“Vista’s user interface suffers from more ‘friction’ than its predecessor XP, a French analyst said today, and is actually a step back for Microsoft Corp. in its pursuit of Apple Inc.’s Mac OS X,” Gregg Keizer reports for Computerworld.
Keizer reports, “In a reprise of research published last year, French analyst Andreas Pfeiffer oversaw testing of what he calls ‘User Interface Friction,’ the fluidity and/or reactivity of an operating system to commands. He likens UIF to the reaction — fast or not — when stepping on a car’s accelerator. ‘We realized that there are many things you don’t easily capture when you do normal benchmarking, such as elements in the user interface that slow down the user,’ Pfeiffer explained.”
Keizer reports, “Among the tests run last year — when Pfeiffer matched up Windows XP against Mac OS X — and this year, when he added Vista, were benchmarks that quantified menu latency, common desktop chores, and precise mouse positioning.”
“‘Windows XP was a major step forward from Windows 98, but Vista is back to where 98 was,’ Pfeiffer said… In every benchmark, Windows scored significantly poorer than Mac OS X, which is far more ‘fluid’ than Microsoft’s OSes, according to Pfeiffer,” Keizer reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Looks like times are tough in the business of faking Macs. And it’s about to get much tougher.
Related articles:
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The Register reviews Microsoft’s Windows Vista: ‘Don’t buy it’ – February 20, 2007
Forbes: ‘Windows Vista utterly unimaginative, internally discordant and woefully out of tune’ – February 09, 2007
Digit: Don’t buy Vista; Microsoft may be driving millions to stick with XP or move to Apple Mac – February 05, 2007
TIME Magazine: Microsoft’s Windows Vista ‘an embarassment to the good name of American innovation’ – February 02, 2007
Microsoft’s Windows Vista: Five years for a chrome-plated turd – January 30, 2007
Digit: ‘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
Windows Vista disappoints, so get a Mac – January 29, 2007
CNET Reviews Windows Vista: Is that all? Clunky and not very intuitive vs. Mac OS X; warmed-over XP – January 24, 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
Dave Winer: ‘Microsoft isn’t an innovator, and never was – they are always playing catch-up’ – December 01, 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
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
Vista in the same league as Win98…. LOL, what an improvement!
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An interesting comparison, that of stepping on a car accelerator, but highly accurate. One of the most frustrating things in my usage of Windows computers has been startups, of which there are many. Until that QuickLaunch bar in the bottom right has done loading all its stuff, forget about opening or getting anything done at any reasonable rate of speed. Not so on my Tiger. Startups are quick, and once I log in I can get started immediately.
Microsoft truly does get in the way of productivity.
I’m continually amazed at how little (or no) progress M$ made in the 5 years between XP and Vista.
Haha man what are they to think when “Leopard” come out??
The “Huh?” starts now.
Dell: User is inspecting C/Drive, Cancel or Allow?
MS: Allow.
Dell: User double clicked document, Cancel or Allow?
M$: Standby, examining content … Allow.
Dell: User clicked Google link, Cancel or Allow?
M$: Standby, examining MSN content … not found … requesting MSN indexing….
Dell: User clicked Google link again, Cancel or Allow?
M$: Oh, I almost forgot, Allow!
Dell: User kicked me. Engaging TiltBits, Cancel or Allow?
M$: Cancel, cancel!
Dell: I’m flying out the window! Mayday, mayday! PC going down! Request…
M$: Cancel! No, Allow! Allow! Oh f…!
My wallet is itchy for Leopard.
gribbet
Stepping on an accelerator or stepping into a steaming pile?
I wouldn’t point out latency. The Mac UI is a bit sluggish- even on good HW. I have had good HW G4-G5-CoreDuo and can tell you that it’s not where it should be.
I really don’t care about Windows, which I only use when paid to, but the Mac UI is still not what it should be. Better than 10.0-10.3, but not where it should be on good HW.
And for you lucky dogs smart enough to buy:
Windows® XP Home, XP Pro, XP Media 2005 +, Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate Build 6000
There’s the new NORTON 360 ! ! ! Woohoo!
It’s anti-virus, anti-phishing, extra firewall protection, PC tune-up and MORE!
Said Symantec, “We didn’t want to make it a big old kitchen sink.”
So, they’re selling you lucky Windows suckers a big, NEW kitchen sink!
Because Vista is bulletproof.
Unfortunately, bullets aren’t the problem. But they could be part of the solution.
I have a home for 2 Macs, 1 Airport extreme, 1 airtunes all awaiting the arrival of Leopard.
Begging for a March 24 Launch.
