02/02/2007, 11:55am, EST
Friday, February 2nd
Gates slams Mac ads, questions Mac security
When asked about a recent 'Get a Mac' advertisement implying that PC users need surgery to upgrade to Windows Vista, Gates called Apple a liar.
"I don't know why [Apple is] acting like it’s superior. I don't even get it. What are they trying to say? Does honesty matter in these things, or if you're really cool, that means you get to be a lying person whenever you feel like it? There's not even the slightest shred of truth to it."
Many industry watchers have pointed to several Windows Vista features, claiming that the operating system's latest additions are glaring copies of Apple's Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger implementations. Gates hinted that Apple is not in fact the original designer of many of those features, and encouraged all curious users to speak to Microsoft's Windows Vista development chief.
"Jim Allchin will be glad to educate you feature by feature what the truth is," Gates said. "I mean, it's fascinating, maybe we shouldn't have showed so publicly the stuff we were doing, because we knew how long the new security base was going to take us to get done."
The executive also promised his full involvement in Microsoft affairs, despite the planned official departure of his full-time role at the company in July of 2008. Gates also hinted that future versions of Windows will be more "user-centric," hinting toward remote access to documents and applications from any kiosk or PC.
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Gates: "We didn't steal from Mac OS X!"
I guess after all these years of feigned superiority, Jobs finally has Gates where he wants him -- desperately justifying his position with hot air.
"Jim Allchin will be glad to educate you feature by feature what the truth is" - you mean the same Jim Alchin who stated "If I didn't work here, I'd buy a Mac".
But let's look at what else he said in that same document:
"Apple did not lose their way. You must watch this new video below. I know this doesn't show anything for businesses, but my point is about the philosophy that Apple uses. They think scenario. They think simple. They think fast."
and
"If we are to rise to the challenge of Linux and Apple, we need to start taking the lessons of "scenario, simple, fast" to heart."
So, Bill, if it was up to "rise to the challenge of (...) Apple", and he's pointing to a video of iLife '04 as an example how MS lost their way, how does that work that Microsoft invented everything that Jim is pointing out Apple has?
This is simply too precious to see Gates flailing about like that - furthermore, to see him stammer and deflect every time another tech journalist asks him about Vista copying OS X.
Gee about time, Billy boy. How long ago did MS promise that security was their top priority?
future versions of Windows? What, 10, 20 years from now?
Wanker.
Translation: Every previous version of Windows had more holes than swiss cheese.