Microsoft has taken to one of its blogs to slam a staff member who claimed the design of Windows 7 was inspired by Mac OS X. Simon Aldous, Partner Group manager, at Microsoft, said: “What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7 – whether in its traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics.” Read on to find out why he’s in so much trouble…
Windows 7 has gone some similarities with Mac OS X – we mentioned a few in our comparison of the two operating systems – but we wouldn’t have expected anyone at Microsoft would have admitted that.
Aldous went even further: “We’ve significantly improved the graphical user interface but it’s built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform…”
Since Microsoft is rapidly distancing itself from Windows Vista, Aldous has obviously not studied the party line closely. And Microsoft has been swift to slap him down. On the official Windows Blog, Windows Communications Manager, Brandon LeBlanc, was pretty damning:
“An inaccurate quote has been floating around about the design origins of Windows 7 and whether its look and feel was “borrowed” from Mac OS X. Unfortunately this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7. I hate to say this about one of our own but his comment were inaccurate and uninformed.”
Meanwhile, in his office, Bill Gates is pressing the button that releases the flying monkeys. If you want to get a real comparison of OS X Snow Leopard and Windows 7 visit our discussion of the two. Also read Windows 7: What’s New for an at-a-glance guide to what Microsoft’s really changed in its new OS.
