodity hardware, to provide cost-effective software solutions. These may be complex in design—and full of bugs to boot—but, boy, are they easy to use and maintain. That’s a winning formula in anyone’s book, and the reason why Windows rightly rules the world.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Windows PCs are “easy to use and maintain” and that’s “the reason why Windows rightly rules the world?” Okay, for sure now, this article is definitely meant as a joke. Before all, the headline The Economist uses is “Hasta la Vista,” so maybe the unknown author is trying to say goodbye to Windows?
Related MacDailyNews articles:
NY Times’ Pogue reviews Microsoft’s Windows Vista: ‘Looks, Locks, Lacks’ – December 14, 2006
Unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista, Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard will create no new jobs – December 12, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Vista: obsolete on arrival? – December 04, 2006
InformationWeek: Now that Vista is the past, let’s look at the future: Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard – December 02, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Vista and Office 2007 releases generate yawns – December 02, 2006
Dave Winer: ‘Microsoft isn’t an innovator, and never was – they are always playing catch-up’ – December 01, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Vista vulnerable to malware from 2004 – November 30, 2006
Microsoft Windows Vista developers used Apple Macs for inspiration – November 27, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Vista is basically Microsoft’s version of Mac OS 9.3 – October 11, 2006
Microsoft Windows Vista: If you can’t innovate… try to impersonate Apple’s Mac OS X – August 10, 2006
Ballmer: I’m Microsoft’s ‘primary champion of innovation’ – July 27, 2006
Microsoft botches another copy job: Windows Vista Flip3D vs. Apple Mac OS X Exposé – June 26, 2006
Windows Vista rips-off Mac OS X at great hardware cost (and Apple gains in the end) – June 13, 2006
Computerworld: Microsoft Windows Vista a distant second-best to Apple Mac OS X – June 02, 2006
Thurrott: Microsoft going to get eaten alive over Windows Vista’s resemblance to Apple’s Mac OS X – March 09, 2006
NY Times’ Pogue on Gates’ CES demo: Most of Vista features unadulterated ripoffs from Apple Mac OS X – January 05, 2006
Analyst: Windows Vista may still impress many consumers because they have not seen Apple’s Mac OS X – January 05, 2006
Apple’s talent and innovation vs. Microsoft’s hype – October 25, 2005
Microsoft’s Windows Vista strives to deliver what Apple’s Mac OS X already offers – October 10, 2005
Thurrott: many of Windows Vista’s upcoming features appeared first in Apple’s Mac OS X – September 26, 2005
Microsoft’s Ballmer: It’s true, some of Windows Vista’s features are ‘kissing cousins’ to Mac OS X – September 18, 2005
PC World: Microsoft innovation – an oxymoron – September 14, 2005
As usual, Apple leads, Microsoft tries to follow – June 02, 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
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
Microsoft’s Windows Longhorn will bear more than just a passing resemblance to Apple’s Mac OS X – April 15, 2005
Steve Jobs: Microsoft copied original Apple Mac with Windows 95, now they’re copying us again – February 08, 2005
Where Apple leads, Wintel follows years later – January 31, 2005
Novell CEO: ‘Microsoft sucked $60 billion out of IT industry that could have used for innovation’ – September 13, 2004
Apple CEO Steve Jobs: Mac OS X Tiger ‘is going to drive the copycats crazy – June 28, 2004
PC Magazine: Microsoft ‘Longhorn’ preview shows ‘an Apple look’ – May 06, 2004
Charles Arthur: Microsoft’s definition of ‘innovation’ different from everyone else’s – April 27, 2004
I can’t wait for the first round of flaws to get exploited. A little schadenfreude for the new year, I guess.
Welcome to Vista, baby! Prepare to lose more share, apple. Has MDN even tried Vista? I doubt it.
Dear Zune Tang:
Die in a fire.
SIgned:
The civilized world
Well – no doubt about it. This guy is certifiable. I cn’t tell you how many Wondows users I know who HATE everything about it. I hope they get some relief from Vista – but I doubt it.
Zune Tang, we were going to try Vista at work, but soon discovered that we COULDN’T! We’ll have to rebuy all of the PCs in the office with more memory, more storage space, faster processors, et al., before we can.
When my boss found this out, he decided we should go with the MULTIPLE OS option that the Mac offers. That is, if we want to run Vista, we can. If we want to run Mac OS X, we can. If we want to run Linux, we can. If someone wants to run BeOS, he can.
Damn, but the math seemed simple to him–and to all of us as well!
Mac, here we come!
Zune Tang. You have to admire a pimply little 9th grader with that much tenacity.
I’m sorry for being such an idiot. I’ll go away now.
If Vista still needs virus software protection to keep it secure. It’s no better than it ever was. To say that it is more secure is a total lies and propaganda.
Bite on that on zune tank.
Use Vista at your own peril.
Zune Tang, seriously, STOCKHOLM Syndrome. Get help now. There are programs you can join.
Say, isn’t the Economist a British rag? If it IS, that explains the ludicrously positive spin on the Vista excreta. For some reason, British publications loathe Apple, so any opinion piece from them will necessarily praise MonkeySoft and pan Mac/iPod/etc.
