Microsoft Borrowed Mac Look…Was That a Secret?

Some people within Microsoft believe that Windows 7 look was borrowed from Mac. Of course, this isn’t Microsoft’s official view as that employee wasn’t apparently involved in Windows 7 conception. Well, I think everybody can judge by itself: Windows 7 list of innovations is so boring that it cannot be an imitation of the Mac. But why did that Microsoft employee come up with the idea that Windows 7 interface was borrowed for the Mac?

A few scenarios

One thing is sure, people talk to each other at Microsoft. That particular employee could have been in touch with a couple of guys from the Windows interface team who shared the idea that Mac is an inspiration or that Windows 7 is a transition to a more Mac-style look-and-feel in future versions of Windows.

The other possibility is that this news was itself a rumor inside Microsoft that finally got outside Microsoft. The rumor could have very well been the result of the Windows interface team who were talking to a few close colleagues who did the same until it became a rumor. It just happened that that employee (it could have been anybody else) came up to the media and told about the rumor that then got public.

There is also another possibility: this wasn’t a secret. It is a Microsoft announcement of features for the next version of Windows. Since nobody believes Microsoft announcements anymore, they come up with a more sophisticated approach of announcing future releases. They release a ‘rumor’ or ‘inside story’ that says that Microsoft is working hard to make Windows look very much like a Mac. It could also be a diversion technique to hide the real intentions.

Really a secret?

It’s a known fact that Microsoft can’t get anything done anymore. It has lived out of its two major cash cows (Windows and Office) for too many years. Its strategy during these years was to consolidate its domination of the desktop operating system and the software productivity markets by making trusts with PC manufacturers. With many transformations in the computing industry, Microsoft’s dominant position is challenged more than ever where Windows does not seem to be relevant anymore. All of a sudden, Microsoft has to go out there and actually compete on the market. There’s just a small issue: it isn’t fit for competition.

Did Microsoft Borrow Mac Look?

Microsoft never was an innovator and its innovative capabilities will not flourish all of a sudden. Innovation is part of a firm’s culture and for big corporations like Microsoft, changing from a monopolist culture to an innovator culture is not feasible in an acceptable time range. By the time Microsoft changes its culture and becomes an innovator, Google has already conquered the whole Internet market. The best option for Microsoft is to do what it does best: not innovating.

Therefore, I believe that Microsoft borrowed Mac look or is in the transition process of having a Mac look-and-feel in the future. And they should keep it that way and imitate Chrome OS by shipping a lightweight version of Windows. I’m sorry to be so mean, but this is the best they can do.