It was only a matter of time before some Microsoft executive took a swipe at Apple’s afflicted iPhone 4. And while I’m surprised the comments didn’t come from iPhone-stomping Steve Ballmer, I’m almost taken aback by the nature of the comparison made by Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s Chief Operating Officer.
Speaking at Microsoft’s World Partner Conference (WPC), Turner compared Apple’s latest iPhone with his own company’s complete failure of an operating system, Windows Vista:
“It looks like the iPhone 4 might be their Vista, and I’m okay with that.”
Clearly, Microsoft has been waiting ever since the demise of Windows Vista for Apple to make a similar faux pas. And, while Mac OS X has never been better, Apple’s latest iPhone is debatably flawed – with many users (including the guys over at Consumer Reports) stating that the phone is afflicted with an antenna issue.
While I (and many others) have never been able to reproduce this issue, it has been confirmed by Consumer Reports as being there – which really is as good as stamping “flawed” on the side of every iPhone 4 box.
But, in all seriousness, is it really fair for Kevin Turner to compare the iPhone 4 with Windows Vista? Personally, I’d say no, it’s not. And, as an iPhone 4 owner and past Vista user, I feel qualified enough to oppose his comment
Now, I’m not going to get on my high horse about Vista, and I’m not going to break this argument down to the fundamental Apple vs. Microsoft rivalry – which, as we all know, is what it’s really about. Instead, I’m just going to say that Microsoft might as well have bought me a Mac when the company released Vista: nothing could have made me change camps quicker.
The Vista OS was a total nightmare. I’ve never been so relieved as I was the day I booted up my MacBook Pro and first experienced the speed and elegance that was, and still is, Mac OS X. Because Apple has created a great operating system in OS X, and Microsoft knows it.
Turner and friends also know that Apple’s iPhone has revolutionized the mobile telephone market, and Apple has raised the bar for everyone in the consumer electronics industry. Could Microsoft possibly be left standing in the shadow of turtleneck-wearing Steve Jobs?
With the release of Windows Phone 7 (Microsoft’s answer to the iPhone), digs are obviously going to be made towards Apple’s iPhone 4. After all, it would be impossible for Microsoft not to ridicule Apple’s latest handset. All Kevin Turner really wants is to have a level playing field upon which to match the Windows Phone 7 against the iPhone – and this means knocking Apple down a peg or two.
We want to know your opinions regarding this statement. Is Turner right? Would you compare the iPhone 4 with Windows Vista? Or, do you think Turner is jumping on the antenna-issue-bandwagon, and trying to pass off Microsoft’s failed operating system as a fluke that all companies are capable of making – even Apple.
If your phone’s afflicted with the reported antenna issues, or if you haven’t yet encountered them, be sure to drop us a line.
As always, let us know in the comments box below!
My firm, as more than 50% of the firms in the world still use Windows XP.
It is not that XP is a great OS (which is not).
The problem for Microsoft is not Vista. And Vista is not a past failure.
The problem is today: few people and few firms put their confidence in today’s Microsoft as a software developer. And judging from Kim failure, the same happens with their hardware.
People is sticking with yesterday’s Microsft products. That is a very serious problem for that company, and I think that in the future it will take a toll.
They are still the kings in many fields, but people’s perception begun changing some years ago…….
Windows XP was a good, fairly-reliable OS, and I can understand why so many firms use it. But Vista was a failure – Microsoft has even admitted that on several occasions.
The iPhone 4 has its fair share of issues, but until Apple completely turns its back on the product it won’t be the failure Vista was. The press conference tomorrow should be interesting.
That’s hillarious! Vista sucked. It wad a terrible product that wad delierately designed to be annoying with all its user warnings and confirmation dialogues.
iPhone 4 on the other hand ia the best smartphone ever. Hands down. I know cos I own one.
Yet, the blogosphere has manages to create the impression that calls keep dropping. Which isn’t the case at all.
So once this storm in a teacup has blown over, Apple will continue to thrive because the product is simply incredibly good.
With vista it was a whole litney of problems experienced by everyone who usesd it.
With the iphone 4 it’s one problem, an antenna problem experienced by, not everyone, but a sizeable portion.
The only reason Microsoft is attacking Apple by calling iphone 4 “vista” is because Apple ran such a great campaign against them. They are looking for payback.
Calling the iphone 4 vista does them more a disservice than they think… It’s like them saying, “hey look the iPhone 4 is such a terrible product, it’s almost as though we made it!”. Of course that’s not accurate. The iPhone has been out for more than six weeks and it hasn’t been discontinued yet… *cough* Kin *cough*
This isn’t about MS vs Apple. He was pointing out how Apple will dig it’s own grave if it doesn’t address the issue, kind of like how MS did it to itself with how it handled Vista and their support. You can’t compare Vista to the iPhone. The issue isn’t how the OS’s compare. One was a poor software launch, one is a poor hardware launch. There are a lot of differences and similarities regarding both. On one hand, when MS launches a new OS, millions of developers, companies, governments, etc rely on their OS to run their businesses, secure their servers, etc… So for MS a new OS is a big deal (every 3 years or so). For Apple, their OS is solid, yet they have a much smaller corporate base and more of a consumer base. With their launch of the iPhone, their products are now dominating the cell market due to lack of significant competition to a mobile OS and primarily, developers. Regardless of how cool and awesome the iPhone is (any generation), it’s only as strong as the developer backing. Luckily for the consumers (and Apple), they do. If you think about it, how cool would the iPhone be if you only had the stock apps made by Apple available to you? No games, maps, etc.. It wouldn’t be a great or even good phone at that. Many other phones in the market offer a lot more bang for the buck when it comes to raw features, but what people are buying it for is really the apps. The developer following is huge and because of the wide selection of apps, that’s why the iPhone is so popular.
