Microsoft tries to steal Macworld thunder

N

~~NeYo~~

iBud
(Another Article i thought you guys'd wanna Check out)

Microsoft on Monday launched the first of several pre-emptive strikes against Apple Computer's Macworld trade show by making announcements about new technologies far ahead of their delivery to market.

In Microsoft's first salvo, the company revealed details about the next version of its digital media technology, code-named Corona, including that it officially will be known as Windows Media 9 Series. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is slated to launch the first public beta, or test, version of Windows Media at a Sept. 4 event. This and other digital media and consumer announcements, expected this week, are designed to steal thunder from Macworld, which starts Wednesday in New York. Last week, Microsoft said that later this year it will release a new line of 802.11b wireless networking products. Apple has been selling similar technology, called AirPort, for more than two years.

Microsoft apparently believes that it has delivered on the promises of the five-year agreement but that Apple has failed to do what is necessary to properly support its partners. Microsoft, for example, was instrumental in helping Apple resolve problems with Mac OS X (70 bug fixes contributed by the MacBU, and the MacBU unit taking the heat for a delay in shipping Office v. X when indeed the delay in bringing Office v. X to OS X was in bugs discovered by Microsoft in their new OS). That effort culminated in the September release of Mac OS X 10.1, soon followed by the release of Office v. X and many other important applications that run natively on the new operating system.

Microsoft's Mac commitment appears to be wavering, spurred in part by recent actions on the part of Apple. One such action, the inclusion of the iChat instant messenger program with Mac OS X 10.2 that connects to AOL's Instant Messenger network, caught Microsoft executives by surprise. And the Apple/Netscape home page deal, for which Microsoft "switched" the browsers default home page from Netscape's to Microsoft's own MSN home page, when they launched IE 5.2 for the Mac just recently!

Apple's Mac OS X 10.2, code-named Jaguar, has raised considerable concern in Redmond as well. Jaguar adds some new features "that have some people loosing sleep," said one source. "You don't know what kind of cultural paranoia we have here" about competitors.



Source: Here

NeYo
 
My first reaction was completely by instinct:

"They wanna drop support, they wanna make hardware, they wanna try and shoot down innovation with vaporware press releases? Well F' Them!"

Well let me step back from that a little, but most of that is true. I think Apple is ready to be independent. They are no longer at the mercy of MS. In addition, let me state that MS entered a "stratigic" partnership with Apple. They knew that they were a threat, weak or not. But this MS partnership was a good thing for both of them. But since when was Steve one to be a friendly guy, looking out for others?:D

I'm ready for it to end.
 
i suspect the codename Corona came from what they are drinking as they work on it and that the initial release will reflect this. :p

also interesting to note that recent Corona commercials always emphasize that their drinkers are not working - maybe that's where the codename came from. :D
 
hehe... Microsoft products NEVER work.

"Jaguar adds some new features "that have some people loosing sleep," said one source."

Does that give anybody else a nice warm feeling inside? :D
 
Originally posted by Ed Spruiell
i suspect the codename Corona came from what they are drinking as they work on it and that the initial release will reflect this. :p

also interesting to note that recent Corona commercials always emphasize that their drinkers are not working - maybe that's where the codename came from. :D
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According to that article, Microsoft helped Apple squash a lot of the bugs in the first release of OS X.

The more you underesimate Microsoft, the bigger that slap in the face is going to be in the not so far off future.

Their Corona and Mira technologies are looking quite promising and Microsoft certainly has the ability to deliver.

Microsoft got lax because of no real competition. Turn up the heat and they'll turn up the stakes. Technically, their Windows "Longhorn/Blackcomb" releases are beyond anything OS X could possibly offer.

You trash XP because it "sucks" but so did the first release of OS X. If Microsoft does deliver on "Longhorn/Blackcomb" there's going to be a lot of long faces in Cupertino.

OS X's greatest strength is UNIX, which may also turn out to be it's greatest weakness. It's 30 year architecture is about to become obsolete.

