Mac vs. Windows: When Will The Feud End?

There are some things about human nature that enter into the long-running debate of Which Is Better? Mac or Windows?

Some of us care. Most of us don’t. When will this Mac vs. Windows thing end?

That question came to me at the end of an article I read in the Houston Chronicle. Dwight Silverman pointed out that Windows users are switching to Macs. Duh.

Of the Mac360 staff, I’m the one who uses the most operating systems, ranging from Mac OS X to various shades of Linux to different flavors of Windows to a Unix variety here and there.

Silverman’s very first sentence got my attention.

In other words, Mac users love their Macs. Linux geeks love the gazillion ways to do one thing on Linux. Nobody in either crowd has much good to say about Windows.

Why? The list of answers would be long, specific, and detailed, as Silverman points out.

For example, some think Microsoft is evil and greedy. That’s hard to argue with, don’t you think?

Others say that Microsoft just uses Apple as their Research and Development group and doesn’t know how to innovate (another way of saying, “Windows is a rip off of Mac OS X” ).

Most of those kinds of responses will come from the Mac and Lilnux camps, but less so from the average Joe-Six-Pack Windows PC user. At least, that’s the way it was. Silverman says it’s changing and I have to agree.

The discontent among Microsoft’s Windows PC users is growing. Why? Seriously? Do I even have to ask? BSOD, viruses, malware, spyware, monopoly, greed, evil, and so on. It’s a healthy list and it’s infected the masses of Windows users.

Meanwhile, Apple and the Mac have seen a huge resurgence in popularity, sales, profits, mindshare—to the point where many, many Windows PC users are considering a Mac. Why? Seriously? Do you have to ask?

Silverman summed it up this way:

That’s a growing trend that won’t change for awhile, if ever again. But the original question was, “Mac vs. Windows: When Will The Feud End?”

The answer is, it won’t. It’s only going to get worse. Ever since Windows ‘95 and the Mac’s decline, Windows users have pretty much ignored Apple and the Mac. There’s never been a Death Watch for Microsoft. Apple’s had plenty of pundits tolling the bell.

With many Microsoft Windows users making the switch and many more giving it strong consideration (thank you, iPod halo effect), the Mac is in for a few more good years, thanks in part to Microsoft’s screw ups, and problems inherent in Windows.

“For Vista to succeed, Microsoft must first persuade its users to make one more leap of faith and then get them to use their computers smartly. If this doesn’t happen, I think Apple has a prime opportunity to steal away many Windows users. And once they leave, they likely won’t come back.”

I love that. Will the feud ever end? Never is a long time and an absolute. You know, never say never. If the feud doesn’t end it’s fine with me. Apple head Steve Jobs and Microsoft founder Bill Gates will have long since retired as very wealthy men.