Minivan vs. roadster. Either can be the right choice at the right time. They don’t “threaten” each other. Oh, heaven forbid that both Apple and Microsoft know what they are doing!!! (Even if they each mess up when they stretch too far.)

Uh-huh, that’s why Apple’s brand recognition is so much better than Microsoft’s – not:
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1014_3-6178310.html
Microsoft is #3 and Apple is #16.

Apple could do better if it stops lying about security (but wait – Google lies about the security of the upcoming Chrome OS) or starts thinking bigger than just very expensive, pretty computers.

As a fan of Microsoft products, I wish the competition were better. I keep waiting for Apple to lose control of the media in the US, and people wake up to the fact that Apple has real security problems, despite their propaganda.

People could get hurt. Get a good anti-virus to run on your Apple. Wormy Apples are probably more common than Apple inc. will let on, because they make so much money selling their hardware.

That Windows 7 is more expensive than the latest OSX upgrade is like saying that a new set of tires is more expensive than an Audi-branded USB charger.

The point is, one of the strengths of Microsoft is that you can run Windows 7 on a huge array of hardware from many vendors, but with Apple you have much less choice and will pay about twice as much for comparable hardware that is prettier than most offering from Dell, Toshiba, Acer, Fujitsu, HP, etc. Apple can figure that premium cost for hardware into any software they sell, because aside from Hackintoshes, you already paid the price.

The Microsoft world is much less expensive and much more flexible, in balance.

I am terrified, however, of what could have happened between the time the Windows 7 RC was released and the version we will see on the 22nd. I think Vista was a great gift to Apple, slow, clunky, and largely unstable until service packs were issued. I know I bought one of my Mac’s as a result of Vista frustration. If 7 comes out of the gate with bad press, it’s going to be worse than the Vista bad press since so many of us have truly liked the release candidate and will feel duped if the final version doesn’t meet expectations.

It’s up to both companies to make great products and they also have the ability to surge ahead if a competitor trips up.

Nobody pitched Snow Leopard as a major upgrade, and it isn’t. Windows 7, despite my skepticism, really is. I’m addicted to the window management, and think that the next big cat really should spare a few pixels on those “ugly borders” and add the wonderfully functional window gestures available in MSland. It’s such a snap to put windows side-by-side or move a window from one display and maximize it on another in a single stroke.