I for one am very excited about Microsoft's future. If they can straighten themselves out and start playing by the rules, I think we'll find the quality of their software will improve greatly as well.
 
az: From what I've read Longhorn is kinda liek XP.1, a servicepack to fix problems while BlackComb is their next OS.
Anyway, there's no way of knowing how much they will rule cause we only have MSs word for it.

About stealing thunder, they need to try harder. While MWSF was going on and the keynote was given, Bill Gates stood on a stage of his own and announced an updated remote-control. Sure, that steals users from Gigahertz PowerMacs and flat-screen iMacs...
 
You trash XP because it "sucks" but so did the first release of OS X. If Microsoft does deliver on "Longhorn/Blackcomb" there's going to be a lot of long faces in Cupertino.
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were you still taking to me here? because i have never trashed XP specifically. i've never even seen a working copy of XP, that's how little i care about it at this point.

but I trash m$ all the time. that's because i hate m$. i have a long history of hating m$. I am a bitter old man when it comes to m$ and billy boy. no amount of reason you could provide would change my mind on this one :D

You, my young man, were probably not able to ride a bicycle yet when i first started to hate m$. billy boy had yet to become the richest man in the world. and now, everyday i read something here or elsewhere, often the mainstream news, that confirms to me why i should fear and hate them. My fear is fed by people like yourself who think that if they just made a better product, they would be ok again. Why can't we just let somebody else make a better product and let m$ go the way of savings and loans in america?

primarly because it would mean that millions of users worldwide would have to admit that they have been buying their own problems for too long of a time.
 
Originally posted by adambyte
hehe... Microsoft products NEVER work.
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Heh, check my sig. :D

It was to be expected that Microsoft would do this sort of thing so close to MacWorld. I don't mind, we're going to blow them away. :p
 
Actually, this is a vieled compliment to Apple and MacOS X...

Doing this kind of stuff is par for the course for Micro$haft. They've routinely done it to companies as big as Novell, IBM and Sun and also to small companies like Citrix....

The announcement is virtually meaningless as this stuff is a looong way into the future and planned features/functionality will most certainly change dramatically between now and the time products actually ship....

If history is any indication, everything will be scaled down significantly. :D

I for one, am glad that Bill and MonkeyBoy™ think apple is enough is a threat for them to pull this tired old stunt. They should, however, get a new trick since people will eventually catch on...
 
Originally posted by voice-
az: From what I've read Longhorn is kinda liek XP.1, a servicepack to fix problems while BlackComb is their next OS.
Anyway, there's no way of knowing how much they will rule cause we only have MSs word for it.

About stealing thunder, they need to try harder. While MWSF was going on and the keynote was given, Bill Gates stood on a stage of his own and announced an updated remote-control. Sure, that steals users from Gigahertz PowerMacs and flat-screen iMacs...
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"Longhorn" was originally intended to be just another upgrade but has developed into much more.

"Blackcomb" will be completely new and unlike anything seen before. It's major strength will be a completely new filesystem expected to crush the competition.
 
Originally posted by azosx

"Blackcomb" will be completely new and unlike anything seen before. It's major strength will be a completely new filesystem expected to crush the competition.
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So was Windows XP, we're still here as far as I can tell...
 
Originally posted by Ed Spruiell


were you still taking to me here? because i have never trashed XP specifically. i've never even seen a working copy of XP, that's how little i care about it at this point.

but I trash m$ all the time. that's because i hate m$. i have a long history of hating m$. I am a bitter old man when it comes to m$ and billy boy. no amount of reason you could provide would change my mind on this one :D

You, my young man, were probably not able to ride a bicycle yet when i first started to hate m$. billy boy had yet to become the richest man in the world. and now, everyday i read something here or elsewhere, often the mainstream news, that confirms to me why i should fear and hate them. My fear is fed by people like yourself who think that if they just made a better product, they would be ok again. Why can't we just let somebody else make a better product and let m$ go the way of savings and loans in america?

primarly because it would mean that millions of users worldwide would have to admit that they have been buying their own problems for too long of a time.
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Funny you mention the Savings & Loan scandal, I'm a friend of the Keating family. :p

No, the XP remark wasn't directed at you personally but to anti-MS zealots in general.

