Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Apple vrs. Microsoft
I've been reading an article/book. "In the Beginning was the Command Line" by Neal Stephenson. It's copy written 1999 and seems to be pretty ubiquitous online, but it brought up a very interesting point about the two adversaries that I'd never thought of before.
When you look at the two companies objectively, especially several years ago when Apple was the thing, you find that they're actually the exact opposite of what most advertising leads you to believe. Especially Apple advertising. Apple has always come across as this easy-going, happy-go-lucky iconoclast who just wants you to do things your way. The very opposite of the "big brother" mentality of Microsoft. In actuality, this is completely wrong. Think about it.
If you have Apple software, what can you run it on - Apple and only Apple. Yes, there have been a couple of Apple-like upstarts - Franklin comes to mind - but they were quickly mashed into the ground. Hardware's been the same way. If you wanted something for your Apple, it came from Apple. Yes, they came in goofy colors and melted down shapes, but they were still Apple. On the other hand, what can you run Microsoft on? Just about anything. Dell, e-Machines, Alienware, Compaq, HP, Toshiba, Samsung, and assorted no-names to numerous to even mention. Need a part for your Microsoft running machine? Same thing. I can go to Best Buy - and now even the local drug store - and buy something that will fit in my Microsoft running machine - and more often than not it'll run.
So through the miracle of advertising we have a company that lets you run just about anything from anybody built anywhere on their software as the evil Big Brother stifling creativity while the other company that makes your run their software on their machines using additions that only they approve the hippy-dippy, free-love feel-good company of turtlenecks and half-eaten fruits.
Labels: apple, computers, tech