Magic Word…’comes’…We all hope the Mac refresh and Leopard comes very soon.
“I wouldn’t point out latency. The Mac UI is a bit sluggish- even on good HW. I have had good HW G4-G5-CoreDuo and can tell you that it’s not where it should be.
I really don’t care about Windows, which I only use when paid to, but the Mac UI is still not what it should be. Better than 10.0-10.3, but not where it should be on good HW.”
I totally agree.
“Vista’s user interface suffers from more ‘friction’ than its predecessor XP”
That’s because it’s ribbed. For them.
“In Vista, a folder fades in, as if it appears out of nothing. It looks great, but after 10 times you realize you’re losing time waiting for that.”
The result of choosing form over function and proffering gimmicks to capture mindshare.
How many creatures in nature have developed an extremely attractive “hook” designed lull its prey into a hypnotic trance and who, when caught looking, are stabbed and paralyzed, or swallowed whole?
Ever notice how more and more print and online pubs are putting down Vista???
Yea, they have always complained about MS stuff, about how it bombs, has problems, etc but it seems like they are really just saying how crappy it is, this time.
Like a huge ship at sea, the change in course is small at first, but it marks a different direction. One away from Microsoft.
Just my thoughs.
N.
OS X has its fair share of latency issues. My pet peeve is how slow the “Save” dialog boxes scroll (window shade) roll down. IMO, they should be there, “BAM”, when I hit cmd-S. Instead they come down slow enough to watch. Do it several times in short succession and it is very annoying.
Fortuneately there are utilities such as TweakFreak (disclaimer: I just use it) that can set the speed of the dialog box display. It still ahs to have a delay, but I can make the delay small enough as to be almost unnoticeable.
Shame on Apple for 1) making it so slow in the first place and 2) not providing the means for all users to easlily adjust the speed. Apple made eye-candy over function there
Is it really so difficult to operate a copyer? Especially when you have billions of dollars at your disposal.
M$ should just give up and give the money back to the share holders before they blow it all.
WOW.
Microsoft. You’re waiting. Our interface.
Should we be expecting an update to the Leopard GUI? Bring it in line with iTunes? More black glass instead of blue glass?
Anyone?
Looking forward to seeing Leopard.
Why this windows article is of interest to us non-windows users I have no idea.
A mate of mine who is extremely tech-savy (works in the web developement industry) installed Vista on his business laptop, which had 4 partitions and 90gb of free harddrive space available on it and guess what?…
Vista installed itself across ALL 4 partions and used up all 90gb of free harddrive space!
To say he was pissed off was an understatement!
I don’t know what is wrong with Vista, but Microsoft obviously never tested it on a standard retail Sony Vio with a multiple partitioned hardrive.
He had to wipe all his partitions as there were system files all over the place.
When he did finally get it working the 1st thing he said was “it looks lik Mac OS X” and the 2nd thing he then said was “I knew I should have just bought a mac”.
Great job Microsoft!! – Let’s now see Vista totally fuckup a global organisation’s it inferstructure!
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!
dont’ you think MS has these kinds of tests already? it makes me think they either knew this already or this report is complete bs.
just a thought.
when you consider the amount of testing they pour into things like fonts and visibility etc, you think they didn’t test this kind of shit on their new OS? Come on..
Good research – I’m glad someone else is drawing attention to this issue, which always appeared to me to be universally ignored.
Microsoft aside…
What Keiser calls “User Interface Friction” I’ve always referred to as an interface’s “Action”. Any guitarists out there will know straight away that this qualifies the relationship between the parts of the instrument which – when got right – result in the whole thing not being an obstacle to a user whatever his or her ability and style of use.
The fact is, OS X still has NOWHERE NEAR the sleek, refined, greased-lightning “action” that OS 9 had. I’ve said on other Mac sites that OS X is looks like a Porche and drives like a Bread Delivery Truck – whereas OS 9 is exactly the opposite. And – even on Tiger – I’m reminded of this fact every time I dip back into the Classic environment for a while.
BTW I’m speaking here about both systems performances when they are working, so the discussion only gets side-tracked when the different issue of overall stability is brought in.
I worry that it is the eye-candy that Apple heap onto OS X which is the main culprit in this matter – and that’s why I’d much prefer the option of a more basic-looking system which retains the wonderful, speedy, action OS 9 had.
I don’t know HOW many PC users have told me that the Mac has too much fluff in their interface. Dancing apllication icons in the dock, swirling windows,blah blah etc… They use PC’s to-get-real-work-done!! Those same people must be in a dilemma. They now have similar fluff but it is much slower. I wonder if they will no longer be able to get-real-work-done?