- June 7, 2011
- 61 Comments
Mac OS X Lion vs. Windows 8: Who Will Win the Post-PC World?
The influence of mobile on Apple and Microsoft's sofware is clear, but their approaches are different. Whose is better?By Peter Pachal
In the past week, both Microsoft and Apple laid out their visions of the future of computing, and the message is clear: it's all mobile, all the time. First Microsoft revealed Windows 8, borrowing heavily from Windows Phone to be friendly to tablets and touch interfaces. Then yesterday Apple took the stage to show off its Mac OS X "Lion" system software, which owes a lot to its mobile platform, iOS. Whose vision is more compelling, though?
Apple appears to have the advantage of having been focused on mobile for longer. Sure, Microsoft had a mobile version of Windows for years before Apple got into phones, but Windows Mobile is as far removed from current smartphones as a Walkman is from an iPod touch. Microsoft is making the bigger bet on the mobile-centric philosophy, though, as it appears to be all but throwing out the familiar Windows interface in favor of the touch-friendly tiles, simplified menus, and full-screen modes that are the norm on smartphones and tablets. (I should point out there is a "legacy view" in Windows 8, which brings back the folders and Windows, though it's certainly not the emphasis.)
For all of Lion's iOS roots, it's still primarily made to be used with a keyboard and (non-touch screen) monitor. I imagine this is because of Apple's general stance against "vertical" touch screens like the HP TouchSmart line (even though those aren't vertical in the strictest sense). It appears Apple draws a line in the sand between traditional personal computers and anything portable. Beyond here there be Lions.
Microsoft's approach is different. While Apple scales up its iOS mobile platform for the iPad's larger touch screen, Microsoft plans to give Windows tablets the same OS as desktops and laptops, in fact architecting the new OS from the ground up to be friendly to both. Smartphones are stuck with the scaled-down version, Windows Phone. At least, that appears to be the approach, based on what Microsoft showed at last week's All Things Digital and Computex events.
Why would Microsoft go this route, when Apple has clearly shown that a "lite" tablet OS, centered around showcasing media (music, video, and photos), is enough for consumers? The simple answer: for Microsoft, it's not all about consumers. Business and enterprise have always been a big factor in whatever Windows does, and with tablets it needs to appeal to customers who want to do more "serious" things than watching Netflix and posting tweets. Certainly there are companies itching for Microsoft to release a tablet worth buying, as a Goldman Sachs study from earlier this year found that 32 percent of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) surveyed were planning to buy a Windows slate for their businesses (though, tellingly, 42 percent were planning on getting an iPad).
There's something more fundamental fueling Microsoft's approach here, though. By revamping Windows to more closely resemble Windows Phone, the company appears to be trying to make the OS experience more consistent across all devices; even the new Xbox 360 dashboard is starting to look more like a mobile OS. It's now clear that when Microsoft announced in January that it was re-engineering Windows to run on ARM processors (heavily favored in mobile devices) it was not some kind of "let's wait and see" side bet. It's going all-in on Windows being on everything, come what may to the OS itself. The company hasn't given any details on exactly how this will affect Windows Phone 8, but I suspect that when it's revealed, the lines between it and full-on Windows 8 will be blurry—much more fuzzy than the line between Lion and iOS 5.
In the end, I think Apple's approach will win out. While I admire the ambition and holistic approach of Microsoft's Windows 8 master plan, it appears too ideal. People don't use all devices in the same way (it's actually why we have different devices in the first place), and drawing the OS line between portable touch screens and keyboard-and-monitor setups seems sensible—at least for now. At Computex, when Microsoft demonstrated that its touch-friendly Windows 8 could still be operated by keyboard and mouse, it almost sounded like a workaround or worse, an apology.
Someone needs to remind Microsoft that there are still many displays that aren't touch screens, and, more to the point, that it hasn't shown a compelling Windows tablet yet. Having a touch-centric OS is certainly a key part in creating one, but taking the entire Windows environment down the same road is either brilliantly forward-looking, or premature.
We'll find out which when Windows 8 finally debuts next year (probably), right around the time Apple will likely be readying the iPad 3 for release. Whose OS strategy will come out on top? My money's on the guy with a proven track record in mobile.
For more from Peter, follow him on Twitter @petepachal.
For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.
I agree with Peter's analysis. What Microsoft is doing is ambitious.....however looking at their recent track record, it is hard to see how they will be successful with this strategy.
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