Microsoft CEO sets benchmark as "Apple experience"

[Partial]

I'm sure they are interested in learning how to train trendy youth into paying twice as much as they need to for any given technology.

tee hee. Way to comment and ignore that Microsoft has even accepted that OS X and the Apple Experience is FAR superior than anything Microsoft has put out.

Far superior...? ha ha ha....that's just downright funny Partial. Stop being such a total fanboy and look at the reality of the situation. They both have some very good products and some not so good products. The only reason Apple is alive today is becasue of the ipod and the fact that they got smart and copied Microsquish and started supporting intel hardware. Flattery is smart business.

I remember the days when Gates and friends kept Apple afloat because he knows that competition and innovation are good for the business.

Copied microsoft?!?

PowerPC chips were superior chips when IBM was putting money into them.

Then, the video game market exploded and IBM stopped trying to get a G5 into a laptop. Apple switched to Intel at this point and for that reason alone.

Apple had some rough years, no doubt, but since Steve came back they have grown at a rapid rate while pumping out really high quality products.

See the post on the closed system. Microsoft is going to be competing with open source where as Apple is not. Cost trimming and linux improvement will someday lead to linux workstations for your average office worker.

Apple is not going to be competing with open source? How so?

Closed system. If you want Apple hardware or software legally and don't want to jump through hoops, you're buying a 25% profit machine from Apple.

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They are growing extremely fast.

In the business world? No. They still can't manage a 10% market share.

In the bedrooms of spoiled teenagers across the US? Yes. Apple has managed to make Macs hip, trendy, and cool. But they aren't going to win the battle against Microsoft in the bedrooms of teenagers.

They are going EXTREMELY fast. What crack are you smoking? They're the fastest growing pc manufacturer and they are now #3. Apple has over 20 billion dollars cash on hand. How many other companies can claim that? It's just the beginning for Apple, too.

They're not interested in that battle. You people just don't get it. If they were interested in selling a billion systems like Microsoft and having to support a million different configurations, they'd sell the OS stand alone at a significantly decreased markup.

Apple is intersted in selling machines at a steady growth rate at 25% profit instead of being like dell and having a 1-2% profit.

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As could Apple learn some things from Microsoft.

Such as???

I cannot think of one thing that Microsoft does better than Apple from a user or stock owner perspective.

How about outselling MS 30 to 1? Might be a nice change.

Or not being narrow and complete..ie, niche.

See above. Apple could sell the OS stand alone or license it to Dell and others and they'd catch up with Microsoft in a matter of years. They're not interested in doing that, though.

Here's a good article for little dog BH.

In the past year, Apple stock has been +115%, vs Microsoft +7%. Over the last five years, Apple stock has been +2270%, vs Microsoft +21%. And in the last ten years, Apple stock has been +4314%, vs Microsoft +89%. Those extraordinary statistics emerged during the week as the blogger community discussed the relative merits of money invested in Apple versus the same amount invested in Microsoft.

Microsoft has 80,000 employees, +95% market share, and competes in businesses outside of Apple, which only has 18,000 employees and ~3% worldwide market share.

However, Apple is bringing in more than a third of Microsoft's revenues and making more than a quarter of Microsoft's profits, and is selling new Macs - which eat up direct sales of Windows PCs - four times faster than the industry.

All in all things are looking good for Steve Jobs.

It's from Time. Oct. 29, 2007 05:00 AM

[BallHawk]

If Apple isn't intersted in the battle they will never win the battle. And if they never win the battle they'll never be the power that Microsoft is, or even close to it.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Microsoft has been stealing good ideas from Apple since the dawn of the PC. Snore.

[3irty1]

See the post on the closed system. Microsoft is going to be competing with open source where as Apple is not. Cost trimming and linux improvement will someday lead to linux workstations for your average office worker.

This I don't buy. Linux workstations would be cheap, secure, and make a ton of sense for businesses that have enough IT to do self support on free software but It's a long shot that many corporations could make a huge shift like this. Not enough critical commercial software is cross platform. Even in the cases where all productivity software is usable under linux, most corporations are dependent on Outlook for much more than email. Linux is likely to always be more trouble than its worth. American business still runs quarter to quarter.

