Apple’s vice president of OS X worldwide product marketing, Brian Croll, slapped Microsoft’s Windows 7 verbally in an interview published today by the Daily Telegraph, slamming the new OS as ‘complex and expensive’.
"Windows users are really tired of all the headaches that they've been getting over the years, starting all the way back from Windows Me to NT to Vista and now Windows 7," he said. "As a result, I think people are looking for something different, and the Mac offers real ease of use, stability and security."
Noting, as Phil Schiller did earlier, that upgrading to Windows is a complex process, he suggested Windows users, particularly those on XP machines, may see this as the right time to switch to Mac.
“Windows 7 is still just Windows. It doesn't change a lot. It's still complex, it's still really expensive when you look at the cost of the upgrade, and there's still security concerns," he said.
He also observes the operating system’s lack of essential functions you just get with a Mac - no Mail, no chat, no image management solutions are included, he says, meaning Windows users don’t just have to pay one of Microsoft’s many prices to get hold of the software, but have to find a solution for such common tasks all by themselves as well. It’s a lot of “headache”, he notes.
With all this, the Apple VP said, “We believe we can get even more people moving over”.
He makes lots of other points, too, but to see them all you’ll have to pop across to the Telegraph’s website, over here.
(Image used dates from Macworld Tokyo 2002, by the way, hence the old flowerpot iMac).
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Yeah......*sigh*....yeah I suppose.
But Apple is still not going to be able to do much to damper the Windows 7 launch today.
Windows 7 is going to have their day.
If Apple wants to damper any Windows 7 momentum the best way to do that is to shut up with the embarassing "Don't buy windows 7 talk" and instead continue to work on great products.
Get the OSX 11 project finished complete with hardware based on that 3D hologrpahic display interface patent we all saw a while back Mr. Jobs!
Apple should pound on the XP
Apple should pound on the XP to Win7 upgrade path:
Step 1: Completely erase your hard drive and have a backup copy of all your data
Step 2: Find all your original program install discs.
Step 3: Install your new $300 Windows 7 disc.
Step 4: Reinstall everything, download 5 years of patches and upgrades on your previous programs and re-purchase your programs that were download only since you cannot remember your user ID and password from the sites where they were purchased.
Time to completion: 1-2 days
Total cost to upgrade: $300 on up.
The joy of staying on a 25 year-old platform: Priceless...literally.....
Ok, im a big mac guy but the
Ok, im a big mac guy but the only valid thing you said was the cost of upgrading. If you are going to call windows 7 25 years old then OSX is even older because of its BSD roots.
Reformatting is the best way to upgrade. I do it that way every time with mac os. I use Carbon Copy Cloner and clone my current drive to a back up, reformat reinstall, pull all my data over, then reinstall all my apps. Takes about 3 hours after the back up finishes, which can take a while as my hard drive is usually around 85% full. Would take the same amount of time in windows.
Jim
Heck, I upgraded from Tiger
Heck, I upgraded from Tiger to Leopard to Snow Leopard. I could have wiped-and-reinstalled, but I didn't.
No issues, and it was as easy as popping in the DVD, choosing the default language of "English", and clicking "upgrade".
No app re-installs, and all in 40 minutes.
Your choice to do it differently is merely your choice. Sadly, most Windows 7 upgraders will only have the choice of wipe, install OS, re-install apps, and restore user data.
"no Mail, no chat, no image
"no Mail, no chat, no image management solutions are include"
Microsoft would get sued if they included these things, something about being "anti-competitive". So maybe Apple should start getting sued for these things and we'll see what they say about Microsoft not including those things.
For chat, I use Windows Live Messenger (it's free)
For mail, I use Mozilla Thunderbird (although I could use Outlook because I have Office 2007)
There is an image management solution included... so he is just lying here.
he's saying that for mail you
he's saying that for mail you might buy outlook which is part of office 2007 and have to pay the office 2007 price as compared to lets say an iWork price. not only that but there is office 2010 just around the corner. if everyone buys office 2007 for their windows 7 machine, woops another upgrade and another 300 out the door for another version of office. another thing is that the average computer user will have to go out and find their own software for their own needs. there might be those who download viruses accidentally and then they have another problem. IMO microsoft would do better if 1) removed dll and registry 2) lowered prices for all of their products. (office and OS). and 3) stop with the annoying patches, alerts (go buy antivirus, go buy spyware, etc), and stuff like that. don;t take me wrong, i love windows 7 compared to other versions but microsoft could just do so much better with the time they have without being greedy and giving us a non polished up product. last thing i want to comment about is versions. they could easily combine home premium and home professional into just windows home edition. and ultimate is fine, but who needs all the extra stuff in it? just a summary, windows could do better, so why don't they.
