“Have you heard? Microsoft has got a new operating system! It’s called Windows Vista! It even has a new slogan! ‘The Wow starts now!’ CNET.com has just reviewed it! Oh, wait. They describe it as ‘essentially warmed over Windows XP,’ and say there’s ‘no compelling reason to upgrade,'” Michael Parsons reports for The Times. “The good news? ‘It’s stable enough for every day use.’ And if that doesn’t make you go ‘Wow!’ I don’t know what will…”
Parsons reports, “When Microsoft takes five years to upgrade its most important product, the very linchpin of its global business, and tells us we’re going to go ‘Wow!’ when we see it, and then it entirely disappoints, there’s a case to answer. CNET.com says, ‘After more than five years of development, there’s a definite ‘Is that all?’ feeling about Windows Vista.’ C’maan, you expect me to leave that alone?”
Parsons writes, “The truth is for years now, and for many years to come, Bill Gates and his company have ensured that I spend hours of my life in front of computer software that is vulnerable to security attacks, patronising, awkward, and stuck in some tedious 1980s assumptions about who I am and how the world works that was abandoned by more innovative engineers decades ago. And it would be really, really nice if that experience got better.”
“Vista takes us back to the future. It’s 1985: Michael J. Fox is a time traveller in white sneakers, we’re listening to a soundtrack USA for Africa singing We Are the World, swigging a New Coke and wondering why it tastes so weird,” Parsons writes. “Good times, no doubt, but do we really want to relive them?”
“I know where I have to go if I want a real time machine. Apple has a long history of presenting its products as though they came from the future, and setting aside the actual merits of the products (as though Apple fanbois care about that), there’s no question that Steve can at least create the pleasant perfume of futurity,” Parsons writes.
MacDailyNews Take: Those who have never used a Mac cannot imagine what we Mac users already know and so they are reduced to fumbling about, blaming marketing, regurgitating myths and other nonsense. People who use both Macs and Windows overwhelmingly choose Macs. People who only use Windows overwhelmingly choose, er, Windows – while making all sorts of ignorant claims about Macs (read on).
Parsons continues, “I don’t know if you’re bored of the Apple/Microsoft thing. Lord knows I am, which is why it would have been so great if Vista had closed the gap between Apple’s boutique, expensive computers which often have trouble integrating into corporate environments, and PCs which are part of Microsoft’s enormous ecosystem of cheap and cheerless good-enough computers that for various historical reasons everyone has ended up having to use but no one particularly likes.”
MacDailyNews Take: Macs are actually less expensive than PCs of comparable specs. Just because Apple refuses to litter the market and handicap their customers with worthless, stripped-down, bottom-end $399 garbage PCs like Dell et al. does not make Macs “more expensive.” Apple Macs actually integrate quite well into corporate environments, but you have to actually have used a Mac to begin to know such a thing. Life’s too short to settle for what some deem to be “good enough” without ever actually trying the benchmark system to which they purport to be measuring “goodness” against. A tar paper shack in the desert seems “good enough” to someone who’s never been inside an actual house.
Parsons continues, “I use PCs running Microsoft software because I have to, in the same way I use the British transport system, with a heavy heart and a sense of foreboding. I’m beginning to wonder if this will ever change.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Gandalf” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: Mr. Parsons, you type opinions about things which you obviously know very little, if anything, mixed with statements that are unsupported by actual facts. You could use a Tandy TRS-80 or an IBM Selectric for that; you certainly don’t need Microsoft’s bloated junkware. It amazing what the average cretin thinks they need when it comes to personal computers, isn’t it? The real reason that Microsoft is “the very linchpin of its global business” is because of people like Parsons.
Only Apple Macintosh runs virtually all of the world’s software: Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. Only Apple Macintosh. All other PC makers’ machines run a smaller library of software than Apple’s Macintosh as they cannot run Mac OS X or Apple’s best-in-class Mac-only applications.
Any consumer who buys a non-Apple personal computer is clearly making a purchasing mistake and needlessly limiting themselves. Why settle? Do you really think that little of yourself? Aren’t you worth more than “good enough” (that in reality isn’t even “good enough”)? If so, get a Mac.