As a former PC user, I cannot express how glad I am that I got out of the Window$ world when I did (1 1/2 years ago). Upgrade path to Vista is nightmarish, to say the least, unless you are willing to shell out at least a grand on a new PC that MIGHT be able to run the Premium version of Vista! Otherwise, have fun buying more memory and a gamers’ quality video card just to run “Aero”. Whoopedeedooo!!!! Oh and yes, Zune Tang, MDN has tried Vista, it’s called OS X…numb nut.
how do you “out-mac a mac” with “new” features that OSX has had for years now?
this is ridiculous
One last jab to you Apple icons – none of you could find your way from the front to the back of a C++ manual.
There.
Incompetence… Economist… same thing.
For those of you who find pleasure in using my name in vain, please continue to play on. Your displeasure pleases me. Vista is proving that Apple has no monopoly on “ease of use”.
And, yes, The Economist gets it. Indeed, Vista improves on Microsoft’s legendary ease of use with customer-desired implementation of which only Apple can dream.
So, dream on of sugar plum iPods and candied iMacs dancing in your heads this Christmas season. It’s the only place they work. The real world belongs to Microsoft and it is the playground of the gifted.
‘Til I can Welcome you to the Social,
Happy Holidays
oh, and has anyone seen my wits? Can’t…..put…..my…..hands……on…..th
how do you “out-mac a mac” with “new” features that OSX has had for years now?
The only diffrence in Vista is Aero. Its somewhat considered better then Aqua that mac has for years. The only different Aero can do is small screenshots of programs like on this link
. Where a Documents small screenshot is shown. Bye
Mwahhhhahahahahaaa!!! “Microsoft’s legendary ease of use”?! ROTFLMAO!!!! Perhaps you MS drones demanded these customer-desired improvements becuase, erm, Windows is inherently NOT easy to use?
“But by favouring simplicity of use over simplicity of design, Microsoft…”
1. Microsoft favors simplicity of use? Since when?
2. Simplicity of design means more complicated use? WTF?
” These may be complex in design—and full of bugs to boot—but, boy, are they easy to use and maintain.”
Complex design & full of bugs = easy to use and maintain? Again, WTF?
“That’s a winning formula in anyone’s book, and the reason why Windows rightly rules the world.”
Uh, actually, Windows rules the world because they beat everyone else in the business sector years ago and are entrenched.
This has to be satire.
I think the economist article was satirical and Zune Tang is awesome. They both highlight the advantages that Apple has over Microsoft and Mac OSX over Vista. Thank you to both of them.
Microsoft products, including Vista, are the future. I sit at my computer and think “wow, this IS the social and I am welcome to it.”
The only diffrence in Vista is Aero. Its somewhat considered better then Aqua that mac has for years. The only different Aero can do is small screenshots of programs like on this link
. Where a Documents small screenshot is shown. Bye
wouldn’t Expose be considered “small screenshots” of programs. hit F9 and see a screenshot of every program open at the same time?
the logic in this review shows why England is now considered a third world country
sad to see a once great nation in such a rapid decline
Zune Tang and all Vista freaks to whom this concerns. Vista is a Joke. I am currently running Vista on several machines. The final release was available for download via the MSDN site a few weeks ago. (Its not Beta) This OS is a nightmare. Easy of use my ass. Just because it looks pretty doesn’t make it functional. Its like a Fiat with a Ferrari shell over it. I would be complete moron to deploy this OS on my corporate network in its current state. It doesn’t run login scripts anymore, by batch or group policy, It currently has a huge issues connecting and resolving volumes from SMB or CIFS shares (there goes the usefulness of that uber NAS I have) It has no Admin tools at all download or otherwise, and half of the MS MMC tools for managing servers and systems don’t install at all, and to boot, printed in nice big bold text on the current Softchoice “Windows Vista Advisor” it states that the CPU requirements for the OS have increased 243% since XP was released. Oh and for you Zune enthusiasts out there, the Zune Market place and software are also not compatible with the OS. Not to mention the all new Zero day exploits. I manage a HUGE Windows centric network. I Manage SQL Server, Exchange, Windows 2K/98/XP/Server 2003. I can honestly say I was super let down when Windows ME reared its ugly head. But Vista was not just a let down, it was a nightmare realized. Sometimes you give birth to an ugly baby but you love it anyway. This baby should have been burned, buried, and had a cement slab poured over it the minute it was conceived. Where’s my MAC?
Toasty!
You have to remember all of the advertising MONEY Microsoft spends in magazines. It’s what these writers are told to write by editors. Because the editors are told to make Microsoft look good or else by the marketing arm and publisher.
The amount of independence tech writers has is almost zero. The magazines are so beholding to the clients that advertise in them it’s ridiculous. You read a PC magazine and is ther ever a product that is trashed or reviewed as a total waste of money. Nope.
MS only has money, and that is what they use. There is no free thinking PC writers. 99.9% are getting some sort of payment from MS, IMO.