Tera Patricks' Tera Talks - The Real Difference Between Microsoft And Apple

Both have a long history in personal computing. Both have success. One is missing something.

What's the difference between the two? Hardware? Software? Wealth? The answer is in a remote control, and Microsoft's marketing of the iPod.

When Apple introduced the iMac G5 with Front Row and Apple Remote, one slide on Steve Jobs’ presentation epitomized the difference between Apple and Microsoft.

The remote. Apple’s iMac remote has six buttons. Microsoft’s remote on the Windows Media PC has over 40 buttons.

Sure, there are other differences. Apple CEO Steve Jobs vs. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. Style. Focus. Approach. Quality control.

Apple is secretive, Microsoft is paranoid. Apple is loved, Microsoft is hated.

Wait a minute. Something’s not right. Microsoft doesn’t market the iPod. In fact, the company doesn’t even sell a portable music player. As of today, anyway.

Is there any single item we could list that truly differentiates Microsoft and Apple? No. Maybe.

Fortunately, someone else did.

For example, what if Microsoft marketed the iPod?

Apple’s simple, elegant, colorful iPod marketing scheme has not only won awards, their successful approach has produced nearly 50-million iPod customers worldwide.

The iPod’s classy packaging is a sample of what Apple’s Mac customers have experienced through the years.

What if Microsoft had invented the iPod? How would they market the iPod to the masses? What would the iPod’s packaging look like?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this video parody is worth millions of laughs and more tears.

Prepare to be entertained, as a clever video producer takes Apple’s delightful iPod marketing and packaging, and turns it loose to Microsoft’s demonic destroyers of elegance and simplicity.

The popular web site YouTube has a great video which highlights what Microsoft would do to the iPod. View at your own risk.

Click Here for a direct link to the YouTube video.

The parody is so well done I would not be surprised to learn that Microsoft put it together; perhaps as an example of how the iPod should be marketed.

Art says:

I remember commenting at mac360 that Intel’s massive R&D could eventually tip the scales in their favor, should they alter course and slip into a creative streak.

Same with MS. I simply cannot believe that their software is the best that it can do. All that R&D and some of the brightest minds and the output is so-so. This might not always be the case, but they certainly seem stuck in mediocrity.

Steve Jobs said, when asked this question, that they just lack class. It’s deeper than that. Someone should do a deep case study and try to nail this. My theory is small teams are more innovative and responsive then large groups. Secondly, engineers aren’t typically into aesthetics. MS needs someone like Jobs to steer the boat and focus attention on details. A little “Cool” is much needed at MS but won’t happen anytime soon. Gates is a hopeless nerd and Ballmer is nuts.

That’s my 2 cents for which I only charge 5.

Posted by Art on Tuesday, February 28 2006 at 12:04 pm