SEE ALSO:Apple Macs can run more software than Windows PCs – October 30, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006Digit: ‘Microsoft’s Windows Vista may be the best reason yet to buy an Apple Mac’ – January 29, 2007
Pioneer Press: Windows Vista shows ‘Apple is an innovation engine; Microsoft, not so much’ – January 29, 2007
Analyst: Microsoft’s Windows Vista could be an opportunity for Apple – January 26, 2007
CNET Reviews Windows Vista: Is that all? Clunky and not very intuitive vs. Mac OS X; warmed-over XP – January 24, 2007
Security firm: 38-percent of malware already Windows Vista-compatible – January 22, 2007
Mossberg: Microsoft’s Windows Vista offers lesser imitations of Apple’s Mac OS X features – January 18, 2007
Windows Vista disappointment drives longtime ‘Microsoft apologist’ to Apple’s Mac OS X – January 17, 2007
InformationWeek Review: Apple’s Mac OS X shines in comparison with Microsoft’s Windows Vista – January 06, 2007
NY Times’ Pogue reviews Microsoft’s Windows Vista: ‘Looks, Locks, Lacks’ – December 14, 2006
Forbes: Microsoft Windows Vista boss suffers from Mac envy – December 12, 2006
Windows chief Allchin 2004 email: I’d buy a Mac if I didn’t work for Microsoft – December 11, 2006
Unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista, Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard will create no new jobs – December 12, 2006
15-year Windows vet tries Apple Mac: ‘My God! This is amazing!’ – December 04, 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
Harvard Medical School CIO picks Mac OS X over Linux and Windows – November 30, 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
A Windows expert opts for a Mac life – November 06, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Vista is basically Microsoft’s version of Mac OS 9.3 – October 11, 2006
Embrace and Extinguish in action: TechIQ’s ‘The VAR Guy’ dumps Windows, switches to Mac OS X – September 25, 2006
Top Windows developer dumps Microsoft’s ‘pile of crap’ for Apple’s Mac OS X – September 12, 2006
$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard is 64-bit done right, unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista kludge – August 14, 2006
Microsoft Windows Vista: If you can’t innovate… try to impersonate Apple’s Mac OS X – August 10, 2006
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
Microsoft botches another copy job: Windows Vista Flip3D vs. Apple Mac OS X Exposé – June 26, 2006
Sydney Morning Herald Tech columnist dumps Microsoft Windows, switches to Apple Mac – June 13, 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
Bye-Bye Bill: another columnist dumps Windows for Apple Macintosh – January 20, 2005
Orlando Sentinel writer dumps Windows for Mac and writes ‘God bless Apple’ – January 16, 2005
IBM Fellow dumps Microsoft Windows XP, switches to Apple’s Mac OS X – September 02, 2004
jovial pc boy: “Oh so just because he doesn’t use a mac, he’s automatically a cretin?”
No, it’s because he doesn’t use a Mac, he only uses a PC and he’s spouting an opinion that suggests he’s had experience of both, which he obviously hasn’t.
That makes him a cretin in my book.
MDN’s take is right on.
Let’s take a closer look at Vista before bashing it or else Mac fans will be no better than Windows users who say, ‘Macs suck’ without ever using a Mac. And Apple should take the best things from Vista, improve upon them and add them to OS 10.6 =) Everyone benefits with a little competition between Vista, Linix and OS X.
Able to execute a simple search, but not able to read a simple article.
Hey, Keith Stern.
The fact that the Adobe Suite runs on an Intel Mac is a major engineering breakthrough, called Rosetta. The Adobe Suite is specifically coded to run on PowerPC Macs, and are not capable of running at all on an Intel Mac without emulation.
Rosetta is a brilliant job of allowing software that is old, dated, badly coded or made by intransient manufacturers (choose one or many to describe Adobe) to run seamlessly on an Intel Mac. If you want faster performance out of Rosetta, stack your Mac with RAM. You’ll see a significant difference in Rosetta-only Macs.
BTW, you should be railing against Adobe, not Apple on this one. Adobe had over three years warning to turn their code into a format that would allow ease of transition to Universal Binaries. They basically ignored the warnings and coded their apps for specific processors, against the recommendations of Apple. They are still doing so, with their upcoming release of Premiere, which will be Intel Only.
Somebody should light a fire under Adobe’s backside, or get Warnock back into the fold, or something. I love Adobe software, but they are driving me nuttier and nuttier lately.
MDN word = lead – as in – Lead, follow, or get out of the way.
Enlightened ITM,
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t try, and that’s great if you are able to pull it off. The fact remains, however, that most large companies will not want to finance an entire switch of their systems environment. It could be that intel Macs will make it a lot easier than in the past, but I still think that there will be fewer brave companies like yours than you think.
