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The Franchise Wars: Apple v Windows

In the franchise war between Apple and Windows, I am a Mac fan. I wasn't always a Mac guy, I used a PC from the earlier 1980's up until 1997.

I still have the second Mac I ever bought, a Power Mac 7300. It runs some games, and old teaching programs for our small children. Mostly, however, they use a very old G3 Beige Tower for games and teaching programs.

Don't get the wrong idea, I do work on PC's and have a couple of them lying around, running the latest version of XP. But the machines are over 8 years olds, and I was looking to replace them, probably with the latest iMac.

So imagine my surprise when Walter Mossberg, the perennial supporter of Mac OS X wrote:

After using pre-release versions of Windows 7 for nine months, and intensively testing the final version for the past month on many different machines, I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced. It's a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use. Despite a few drawbacks, I can heartily recommend Windows 7 to mainstream consumers.

Holy crap, not even close to April 1st, either.

And in case the point was crystal clear, Walt goes on to say:

In recent years, I, like many other reviewers, have argued that Apple's Mac OS X operating system is much better than Windows. That's no longer true. I still give the Mac OS a slight edge because it has a much easier and cheaper upgrade path; more built-in software programs; and far less vulnerability to viruses and other malicious software, which are overwhelmingly built to run on Windows.

Now, however, it's much more of a toss-up between the two rivals. Windows 7beats the Mac OS in some areas, such as better previews and navigation right from the taskbar, easier organization of open windows on the desktop and touch-screen capabilities. So Apple will have to scramble now that the gift of a flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant version of Windows.

High praise for Windows 7 coming from a certified Mac fan, Walt Mossberg.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Apple: 'Windows 7 is antiquated technology' (telegraph.co.uk)
• Windows 7: like Vista, but good (guardian.co.uk)
• Apple VP: We'll try to capitalize on Windows 7 launch (seattlepi.com)
• Mossberg on Windows 7 vs OS X - "A Toss Up" (jkontherun.com)
• State of the Art: Windows 7 Keeps the Good and Tries to Fix Flaws (nytimes.com)
• PC makers look to cash in on Windows 7 hype (infoworld.com)

Full post as published by Misleading Advertising Law on October 22, 2009 (boomark / email).