Copying Apple: For Microsoft “It Just Works”

Recently Fortune published a nice article in which Jim Allchin, in between jabs at Apple, extolled the virtues of the possibly upcoming Longhorn Operating System. What differentiates Jim Allchin’s opinions from the rest of computerland is that Mr Allchin has plenty of stroke at Microsoft, he’s the Vice President in charge of Platforms (I have no idea what that title means but I bet his paycheck has a lot of zeros on it). Serious annoyances Longhorn will address according to the Fortune article include:

Moving a laptop between networks is not as easy as it should be.
DVD’s don’t autoplay full screen when inserted
Manual defragmenting of the hard drive is annoying
64 bit compatability
Better search capabilities

Upon reading the collection of concerns and realizing that all of the issues are addressed in OSX one naturally wonders “It’s going to take ANOTHER year and a half to recompile Tiger for x86 architecture?” On the other hand none of this is exactly unexpected, Microsoft has been copying Apple to one extent or another for quite some time. Perhaps copying Apple is a bit too strong of a term. After all Microsoft would, with a straight face, opine that they weren’t co opting Apple’s innovations in any meaningful way rather they were just responding to customer demands. They would further contend that there is a natural confluence of features desired by the end user and thusly neither company is doing anything more than capitulating to wants and needs of the end user.

The argument does seem to have certain plausibility when superficially examined. Placing the thesis under a bit more scrutiny we note that the logic is soon left as tattered and useless as unpatched Windows system connected directly to the internet. For the argument to ring true one would have to believe that consumers were the ultimate incubator of all innovation, that is to say that until consumers demanded some previously unheard of feature or some enhanced functionality the technology would remain unavailable. This is true in some instances (better hard drive searching capabilities) and patently absurd in others (consumers didn’t want a myriad of ports replaced by USB). It is, in fact, the case that sometimes consumer’s desires result in product enhancements but it is equally as true that Apple often innovates well ahead of demand by consumers. Witness the glory that is Airport. The technology had been around for some time but Apple slapped it in an iBook and the wireless revolution was well and truly begun. Was there a previous clamoring by end users for the ability to surf the web 50 feet away from a phone jack? No, there was not, people were conditioned to keep themselves within cords length of the wall jack. In essence Apple innovated a solution for a demand that didn’t yet exist.

Once the notion that Apple and Microsoft are merely reactionary in development is dismissed we can return to where we began. Is Microsoft systematically copying Apple? At this point the case would seem well and truly decided but perhaps it is just some small part of Microsoft unconsciously parroting the operating systems rolling out of Cupertino on a seemingly regular basis. That behavior would certainly be understandable, computer programmers for both Apple and Microsoft receive similar educations presumably using the same text books and listen to similar user complaints…well that last part is untrue, Apple programmers don’t hear much about viruses and malware. In any event if there were only a bit more to this copying stuff, if only there was some example besides program features one could point to, then we could definitively say that Apple was indeed high on Microsoft’s radar and was likely blazing the way for future Microsoft products. This is the opportune moment to relate a direct quote from the article:

“It just works”

If one was previously unaware of the source of this quote would likely assume the quote is one of Apple’s failed marketing slogans (which it is) but with prior knowledge that the quote is from the aforementioned article we realize that it is not just another stillborn Mac advertising slogan, it is a now a fully glorified Microsoft mantra. Way to think outside the box Redmond dwellers.

This is the point where many people would begin a diatribe against Microsoft for blatantly swiping not only Apple’s operating system innovations but their marketing ideas as well. That path only leads to belligerent and useless chatter, it is natural for manufacturers to enhance their products with features similar to their competitors. For example, no one would seriously expect all other car manufacturers to eschew the inclusion of intermittent wiper blades simply because Ford was the first automaker to offer such a feature. Therefore the convergence of features is natural. The really upsetting thing, the part of this behavior that Mac fans might be worried about, is not that Microsoft is mimicking Apple rather that Microsoft is so good at imitating Apple. A chart is illustrative at this point.

You’ll note the chart above shows a markedly mountain like appearance: A steep run up followed by a long drop down. I put the question to you: Can you guess at what point Windows 95 was introduced? No need to hurry, we’ll wait. If you pick the very beginning of the precipitous decline you are correct, reward yourself suitably.

This is immediately disheartening. Sure Microsoft had been attempting a windows based operating system for quite some time (Windows 1.0 was released in 1985) but it was the ‘95 version that really killed Mac sales. The casual observers might find themselves thinking that since Microsoft is obviously copying apple yet again and apparently with as much fervor as ever before it is just a matter of time until they get it right and annihilate Apple completely. Fortunately for Mac enthusiasts this need not be the case. First one will note that Apple of the mid nineties was not really innovating as much as they were profit taking. This is not currently the case. The second point in Apple’s favor comes from the backhanded compliment department. That is to say that much like the easiest plums are picked from the tree first all the people that were receptive to going all PC have already done so, the majority of Mac users are dedicated folks who won’t switch until something demonstrably better comes along.

The upshot of all of this is that everyone ends up with a better computing experience. As evidenced by the emergence of Microsoft Windows and the subsequent widespread adoption thereof people really do appreciate a decent computing experience. If Microsoft has gone back to their previous modality of operation then Windows customers will surely benefit. The naked aping of Apple will also prove useful to those prefer the Macintosh experience inasmuch as it will force Apple to learn from past missteps and keep the pace of innovation brisk.