As stated earlier... because
As stated earlier... because they are greedy!
that is why they don't do better- MS has the whole PC world by the B*!!'s and they know it so they can do whatever they want and charge for C/S etc to help you with their crappy OS when it F's up! I only stay with them because of my software base is expensive to replace to Apple.
Which Sucks for me..... If I fell into at least 4k I would switch in a heart beat-- still using XP at this time.
Although I am a Mac user, I
Although I am a Mac user, I love windows because I get paid for upgrading and fixing the Windows desktops of my employer. The more crap, the more overtime pay I earn.
You can't imagine the hours Ive spent just downgrading new PCs to XP. Next I'll be upgrading them to W7. All that backup/install/restore will take a good 4 hours per PC!
Sorry, but that's just the way it is. IT will never leave PC, as you'd never get fired for going Microsoft, and your dept gets more people and money. Win-Win.
So can anyone tell what Mac
So can anyone tell what Mac alternative to MSPaint comes shipped with MacosX??
who uses MSPaint anymore
who uses MSPaint anymore these days? i know i haven't touched it since grade school.
A whole lot of people use it
A whole lot of people use it every day.
I use it everyday to paste in a picture, edit it and paste it into an email to show someone something. It's there, why use something else when it is not needed...
Folks, the MacOSX equivalent
Folks, the MacOSX equivalent is "Preview". You can select an image or a screenshot, copy it "option-C", open up Preview, and choose "New" - picture is there. It then has annotate functions like Oval, Rectangle, Text, etc. to do all the same things Paint does. And it can not just save to an image, but to something useful like PDF, for example. You can add notes to it (like an annotated PDF).
Can it do "spray can"? No. whoopeee...
Folks, the MacOSX equivalent
Folks, the MacOSX equivalent is "Preview". You can select an image or a screenshot, copy it "option-C", open up Preview, and choose "New" - picture is there. It then has annotate functions like Oval, Rectangle, Text, etc. to do all the same things Paint does. And it can not just save to an image, but to something useful like PDF, for example. You can add notes to it (like an annotated PDF).
Can it do "spray can"? No. whoopeee...
Oh snap, how could we forget
Oh snap, how could we forget about such an incredibly useful program like Paint? Perhaps it's because OSX includes iPhoto (which beats the crap out of Windows Photo Gallery), iMovie (even when Widnows Movie Maker was included, it wasn't nearly as good), iDvd, iCalendar, iTunes (far superior to Windows Media Player) and of course native support for dealing with archived/zipped files and native PDF viewing. That's not to mention the massive amount of Developer tools that are available for free to Mac users. Does Windows let you have Visual Studio Pro for free?
And of course one of Windows 7's best new features, the new and improved task bar, doesn't resemble in any way shape or form the Dock which has been included in OSX since the first release, right? Not to mention that if I really missed Paint, I could just boot into Windows XP on my BootCamp partition and paint away to my heart's content.
Yes, I get Visual Studio for
Yes, I get Visual Studio for free. Microsoft treats its developers far better than Apple does, don't you forget that.
Microsoft gave me Visual Studio 2005 and 2008 Professional for free.
Since when? The best I see
Since when? The best I see offered is a 90 day demo period. As a computer science student I can get a free download of Visual Studio Pro through my university, but otherwise I'd be paying hundreds of dollars. Plus, having used Visual Studio Pro and the Max OSX developer tools, I much prefer the Mac tools which are FREE to everyone, not just a select group.
Oh snap, how could we forget
Oh snap, how could we forget about such an incredibly useful program like Paint? Perhaps it's because OSX includes iPhoto (which beats the crap out of Windows Photo Gallery), iMovie (even when Widnows Movie Maker was included, it wasn't nearly as good), iDvd, iCalendar, iTunes (far superior to Windows Media Player) and of course native support for dealing with archived/zipped files and native PDF viewing. That's not to mention the massive amount of Developer tools that are available for free to Mac users. Does Windows let you have Visual Studio Pro for free?
And of course one of Windows 7's best new features, the new and improved task bar, doesn't resemble in any way shape or form the Dock which has been included in OSX since the first release, right? Not to mention that if I really missed Paint, I could just boot into Windows XP on my BootCamp partition and paint away to my heart's content.
Get over it!!
