Infinite Path

Officials at Microsoft have been left red-faced after an executive at the company compared the functionality of Windows 7 to that of the Apple Mac. After the many years of close rivalry between the two companies, which has threatened to turn nasty and personal on more than a couple of occasions, you’d have thought that officials at both Microsoft and Apple would have been instructed by their respective PR departments not to give even the slightest hint of being influenced in any way by their competitor.

Partner group manager, Simon Aldous, was obviously at home sick when Microsoft were briefed in such a way because that is quite simply the only explanation that can justify his comments made to UK computing trade magazine, PCR. Aldous was quoted as saying: “What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it’s traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics”.

He qualified his statement by adding: “We’ve significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it’s built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance”. However, this slip of the tongue is extremely embarrassing for Microsoft, who don’t want to be perceived as following a trend set by Apple.

Although several of the graphical changes made during the course of Windows 7’s development bear similarities to Mac’s OS X, there has been no official stance given by either company on this. Microsoft has been quick to distance itself from the implications of the comments by stating that Mr Aldous was never involved with the development of Windows 7 so his reflections upon the nature of its creation cannot be trusted but, in many ways, the damage is done and it now seems it is another battle won by Apple in the long-running war between the two top dogs in computing.