Longhorn Outruns XP, Threatens Tiger – Really???

Michael points to an article in eWeek about how Microsoft may be ready to take on Apple after all but the entire article is based purely on speculation and even admits “But if Longhorn slips into 2007, Apple could have the next big cat version released or at least waiting to spring out.”

This is the kind of journalism that belongs in weblogs moreso than a paper but then this is why eweek and other online journals are really having a rough time with bloggers and keeping readership up.

1. When Longhorn ships or even produces a real beta, then we can start a real comparison. Even with all of Scoble’s comments about how “sexy” Longhorn will be (actually I think that was Vic‘s comment), the rhetoric is all about “wait and see – you’ll love it”.

2. Apple typically keeps everything under wraps until they’re ready. So even guessing what’s coming out from them is a matter of conjecture. Apple was rumoured to be switching to Intel for years but it only hit this week.

Both companies have things up their sleeves that no one knows about. Listening to the Gilmour Gang on podcasting, I really noticed it. Adam Curry commented that MS didn’t really have a clue (my word, not his) about how to deal with podcasting and yet he was there a month ago (where they sent him a gift) and I’m sure they had some discussions back then. Sure, there are some at MS who would look at Podcasting, or RSS or whatever as a passing fad. But I would still be very surprised if they aren’t able to do something.

Yet everyone loves Apple for that reason – they love to surprise. Very few people knew about podcasts on iTunes until it was announced. Microsoft went through a lot of speculation on Longhorn and now they’re being quieter about it.

So if you want to compare operating systems, compare Tiger and XP. If you want to compare on upcoming systems, compare public betas. If you want to talk about what may or may not happen, go to Slashdot.

www.kogeler.com – michael’s blog: Longhorn Outruns XP, Threatens Tiger