Dear Microsoft: You’ll Never Beat Apple, So Stop Trying

Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in one handy summary. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it pairs really well with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you also want to read it during lunch or dinner hours.

Surface tension

Those missing the days of the full-time Apple/Microsoft beef will have been heartened last week by the bold claims that the latest Surface devices are faster than the M3 MacBook Air. It’s funny to see Microsoft’s marketing department in a combative mood, but part of me wishes the company would stop trying so hard to show that it’s better than Apple.

On the one hand, it’s hard to imagine Apple taking this particularly seriously. The whole thing gives off the same energy as that elevator scene from Mad Men. (Ginsberg: “I feel bad for you.” Don Draper: “I don’t think about you at all.”) Surface devices have performed well enough with reviewers and customers, but they’re not likely to bring down the Macbook. he will soon be perched. And the fact that Microsoft, not Apple, is rushing to make the comparison rather reveals this fact: as embattled British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak understands, it is the underdog, not the favorite, who benefits from the turbulence of the debate.

This claim, like most acrobatic comparisons, also seems a bit forced, not least because Microsoft is comparing its own brand-new devices to a four-month-old laptop that isn’t high-end or equipped with the latest generation of chips . . “It’s going to outperform any device,” says Microsoft vice president Yusuf Mehdi, before choosing the MacBook Air M3 over the MacBook Pro M3 Max or even the iPad Pro M4. I understand the Air is closer in price, but maybe don’t use the words “any device out there” if you then want to ignore the Pro-shaped elephant in the room. Or even the existence of the M4 chip, currently confined to the iPad Pro but likely to appear in a Mac shortly.

That’s before we even get to the fact that speed tests do a very poor job of summarizing the Mac’s attractiveness. Most Macs, especially since the advent of Apple silicon, are extremely fast. But that’s not why people buy them, or at least not the main reason. It’s about beautiful design, a reputation for excellent security and privacy, and the smooth intuitiveness of macOS.

But it’s not just about nitpicking the details. It’s about fundamental strategy and understanding a company’s place in the world. Apple understands that it’s not 2006 anymore and Mac vs PC is no longer the best way to approach customer decision-making; Microsoft also needs to move on. And perhaps even accept that his best policy would be to work with Apple, rather than against.

After all, they are two very different companies with very different skills. Apple currently has a big design advantage, and probably always will. Microsoft, on the other hand, has more experience working with business users. (If I feel like I’m returning to the Mac vs. PC mentality, I’m not just talking about spreadsheets. Just consider the success of HoloLens in a wide range of enterprise applications, from healthcare to ‘army.) Both are not. They don’t really target the same customers, and it makes more sense for them to collaborate rather than compete directly. Ensuring their apps work flawlessly on each other’s platforms, for starters, would benefit everyone.

In the past, companies either completely refused to let their software run on competing platforms or allowed it to run but made sure that platform had an older or less optimized version, such as the old version of iTunes that you found on Windows for years. . The idea was likely one of customer retention, with Apple in this case fearing that having access to all the same software would make Mac owners more likely to upgrade to a Windows machine. But while it still makes sense to follow this strategy on mobile, where iOS/Android switching is very common, the Apple and Microsoft camps have moved so far apart that it’s surely no longer an issue in the laptop market. Very few gamers or professional users will buy a Mac on a whim; Many designers and music producers also won’t be enticed to buy a Surface based on tenuous claims about faster speeds.

Ultimately, of course, comparison marketing campaigns like Microsoft’s aren’t about rationally presenting the pros and cons of a purchasing decision, they’re about stirring up controversy and gaining free publicity. (You’re welcome, Satya Nadella.) I can’t really be mad about that. As long as everyone involved understands that this is just a publicity stunt and that Microsoft will never beat Apple on these terms.

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Podcast of the week

We haven’t even reached the middle of 2024 and Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is in a few weeks, but we’re already seeing unofficial reports on some of the Apple’s plans for 2025. So we’re talking about these reports on today’s episode.

You can watch every episode of the Macworld podcast on Spotify, Sound cloudthe Podcasts app or our own site.

Reviews corner

The rumor mill

Here are the new AI features coming to your iPhone with iOS 18.

A classic iPhone color seems more likely than ever to return this year.

Apple wants to sell the iPhone SE 4 for less than $500. Google should be afraid.

Next year’s iPhone could feature a slim, redesigned ultra-premium model.

Don’t expect that Mac Studio and Mac Pro to be updated at WWDC – or anytime in 2024.

Report of a new AirTag coming next year (but few changes).

Software updates, bugs and issues

Apple Wi-Fi network vulnerability could disclose your location in real time.

iOS 17.5.1 update fixes rare bug that caused deleted photos to return.

Yay! System Settings will benefit from an interface update in macOS 15.

Beet, exhausted facesplatter emoji could be coming to your iPhone.

And with that, we’re done for this week’s apple breakfast. If you would like to receive regular summaries, subscribe to our newsletters. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads or Twitter to discuss the latest Apple news. See you next Monday and stay Appley.