[SkinBasket]

Cost trimming and linux improvement will someday lead to linux workstations for your average office worker.

That's one of the dumbest thoughts you've had in some time. Not in theory, but in practicality. But really dumb regardless.

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See the post on the closed system. Microsoft is going to be competing with open source where as Apple is not. Cost trimming and linux improvement will someday lead to linux workstations for your average office worker.

This I don't buy. Linux workstations would be cheap, secure, and make a ton of sense for businesses that have enough IT to do self support on free software but It's a long shot that many corporations could make a huge shift like this. Not enough critical commercial software is cross platform. Even in the cases where all productivity software is usable under linux, most corporations are dependent on Outlook for much more than email. Linux is likely to always be more trouble than its worth. American business still runs quarter to quarter.

In the future it will be. OO is pretty much completely compatible with Microsoft Office. Eclipse is linux native. There are plenty of email clients that do the same things as Outlook or Lotus. Give it about 10 years.

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Cost trimming and linux improvement will someday lead to linux workstations for your average office worker.

That's one of the dumbest thoughts you've had in some time. Not in theory, but in practicality. But really dumb regardless.

Why? Care to actually include some input on why its dumb?!? Have you actually used a recent linux distro? Ubuntu is far superior to Windows currently in security, ease of use, ease of installation, and ease of set-up for drivers, software, etc.

[Partial]

If Apple isn't intersted in the battle they will never win the battle. And if they never win the battle they'll never be the power that Microsoft is, or even close to it.

THEY DON'T WANT TO BE. YOU CANNOT BE THAT BIG AND HAVE GOOD QUALITY. THAT IS THE POINT. THEY MAKE OODLES AND OODLES OF CASH.

[Zool]

Good thing you're not a fanboy.

[3irty1]

See the post on the closed system. Microsoft is going to be competing with open source where as Apple is not. Cost trimming and linux improvement will someday lead to linux workstations for your average office worker.

This I don't buy. Linux workstations would be cheap, secure, and make a ton of sense for businesses that have enough IT to do self support on free software but It's a long shot that many corporations could make a huge shift like this. Not enough critical commercial software is cross platform. Even in the cases where all productivity software is usable under linux, most corporations are dependent on Outlook for much more than email. Linux is likely to always be more trouble than its worth. American business still runs quarter to quarter.

In the future it will be. OO is pretty much completely compatible with Microsoft Office. Eclipse is linux native. There are plenty of email clients that do the same things as Outlook or Lotus. Give it about 10 years.

Well anything can happen in 10 years. I think the strongest chance of this coming true is in cross platform software not linux programs to replace other programs. A company that already chooses to use software like eclipse, pro/e, Eagle, etc on Windows will be the ones that can potentially switch. Lotus notes is already cross platform too. Lotus notes is also a complete piece of shit. We use it at work and as much as we'd love to switch to Outlook we just can't because of all the collaborative software and custom shit that's been developed over the years. Its way more than an email client. To my knowledge there is nothing that can do what Outlook can do as well as Outlook can do it.

[BallHawk]

If Apple isn't intersted in the battle they will never win the battle. And if they never win the battle they'll never be the power that Microsoft is, or even close to it.

THEY DON'T WANT TO BE. YOU CANNOT BE THAT BIG AND HAVE GOOD QUALITY. THAT IS THE POINT. THEY MAKE OODLES AND OODLES OF CASH.

So Apple cares more about making good products than making more money?

Yeah. Sure.

[bobblehead]

You guys crack me up. They are different companies with different mission statements. They aren't really competing. I like what apple is doing. They have a vision of the future and are working towards it....mainstream. Microsoft simply defines the present and dominates it. Nothing wrong with either model.

[3irty1]

You guys crack me up. They are different companies with different mission statements. They aren't really competing. I like what apple is doing. They have a vision of the future and are working towards it....mainstream. Microsoft simply defines the present and dominates it. Nothing wrong with either model.

Have you not seen the anti Windows "I'm a Mac. I'm a PC." commercials? Pretty sure Apple is doing their best to compete with Microsoft.