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 Computer manufacturing giant Apple Inc. released Mac OS X Leopard, the newest update of its popular operating system, Friday, reviving the debate between Microsoft and Apple users worldwide. The platform war is very clear. In recent years, Apple products, which include Mac computers and the iPod, have become more mainstream. It's spreading into all niches of the computer market. Apple's popularity also extends into college markets. Some consumers prefer Apple because of the ease of use the system offers. It's not going to change your life but it has a lot of nice little things. Any Apple software or hardware you see seem to be not so revolutionary untill you start using it.
 

Mac fans online are fond of pointing out that in the time it took Microsoft to release one new Windows version, Apple has released five new Mac OS X versions. (Of course, they’re less vocal about the fact that they’ve dished out $650 to keep up with these updates.) Still, Mac OS X is far more logical in structure and more refined around the edges. And it’s certainly more secure. The Mac is essentially virus- and spyware-free. And today this is highly important. But is it a real war taking place between Apple and Microsoft? Well, I guess it exists but it's not an eyecatcher. The thing is, that the market-share figures includes sales of computers to corporations, which buy hundreds of PC’s at a time. And the corporate world long ago standardized on Windows. It makes no difference how superior Mac OS X or Linux may be.

After all, the I.T. people know where their bread is buttered. If Macs are indeed less trouble-prone and complex than Windows PC’s, they’re doomed in corporations; the last thing the I.T. guys want to do is obsolete themselves.  Over the last 2-3 years there has been a seismic shift in the way we view our computers. Back in the late 90's, we viewed PCs as a means to an end and that was it. Very much like a kitchens food processor; you use it and then put it away. It seems as though times have changed and now more and more of us want to actually enjoy using our computers, as we are spending so much more time with them, as a result we are also concerned about looks. Apple is very well placed in the marketplace to take advantage of this situation, and that is the reason why their market share is steadily increasing.

Still, Microsoft is doing better every day. And still, by copying Apple. Microsoft's forthcoming "family of hardware and software products" under the name Zune came as a bombshell to many companies when the rumors initially started flying, especially since MS had previously denied that the move was even on the roadmap. Now that MS has made its official announcement indicating its initial offering will be a part of a closed system a la Apple's iPod/iTunes combination, it's clear that it means business.

What concernes PR, here Apple has made a long way through and is looking more bright and brave. The ad war between Apple and Microsoft is warming up. After some funny ads over the last year to ridiculize Zune, Apple is coming back with direct advertising against Microsoft. This time, this is about Leopard vs. Vista. And this is what  Bill Gates said on Apple some decades ago.

Sometimes it seems, that Apple can get you to think about their products with your heart and turn off your brain as in the case of iTunes+iPod. They can make “Spaces” seem like rocket fuel while Microsoft has offered the same thing free for years as a tucked away, bland, beige, boring download.

The goal of using a computer and an OS is to allow most people (not geeks) to get something done, whether it be communication, creation, consumption. And the Leopard (and even Vista) changes are supposed to be there to make it easier, safer, and quicker to do more and more. It’s not primarily there for geeks to say wow, what a feature; what a piece of technology. Sometimes a thing is both, but it doesn’t have to be for it to be worth money.

And that is where Vista, on balance, still falls short. There are improvements, but not enough, given the aging XP base it is starting from. Because Mac OS X has seen continual improvements over the last five years, less is expected each time around. Starting from OS 10, there have been three upgrades (10.2, 10.3, 10.4) (10.1 was free), costing a non-discounted total of $387. With Leopard, the Mac path will be more expensive than the XP to Vista path. But the Mac user has had the opportunity to use the incremental advances during the last 5 years. Time and opportunity cost is worth money.

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