I am always amazed at the passion be have for their computers. Don’t you understand and the competition is essential and it makes each company better. As an recently convert to apple and a consumer I want Microsoft to make a better product. I want pressure on apple to make better and cheaper products. Because if they don’t you end of with new ipod touches without camera’s and delayed cut copy and paste on the iphone.
In addition, I would say apple is not perfect, that is clear. However, most people who knock them really have never tried to use one for a while. Since switching I have spend less time maintaining, waiting, reinstalling, defragmenting, organizing and more time working. The best part is if I have a tech question and call apple I speak to someone in the US and I have no problem understanding what they are saying.
So I say bring on the driod, bring on Win 7 because in the end we all win.
Mac vs PC
I am always amazed at the passion be have for their computers. Don’t you understand and the competition is essential and it makes each company better. As an recently convert to apple and a consumer I want Microsoft to make a better product. I want pressure on apple to make better and cheaper products. Because if they don’t you end of with new ipod touches without camera’s and delayed cut copy and paste on the iphone.
In addition, I would say apple is not perfect, that is clear. However, most people who knock them really have never tried to use one for a while. Since switching I have spend less time maintaining, waiting, reinstalling, defragmenting, organizing and more time working. The best part is if I have a tech question and call apple I speak to someone in the US and I have no problem understanding what they are saying.
So I say bring on the driod, bring on Win 7 because in the end we all win.
Say what?
He says "essential functions you just get with a Mac - no Mail, no chat, no image management solutions are included"
But the fact is, they are all completely FREE and easy to install downloads in the windows live essentials suite.
http://download.live.com/
And Snow Leopard doesn't include these either. They aren't built in to the OS. They come as a separate iHome bundle which Apple SELLS for a FEE seprately. However does come free when you buy a new computer.
So he's wrong. Windows does include these things for free just as Apple does. It's a download, not a disk.
I've used these free tools. I actually prefer some of them over what I get from iHome on my Mac.
The upgrade process is a killer, though. Unless you go through the effort using the migration tool, you have to re-install everything completely.
You do know that iHome is an
You do know that iHome is an alarm clock dock for an iPod right?
Most new Macs come with iLife, but even still, iChat and Mail.app are included for free, with the OS.
Mean iLife
I meant iLife, not iHome. Got my wires crossed there.
The point is chat and mail are free. They were intentionally decoupled from the OS DVD like a lot of things, and are a free download component. You don't even have to buy the OS to get them for free, but if you do, it's an easy update right in the OS.
The point is, they are included for FREE contrary to his claims. Unlike some of the things he mentioned that are not free with retail copy of MacOS (only when you buy the computer and now we're talking about new PC sales, not Windows 7 Retail.)
There is this concept that the Mac comes with more programs and tools out of the box than Windows. That really hasn't been my experience.
I will give Apple this. The include exchange support for free in the OS. How's that for irony.
Mean iLife
I meant iLife, not iHome. Got my wires crossed there.
The point is chat and mail are free. They were intentionally decoupled from the OS DVD like a lot of things, and are a free download component. You don't even have to buy the OS to get them for free, but if you do, it's an easy update right in the OS.
The point is, they are included for FREE contrary to his claims. Unlike some of the things he mentioned that are not free with retail copy of MacOS (only when you buy the computer and now we're talking about new PC sales, not Windows 7 Retail.)
There is this concept that the Mac comes with more programs and tools out of the box than Windows. That really hasn't been my experience.
I will give Apple this. The include exchange support for free in the OS. How's that for irony.
I really like both platforms
I am now gearing up to buy my first mac. i have been using a friends for a while. But honestly I love all of my WinBoxes also, I just use them for different things. I hate when Windows users attach macs as much as i hate mac users attacking windows. just use what you like. i also don't understand why mac users want to increase their marketshare on the desktop and laptop scheme. That will just lead to a plague of issues like that claimed from windows users. Part of apples ability to deliver such a refined product is the fact that they design for a small audience. I just feel like mac users should steer everyone away from the product to maintain exclusivity. And please i realize the obvious problem with this thought I just feel like if someone thinks apple is a pile of crap let them feel that way, they probably own an iPod anyway.
Here's your "missing" Mail,
Here's your "missing" Mail, chat, and image management solutions. No Windows 7 purchase necessary, but you can install from the control panel.
http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/2145/liveessentials.png
Messenger, Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Family Safety, Toolbar
Be it anything...Windows
Be it anything...Windows Rocks....And for all those MACguys out there..........windows is windows
Mac vc pc
Be it anything...Windows Rocks....And for all those MACguys out there..........windows is windows
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