OOOps.
That should be “Rosetta-only apps.”
I need a proof reader
MDN word = indeed. How do they do that?
There is some truth to the point that Macs are hard to integrate into a corporate environment–they can’t use shared directories on Windows Server 2003. There is a commercial product that adds this ability. After you are connected, the Mac litters the other computers with invisible files that aren’t needed for anything. I have an AppleScript that cleans that up on my home network. Shouldn’t OS X be able to do both of these natively without add-ons? Perhaps Leopard will.
I was a beta tester, so I have had the final retail version of Vista. I’ve been using it about a month. My assessment: ho-hum.
People buy computers, not operating systems, and most of the ones for sale at, say, CompUSA run Windows–except for the three or four back in the Apple corner. Most of those who consciously choose an operating system want WIndows because that is what’s used at work or at school.
Windows is an enterprise operating system that Microsoft condescends to sell to consumers. Linux is for people who speak PERL as a native language. Macintosh is really the only good choice for a consumer or anyone who doesn’t have a system administrator.
If you want to liberate Windows users, can the chatter and take them to the Apple Store. Let them play with the computers. Point out to them that a customer can talk to a customer service rep (a genius) for free, face to face, without traveling to India.
@Keith
So your required applications are still PowerPC only, you cash out $3000 on an iMac (24″ screen, 750GB HD, and 3GB memory I suppose) and you complain about the speed of Rosetta? Duh, I mean buddy DUH!
And what is that “If they cost the same… I’d choose Mac”. I thought you had bought a $3000 iMac?
What do you mean with the “one word to say about the latest Macs: Rosetta”? Yeah, what about? Looks like you believe that is the intended way to work for intel Macs? Rosetta is just a transitional framework to allow you to run PowerPC applications on an intel Mac waiting for the Universal Binary version to be released. So you are complaining to have a way to run your old existing software instead of not being able to do it at all? So you’d prefer not to be able to run those applications? Makes no sense.
For your information, Photoshop for intel Mac has been released as Beta and it SCREAMS already.
To me Keith, the closest you have been to a Mac is greater that 10 miles and the lack of understanding you show (Rosetta as if it was something to complain about) about Macs screams TROOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL loud and clear.
are “Rosetta-only Macs.”
??????????????????????????????????????
There is NO SUCH A THING as a Rosetta-only Mac.
Keith Stern: “I have one word to say about the latest Macs: ROSETTA. I put my $700 Compaq laptop next to a $3000 iMAC and run a suite of 11 applications from Photoshop to Word. I load ’em each twice and the result: 88 seconds for the iMAC, 42 seconds for the Compaq. Hello. I have to work with both Mac and Windows machines — sure if they cost the same and offered all the same software I’d choose Mac hardware for its superior aesthetic design . . . but they don’t and from there it’s a no-brainer. Typical comparison: Symantec ACT vs. Now Contacts. Duh.:”
Pardon my French, but what f**king planet are you on?
You’re comparing native apps running in Windows to emulated apps running in the emulation environment of an IntelMac?
You do know what that means don’t you?
I feel you’re not telling us the truth – why have you bought Photoshop & Word for both Mac & PC? Who does that?
It seems to me you’ve had 10 minutes playtime with somebody elses Mac, tried to find something negative, couldn’t so decided to go down the route of loading times for Rosetta.
You say you ‘work’ with Mac and Windows machines, what ‘work’ is this exactly – f**king cleaning them?
ahh, you corrected to “Rosetta-only apps”.
Still, there is no “Rosetta-only apps”. There are PowerPC apps that have not been ported yet to intel Macs. That as well is a “no such a thing as a Rosetta-only apps”.
I know what you mean but it is misleading and gives the wrong information to people.
He certainly seems to dribble over the same crap which apparently he knows nothing about. He has to use Windows? No what he has to do is research the facts to know otherwise but he seems to ignorant for that apparently. Oh well his loss, loss of data that is when the attacks begin on the worthless upgrade to Vista.
The main question about Vista is will it substantially limit malware infection on PC’s. Period. If it will, then people will either upgrade their systems or buy new ones so they can look at a webpage and check their e-mails without their computer being owned part time by the Russian mob.
If it can’t, then Microsoft will continue to lose market share to Mac and Linux. And I’m sorry, but it won’t deserve to be the predominant operating system on the planet.
