Comments on: Microsoft amends 'Apple Tax' return slightly

The software maker and analyst Roger Kay have updated their charts to reflect hardware changes, but fail to address other critiques of their return.

[slickuser]

Again, the truth is Microsoft is just plain scared of Apple and ballmer is wetting his pants every night because of bad dreams ( the monster that comes in his dreams is none other than OSX ).

OSX, Android and Pre (on the mobile, set-top, embedded and even netbooks side) are slowly going to eat into Microsoft revenues.

Thats the truth!

[monkeyfun14]

Thats why MS still leads in all those markets right? And MS ripped the netbook market right from under Linux's feet so how they are a threat is beyond me. At this point if I was a Linux distributor id be trying to figure out how I can make my OS more user friendly instead of simply blaming MS.

[KVM-Switch]

nice post!
Apple is going great

regards
<a href="http://smartvm.com/KVM-Switches-C1295.htm" title="KVM Switches"> KVM Switches</a></strong>

[KVM-Switch]

nice post!
Apple is going great

regards
Smartvm.com

[mycl]

Comparing apples and lemons. if MS could provide a comparable hardware and software setup such an analysis might have some validity. As it is, my guestimate on the extra support and lost productivity for windows machine over a mac is about one week per year. We are now down to one windows machine "just in case" but have not needed to boot it in over a year. On the todo list is to set it up as a virtual PC. If some one asks about which PC to get I simply tell the to get a mac.

[z4dude4]

Just as IE is dying, Windows will too.

[Cheetahjab]

You really should change the name of your column to Apple Vs. Microsoft.. seriously.. it's getting old.

[Inconnux]

I have been recommending Macs ever since Vista was released. The amount of maintenance needed for non-tech windows users in ridiculous... but then again if everyone used Macs, 50% of the IT industry would lose their jobs!

[Renegade Knight]

"Suggesting that users can just bring their old copy of Office and Quicken--and that they won't need to upgrade over the five-year life of their new PC--assumes a lot."

It assumes we are tired of having to upgrade our software when the "old stuff" works fine. That's not a stretch. I use Office 2003. The ONLY reason that I have 2007 is for work compatablity, and I needed 2 more installs' The choice was 2003 again, or 2007 and be compatible. I'd be perfectly happy with 2003 for the forseeable future.

I honestly don't see the point in paying extra for a computer / laptop just because it has a mac OS, or because it has the Apple logo on it. If anything, I find it a downside. I've used OS X Tiger (my old flatmates laptop, which by the way, constantly crashed when he upgraded to Leopard), and compared to vista, or 7, it doesn't have much of an advantage, I mean I have a dock for applications in vista, there are less resource hungry applications that will sync with my iPod, I have the new MS Office, which works grand, and as for a mac being able to do all the "fun" stuff with pictures and videos that are conveniently pointed out in the get a mac ads...... what, ya can't do stuff with your videos and pictures on a PC? Really now??

Don't get me wrong, there are good things coming out of Apple, like the iPod, iPhone (to an extent, hell of a lot of money, in Ireland anyways). I just have to wonder why they all cost so so so much more than similar products? Because Steve Jobs says they are great?? Because there is a young "cool" man and an older "boring" business man arguing, and the cool guy always wins?

Personally, the one thing that annoys me the most about Apple is with their iPhone SDK. To be able to program an iPhone, I need a Mac. I honestly think it's BS. I'm sorry, but I do. I know Microsoft has done this type of stuff before with their internet explorer, but still. My Final Year Project in University was to create an iPhone application. But cos I had no mac, and the uni didn't have any Macs (only PCs) I couldn't. It just kinda annoys me. I made an Android app instead.

If Apple is such a brilliant company as Steve Jobs and it's adoring fans make it out to be, it would make it's computer products more competitive, instead of overcharging and taking cheap shots at the opposition.

As for the whole conficker thing, isn't there some worm or virus out now going after macs? Of course, the number of infected macs can never reach the number of infected PCs... why, cos there are many more PCs than macs. And before you say it, it's still cheaper to buy a PC and get a decent Virus protector than buy a mac!!