Microsoft copies Apple…yet again

Many people accuse Microsoft of reverse engineering Apple’s Mac OS in order to create its Windows family of operating systems. It’s not known how much truth lies in these accusations, but of late some of Microsoft’s antics definitely show that its not against borrowing heavily from a rival.

Apple’s iPhone 3G, in spite of all the reported problems and Apple’s high-handed behavior, has been a roaring success. This success is not just the result of a novel product but also that of brilliant sustenance mechanisms put in place. Apple’s App Store that was launched recently, catering to the varied application needs of its users, has also been a great success. Through the App Store, Apple has ensured that iPhone users are constantly fed a slew of applications. Even though Microsoft has been in the mobile operating system game for a longer time, their offering never enjoyed this level of success. So what does Microsoft do? It takes a leaf out of Apple’s book and announces Skymarket, its clone of App Store, catering to Windows Mobile powered devices.

Microsoft’s latest operating system Windows Vista turned out to be a fiasco and the biggest gainer was Apple. Apple took this opportunity to further pummel Microsoft into the ground with its series of Vista vs. Mac advertisements on the television. To make things worse, Apple went one up on Microsoft when they introduced the Apple Genius teams who helped customers choose Apple products and also offered post-sales support. And needless to say Microsoft was keeping a close eye on them. Not surprisingly Microsoft once again decides to copy Apple and announced the Microsoft Gurus strategy. Basically its a team that would be placed in retail stores to help people choose Microsoft products. The only difference is that the Gurus are going to help with just the pre-sales part of it.

But trust Microsoft to never match up to Apple’s standards. Windows, even if we accept that it was a rip-off of Apple’s OS, never proved to be as good as the latter. Then the Gurus team is not going to deliver the same value as the Apple Genius teams. Skymarket, though still to be launched, is unlikely to meet the same levels of success as the App Store.

Hey Microsoft, even if you decide to copy others, please make sure its a worthy copy.