So far, the articles I’m reading suggests that Microsoft was more concerned with improving security for high-def content prodcuers against piracy than it was for protecting its customers.
Everything else is a secondary consideration: IE7, windows media player, the aero effect, etc. If I were Steve Ballmer, I’d take a page out of Bill Clinton’s playbook and put a banner up on every wall at the Redmond campus:
“It’s the malware, Stupid.”
If it can’t, then Microsoft will continue to lose market share to Mac and Linux. And I’m sorry, but it won’t deserve to be the predominant operating system on the planet.
@ Jovial PC Boy..
“…the Vista train is leaving the station and Uncle steve is going to need some ulcer med once Vista sales numbers start rolling in.”
Jovial is jovial because he’s got his WGA hacker crack, huh?
Tomorrow the torrents will be flooded with Vista and you’ll be able to hear the giant sucking sound as Vista and Microsoft’s sales numbers are flushed down the tubes.
Joe Wilcox writes: I can confirm the cracking tools are out there. I easily found Web links to torrents of the crack. Supposedly the software contains a VMware image and visual basic script that acts as a pseudo activation server for Windows Vista. The user obtains a Windows Vista image file–also available on torrents–and activates against the pseudo server.
Cori “Custer” Hartje, director of Microsoft’s Genuine Software Initiative is in denial and refuses to even acknowledge he has a problem.
WGA is idiotic and counterproductive and it seems Microsoft will never learn that fair-pricing is the only true anti-piracy prescription. 400 dollars for an OS! Pffffht!
This encapsulates the real IT world problem of Apple computers and its users:
” Apple’s boutique, expensive computers which often have trouble integrating into corporate environments”
Nobody could have said it better.
“Boutique Computers” = Toys (not real productivity tools — not in the real world)
“Expensive Computers” = Expensive Toys (Not what corporate IT will ever approve for deployment across the cast reaches of its corporate enterprise empires)
Does anybody imagine ever seeing the U.S. Army deploy Macs in the battlefield?
Does anybody can conceive of seeing a Mac at the Drivers License Bureau?
Can you even imagine seeing Macs on the desks of the loan officers at your neighborhood corner bank?
If the real world of soldiers, federal employees (with real world jobs) and medium and large company employees will never use Macs — why let your children use Macs?
If your children learn to use computers on Apple machines they will grow at a disadvantage to the children of parents who buy them Dells and HP PCs.
Future real world jobs, in the Army, the Drivers License Bureau, and at your corner community bank branch belong to the children learning to use Windows today.
Apple may be cool — like a drug — but it’s not the path that leads to jobs in the real world of American institutions, enterprises, and corporations.
Buy a copy of Windows Vista now and future-proof your real PC.
Not a a big surprise. The last time Microsoft made me say “Wow!” was the first time I saw Ballmer bouncing across the stage screaming.
However, there are places Apple needs to tighten up, like software updates. My sister was a lifelong Windows user, and just got a beautiful new MacBook last week. Yesterday afternoon Software Update pops up telling here that there’s a new Airport update, and she installed it – bang – no more wireless. After 4 hours of pulling out her hair trying to figure out what she did, she called me. I looked around on the Apple Discussion boards only to find dozens of other MacBook owners had the same problem. This kind of thing happens fairly regularly. I’ve never been affected by any bad updates, but lots have, and I’ve taken to waiting a few days before updating anything. I’m sure Apple will fix the problem soon, but in the mean time, my sister is stuck standing at the kitchen counter or using her old PC to get online. Not a good way to welcome people to the platform. They need to shore up their QA on software updates if they want people to continue switching.
What a petty-minded attack on a perfectly reasonable, lively column.
“Boutique Computers” = Toys (not real productivity tools — not in the real world)
Really? What do you suppose Blizzard uses? How about Aspyr? How about Apple? How about Adobe? I use Macs all the time for web development, programming, and game development. I guess I don’t live in the “real world”.
“Expensive Computers” = Expensive Toys (Not what corporate IT will ever approve for deployment across the cast reaches of its corporate enterprise empires)
Macs are not more expensive than PCs. Your lies are old.
“Does anybody imagine ever seeing the U.S. Army deploy Macs in the battlefield?”
Yes.
“Does anybody can conceive of seeing a Mac at the Drivers License Bureau?”
Yes, definitely.
“Can you even imagine seeing Macs on the desks of the loan officers at your neighborhood corner bank?”