I was alive and using the Apple II before Microsoft was known for much of anything and certainly not the Windows GUI.

I'm not trying to change your mind, I just question your reasoning. If it wasn't MS controling the way you live, it would be someone else, possibly Apple.

You're under this great misconception that if MS, AOL and every other big business fell, all would be good. The reality is, if they were to fall, some other tyrant would take their place. History has repeated and proven this time and time again.

It's certainly a lot safer for MS to be reformed, stay where they are rather than be replaced by the unknown.
 
Originally posted by voice-


So was Windows XP, we're still here as far as I can tell...
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Uhm, no. Windows XP is just an extension of 2000 which is just an extension of NT which is just an extension of Windows 3.51.

That's the same as saying OS 9 was something totally new.

Liken "Blackcomb" to XP what OS X was to OS 9.
 
I'm sure we are all excited about Palladium as well. Where microsoft will control every part of our lives. Give me a break Microsoft is no less evil now then before.

Azosx, you confuse me :D
 
What's the difference between Palladium which as of now is vaporware, and the control Apple has on it's hardware?

It's all about protecting their ass from peons like ourselves who manage to take advantage of them any chance we get. Be it ripping mp3's or downloading warez by the GB, we're all guilty of it one way or the other and they're just trying to put a stop to it.

Several idiots wrote articles about what Palladium "could turn into", so what? You people take it to heart like it actually exists today. I liken it to the panic that insues everytime someone reads an EULA. The crazy stuff software companies put in there are only to protect themselves in the off chance someone finds a way to totally exploit them.

The same with MS Product Activation. Months before it came out, people were crying "the end of the world." As of today, has one person been harmed or effected by it? No. I haven't even read a story about someone having to get a new serial because they installed too much hardware. It's all silliness spread by who have nothing better to do than fear.

Until I get a Palladium box that doesn't allow me to install Linux, I'm not buying into this paranoid BS everyone is trying to spread. If it doesn't allow me to rip mp3's or download and install warez, more power to them.
 
did you say great features like a new file system and Palladium?!?! Or did you mean great features like snubbing MPEG4 in favor of a DRM-laden proprietary format that will chain your wallet to Micro$ucks, RIAA and MPAA? I personally think fair use of copyrighted music is nothing but a red communist plot and cancer to undermine our societal fabric. I look forward to the day when I have to ask for permission from microsoft to copy my CDs into a portable music player.

oh yeah, it is *good* that you have to call micro$tiff for a new activation key if you upgrade your WinXP computer too much.

Personally, I can see why you'll be excited about MS installing software in your computer without your knowledge (you did read the EULA for Windows Media Player; did you?). eXPecially given their track record of never breaking anything with upgrades!

Or maybe you are taking a longer term view when you will not be able to run software or open files that have not been approved (signed) by microsoft.

having my personal information encrypted at the CPU/NIC/HDD level is a good thing. then if I even want to abuse documents I have created myself, Microblows can save me by preventing me from accessing my own word documents. I will feel so much safer then...

Come to think of it, I *want* microsoft to know what I search for when I search for files in my own hard drive.

in the end, it really is too stressful for me to have ultimate control over my own computer. I can't handle the pressure. thankfully MonkeyBoy™ and BillyBob™ will take care of that for me...

wow. now that's what I call innovation.
 
who determines what Warez is? whomever signs the code....

of course, the whole point of signed code is that you can't change it. also, it is going to cost $$$ to get code signed.

both of these things are there to kill off opensource and freeware software.

if an apps source is changed, it is no longer signed, so people can no longer make changes to open source software without getting those changes signed by someone. this makes open source impractical (which is the whole point).

also, if every app needs to be signed and every update to that app needs to be signed, this will kill off freeware. who's going to pay to get free software signed...

you speak of the ills of ripping MP3s, but you *can* RIP MP3s without breaking the law...

