14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft managed to pour more fuel on the fire driving the perspective that the Redmond company is no longer an innovator but just a follower, by noting that the Windows 7 graphical user interface (GUI) was borrowed from Mac OS X. The software giant was accused on various occasions that it was down-right copying rival products with their own, and then leveraging its mammoth presence on the software market in order to squash smaller-size competitors, generally out of its weight category. And nowhere have the accusations of copying found more virulence than when it came down to Apple products. The Cupertino-based hardware company made sure to point the finger at Microsoft in the past, revealing that the Redmond giant had found inspiration in Apple products for its own software solution.
Microsoft has always been on the defense in this regard, while never really firing back at Apple, or any other source of copying allegations. But here’s the catch. While so far such sources were always third-parties, this time around, one of its own has officially stated that Microsoft found inspiration for the look and feel of Windows 7 in Apple’s Mac OS X.
“One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it’s very graphical and easy to use. What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it’s traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics. We’ve significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it’s built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance,” revealed Microsoft's partner group manager, Simon Aldous for PCR-Online.
As the report started spreading across the web, Microsoft was quick to react. In an official statement, Brandon LeBlanc, Windows Communications Manager on the Windows Client Communications Team, indicated that Aldous had absolutely no idea what he’s talking about. LeBlanc stated that Aldous was not involved in the design process of Windows 7, and that the information he supplied was far from being correct or even informed for that matter.
“An inaccurate quote has been floating around the Internet today about the design origins of Windows 7 and whether its look and feel was “borrowed” from Mac OS X. Unfortunately this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7. I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed. If you’re interested in learning more about the design of Windows 7, I suggest reading this AP story with Julie Larson-Green as well as these WSJ (membership required) and Fast Company articles. And here is one of many blog posts on the E7 blog discussing the design process of Windows 7,” LeBlanc said.