Yup, I sure can. Someplace like BOA, definitely.
“If the real world of soldiers, federal employees (with real world jobs) and medium and large company employees will never use Macs — why let your children use Macs?”
There’s plenty of businesses that use Macs, especially small-to-medium-sized businesses.
“If your children learn to use computers on Apple machines they will grow at a disadvantage to the children of parents who buy them Dells and HP PCs.”
I thought being bi-lingual was a strength, not a weakness?
“Future real world jobs, in the Army, the Drivers License Bureau, and at your corner community bank branch belong to the children learning to use Windows today.”
And you presume that those are the only jobs that exist. Open your eyes a little, if you can.
I love reading these idiotic comments from the PC trolls in this thread!
Don’t you morons realize that most of us Mac users have the ability to run Windows Vista on our Intel Macs at the SAME TIME we are running OSX? I have been running the Beta for some time now. It doesn’t even come close to OSX “PANTHER” leave alone Tiger or Leopard. — XP PRO for all its boring features is still a far more useful Windows OS. Perhaps the final release will be more impressive, but I tend to doubt that will be the case.
What you clueless losers fail to grasp is that WE HAVE EXPERIENCE ON BOTH OPERATING SYSTEMS!
Why do you think Mac users win every single PC vs Mac argument every time? You may not agree that you lose every one, but when it comes to the facts of the matter, you clowns haven’t got dick.
You can’t loose a gunfight when your arrogant opponent shows up with empty clips every single time! LOL!!
Boutique Computers
It seems you don’t get out much. Macs are showing up in all the locations you mentioned, and in several contries.
I like getting my work done not deal with MS ineptitude.
The clown can’t imagine Apple in mission-critical situations? That’s a WOW! (not) On ther other hand, what’s really hard to imagine in a different way, is that the US Navy uses a supposedly “hardened” version of Doze for the Combat Information Centers on its warships. The future of the entire world rests on how “hardened” that non-commercial version really is. If a hacker gets through that, we’re all toast, literally.
It’s OK. MDN was probably suffering from short term memory loss when he wrote the last comment. Don’t forget MDN that this guy was saying Windows was crap And Apple is good. It would have been better for you to just offer suggestions of alternatives as to why he doesn’t have to use MS crap and encourage him to try those alternatives. Rather than getting defensive over the small portion of Apple negativety. Mind you. I am usually just as defensive over Apple so I can’t really talk eh!!!
We all have to remember that Windows users suffer from Cognitive Dicconance and Stockholm Syndrome and live and let live eh!!!
MDN: It’s *Radio Shack* TRS-80 — starting with the TRS-80 Model I (cira 1975 or ’76). The line included the I, II, III, 4, 4p, 12, 16, and 6000. They didn’t start using the *Tandy* name until the Tandy 2000 (circa 1983) when they dropped both the Radio Shack and the TRS-80.
(Okay, the 6000 may have been a Tandy 6000 rather than a Radio Shack TRS-80 6000, I really can’t remember now.)
After being a windows user for 16 years, I bought my first Mac last week. I’m astonished at how it easy it was to set up the wireless portion. I DID NOTHING, other then just tell the router password.
Then, I installed Parallels and put XP on it because I have some programs for which there are no OSX counterparts.
I spent a good part of the week-end moving files from the old computer to Mac and exploring OSX. I thought one example, though trivial, shows how far ahead Apple is of MS. In the screen saver sectioh, there’s an RSS feed screen saver with rotating fallling text and you can press a button to launch the story. Pretty damn cool.
See how easily former XP users can be impressed? What will happen when I start discovering the really awesome stuff?!
In the meantime, I am going to make my mission to convert our small office to Mac. I will point out the XP/Parallels crutch is available, if needed. I ask all readers of this board to convert those who are still practicing dinosaur computing, but to so in non-threatening and non-judgmental way.
As an AAPL stock holder, I am also certain that Apple will gain significant share as all these ipod using college students enter the work force and buy their first computers. I’m pretty sure a MAJORITY will be buying Mac which is why I think Apple is an excellent long term hold.
-Converted (and damn glad)
@gagravaar
“You’re comparing native apps running in Windows to emulated apps running in the emulation environment of an IntelMac? You do know what that means don’t you?”
It means I’m running the latest and greatest currently available software/hardware from Mac vs. a year-old Compaq. And the Compaq is running circles around it. When Universal apps — aren’t they a bit overdue? — are available I’ll compare them.