WWDC 2009 Apple Vs. Microsoft Showdown

Today’s Apple’s WWDC show, where they launch there best yet. Now that the big announcements are out and all the Mac boys have oohed and aahed at them, how to they really stack up against Windows? I’m not going to cover everything as I’m not going to get into hardware etc. All of the quotes […]

Today’s Apple’s WWDC show, where they launch there best yet. Now that the big announcements are out and all the Mac boys have oohed and aahed at them, how to they really stack up against Windows?

I’m not going to cover everything as I’m not going to get into hardware etc. All of the quotes are taken from Engadget on this thread: http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/08/phil-schiller-keynote-live-from-wwdc-2009/

Apple is going to use the same battery from the 17-inch version — looks to be non-removable, just like that model. Lithium-polymer. Up to 7 hours of battery life. “A typical user will get about 5 years of life from this battery.”

So when it dies on you, you can’t simply just replace the thing like in any normal non-Mac device?

“When you open it up, it’s got a gorgeous display… still insanely thin… if you zoom in you see something different.” A new SD slot instead of the ExpressCard slot!

Isn’t thins what everyone (except Sony) has been providing people with already? Even Sony are starting too get the idea though with Sony Ericsson now starting to use MicroSD card’s instead.

“It starts at an even lower price… just $1699.”

$2299 (2.8GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD)

I thought you just said the price was even lower? I could buy about three laptops from Dell or HP for that price.

“Even more complexity is present in Windows 7. The same old tech as Vista. Just another version of Vista.”

Has this guy actually left his Apple clone-vat recently to look at Windows 7?

Adding Exchange support to Snow Leopard

Oh that’s good then. Only something people using Microsoft Office or a web browser, or Windows Mobile have had for years and years. Interestingly, they are requiring Exchange 2007 for this feature to work, so the vast majority of companies won’t be seeing this feature for a while.

“Safari 4 offers unparalleled speed.” There’s a chart. Another cold dis to Windows — IE8 is way way at the bottom. Oooh, he’s boasting that it’s passed the Acid3 test 100/100… IE8? 21/100

Yes, IE8 does score pretty low on the Acid3 tests, however I’m not sure of these claims that Safari hits 100/100.

“Here’s some things you get in SL. Crash Resistance — the number one browser crash cause is plugins — so now, the plugin crashes, but your windows are intact. Just reload the page.”

Oh – You mean the thing that I’ve been able to achieve since IE8 Technical Preview about 18 months ago.

“It’s super efficient. We’re using a new technology called HTTP streaming, it works with any server. Since we had such a change on the backend, we decided to change the look of the player as well.” No on-screen controls, pop overs, not quite that marble look, but blackish.

This sounds extremely like Silverlight.

“The final area of Safari I’d like to cover is full history search. I just click in the lower right, and I get a cover flow view across my browsing history. But I also have full spotlight search too.”

Oh look – Something else IE8 can already do and has done for some time.

“QuickTime is designed to put your video center stage. As soon as I start playing, the controls and titlebar fade away. When I want to go back, they fade back in. Another great feature is the ability to trim and share my video… I get a visual timeline.” Audience: ahhhhh.

Please tell me you are not claiming this is a feature? Windows Media Player has done this for years and years.

“Let’s talk multi-core CPUs. The challenge is how to take advantage of them. The answer is threads. So we have a solution for this. Grand Central Dispatch. It’s built-in support for multi-core all across Leopard.”

This is an interesting concept. Windows has had a Global Dispatch thread since Windows NT was developed. It’s only now that Microsoft have looked into removing it because it’s starting to cause bottlenecks of big multi-core machines. And Apple go and add it right when Microsoft take it out in Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2. I’ll give them until Desert Camel edition before they take this out again.

“The response from devs on the iPhone has been staggering. They’ve been prolific in building and posting apps to the App Store. There’s now more than 50,000 apps in the store.”

You do of course realise that this count includes the Fart Application and the tilting beer glass. Yes you have 50,000 different applications but 49,000 of them are utter rubbish and downloaded by people just because they can not because they serve any purpose.

If previous versions of Windows Mobile had, had an application store then there would be tens of billions of downloads.

“Let’s talk about iPhone OS 3.0. Let me highlight just a few, starting with cut copy and paste.”

Shouldn’t you have had this in the iPhoneV1?

ethering! “This allows you to share you connection with your computer.”

This has been in Windows Mobile going back to the 5 series.

“Next, AutoFill — you can now remember user names and passwords to login to websites. We also use your contact info to fill out web forms.”

Oh that’s good. Make it easier for people to socially engineer you if they can get hold of your phone.

Next up is TomTom…” Audience oohs

TomTom = Windows Mobile long time.

11:50AM “Amazing hardware and software which works together. Auto focus, auto white balance… and we have tap to focus… you just tap on what you want to focus on.” Just like the leak we saw!
11:49AM Brand new 3 megapixel autofocus camera…
11:48AM 7.2Mbps HSDPA…

3.2 MP camera certainly stinks when you think Samsung have a 720p video shooting camera and my HTC Touch HD is 5 MP. Interesting to note that the focusing system for the iPhone 3GS is the same as that HTC have been using for a while now.

7.2 Mbps HSDPA – Anyone who’s thinking this is good should go to their local mobile retailer and ask to see all the phones that don’t support this. It will be easier for them to tell you this that all the phones that already do support it.

And video too? That’s like unheard of surely.