So when Apple releases a new phone (every year and a half or 2), that’s their product. That product needs to last the 2 years or so until the next refresh. Millions of phones sell. If there is a hardware issue with it, Apple is hosed and they know that. Just like Microsoft did with Vista, Apple will deny the issue or suggest user error, or quick fix with a software update. The problem is that the more and more people experience the problem, the more it gets publicized. Just like Vista. The consumer reports article is significant because they are a non-biased nationally respected company who perform those test for the betterment of the public. It would be brushed off if someone like Gizmodo or Engadget found the issue, but a company like CR takes a little more light. You don’t have to agree with their reviews, but you need to respect the science behind their testing. Every Apple fanboy will defend their products to the end. I don’t blame them. You put a lot of money down on a new product that you know will make you happy. Trust me, i have a MBP, iMac, iTouch, iPad, AppleTV, and up until recently, and iPhone 3G. I know the value of the products and what they offer, but if the product is bad, you can’t just stand idly behind and defend Apple just because you like what you have in your hand. If the product is flawed, they need to fix it.
Maybe we will know after Apple’s press conference on Friday regarding the antennae issue. I really hope they take a step
forward, admit the issue, and take another step forward to fix the issue. I don’t want to see it turn into a Toyota recall.
A facile comment. Vista was slow and awful – and caused my move to Mac. My iPhone 4 is fast and responsive. Perhaps I’m lucky not having the antenna problem but I think it’s a great phone – and a significant step forward from my 3GS. I’d imagine folks moving from 3 or 3G to 4 will be amazed!
You’re exactly right there Alan. My move from 3G to 4 has left me very impressed with Apple indeed.
Okay, I’ll start this post with a little bit of background so people (hopefully) understand where I’m coming from.
As a former Radio Communications Technician for the U.S. Marine Corps, I have experience working with every band of radio frequencies from MF (Medium Frequency — as low as 300 Hz) all the way up to SHF (Super-High Frequency — as high as 3 GHz).
I have built antennas for almost every radio I have worked on (excluding those that need long-range, highly directional parabolic types) from scratch using nothing more than some basic math, wire, string, plastic spoons or other odd bits of trash, and the occasional metal slinky. (Yes, I mean the toy. Laugh if you like, but let’s see you come up with a better idea while people are shooting at you. It works and it goes up fast in a pinch.)
I have also owned every single iPhone model that Apple has released, including an iPhone 4. I have yet to experience ANY signal (or proximity sensor, for that matter) issues with the device.
What I can say is this — holding on to the antenna of any radio transmitting device is a bad idea.
At best it will mess with your signal. At worst, it can kill someone (assuming the radio is putting out enough power). Moving the antenna to the outside of the case was probably not the best decision on Apple’s part.
The problem with the “let’s-hold-onto-the-antenna” interference issues is usually worse when dealing with higher frequencies which, depending on your location, *could* be happening to people affected.
GSM cell phones like the iPhone 4, which is a quad-band phone, run on one of four frequencies. Specifically, those frequencies are 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz. All of these fall solidly into the ultra-high-frequency band (300 to 3000 MHz).
Depending on which frequency your carrier uses in your area, you may or may not have a problem. AT&T, like most other GSM carriers in the US, runs on either the 900 MHz or 1900 MHz bands, depending on location. If the tower where you happen to be is running on the higher 1900 MHz band you will likely have more problems with reception.
Your best solution to the problem is, like Steve said, “don’t hold it that way.” In other words, get a case. I’d imagine that just about everyone that cares even a little bit about their new iPhone has already done this.
I would not recommend the Apple-designed “bumper” case because it doesn’t slide into or back out of your pocket easily, but **Belkin’s Grip Vue** case is great. It will stick in one spot when you put on any hard, smooth surface (like the kitchen table or your desk), but won’t stick to cloth (like your jeans pocket).
Hope that this helps out for some people.
Thanks for your comment.
There’s nothing wrong with Vista. You’re just not using it correctly.
HAHA
I have had NO problems with my iPhone 4…and I am left handed.
I loved my iPhone 3Gs firts year. Then came the new OS. Programs doesnt work any more, programs crashes without any warning, phone “freezes” time to time, “open programs/multitasking” thing is useless and remains me of my old Nokia, who says folder
Having Vista before switching to Mac OS X, I can attest that this is not an equal comparison. Vista was a major mess up of an OS that kept companies from upgrading (and may keep them from ever doing it) and caused problems for many, while the iPhone 4 is an extremely over-hyped problem from online that actually only affects a small amount of users.