Right now I have every CD I own (with more added as I get them) inside iTunes. I use it as a huge jukebox. With the SoundSticks and the Keyspan Digital Media Remote, I can sit in this room and listen to all my music in shuffle mode without changing any CDs or sitting in front of the computer.

I also mix songs and burn CDs for my car and for my wife's car. I have no original CDs on either car. Frankly, my car is a mess and before iTunes I ruined a few CDs by scratching the crap out of them. When that happens now, I simply pull up the play list and burn a new CD.

I also have CDs at work. I don't bring originals to work because people have been known to steal things from other people's cubes. I have not had anything stolen myself, but some coworkers have.

oh yeah, I'm also buying an iPod (20GB version if it comes out). I plan on keeping a substantial part of my songs in there as well...

in addition to the songs I bought, I also have a little over 600 songs I downloaded from the internet. These came from GarageBand.com and were made available by the artists themselves. Most of these bands don't even have a single CD yet. None of the bands are signed anywhere. This is the only way they have to get their music out there. a lot suck, but planty are very good. I have several bands in my watch list when they release their first CD, I'll be buying...

none of these things is illegal. and as long as I don't break the law, I should not have to clear my actions by someone else.

I doubt people would accept these kind of restrictions on other products they buy. woiuld you buy a car if you could only run Toyota gasoline on it? How about if it had GPS and Ford kept a record of everywhere you had been?

the fact is that MS is working hard to take ultimate control away from the customer. Steve jobs on the other hands has stated that these problems are sociological, not technological.
 
Actually, I have every right to rip mp3s for myself, and I intend to keep doing just that.
I doubt that giving MS ultimate power will help me much, I'm not troubled now. If anyone should be allowed to have this control it should be someone who don't make money one it. MS sells an OS and they sell software. Given their history I can tell you that they wouldn't give everyone a fair chance, they would give themselves an advantage any day of the week, because that makes more money. And guess what: money is ALL they care about. Making a safe computer is a step on the way to money, stalling competition is another way. They would do it without hesitation.
 
Well, here's my take on all of this.

First of all, no matter what Microsoft tries to do, Windows will always be Windows. The annoying, quirky things that make mac users hate Windows will always be there, similar to how they are there in XP, 2000, ME, 98, 95, 3.1, you get the picture. No matter what anyone says, Microsoft is never going to make something that will be a threat to Apple's OS and it's community . Why? It's simple. Microsoft has no taste what-so-ever. They rehash the same OS over and over again and try to wow their customers with things that are ultimately making their experience even worse. Proof of something along these lines can be experienced by installing 98, using it for a while, then upgrading to ME and well...yeah you get me. And people, don't tell me I am nuts to say that, because I know plenty of consumers that bought a brand spankin' new computer and had to deal with ME. Actually about 99% of this year's freshman class at Brown University had to deal with it and my friend and me had to help a lot of my friend's classmates. One girl from Equador actually said "Can you guys help me, my Microsoft if broken :( "

Back to the point about Apple's users, we are on this platform because we love it and we want to be here and the more people who "switch", the better because it's true that once you go mac you never go back. The problem is that an incredible number of consumer's who buy pc's think that that's all that's out there. They have no clue about Apple and Macs. The switch ads are perfect though, because they explain to the everyday consumer what they've dealt with in Windows and why OSX and Macs are so much better. I really think that this will trigger something in peoples' minds and make them say "hey, I had that problem with my pc too, maybe I'll take a look into what these people are saying." Plus with Apple Retail Stores, even more people are curious as to what all these gorgeous machines are capable of. In the long run, ease of use is where it's at. I could care less about Mhz! Why do people go crazy over this? These machines are fine and dandy. How many of you are running a production house and rendering huge images out of Maya, Lightwave, etc. where you HAVE to have 2ghz G5's right now!? Maybe some, but not as many of you who know people who could really use iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes and iDVD for some pretty incredible things. Nothing like this will exist in Windows because they just don't have the level of genius (both in design of software and hardware) that Apple possesses. When it all comes down to it, Apple had seen some horrible times, and those times were survived. We are seeing Apple's finest hour folks, and I assure you, we are here to stay, forever. :)
 
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