Here is some free advice for the "Big M"- allow Apple to have "big and beautiful." They're better at it than you are and continuing to waste your time here is getting pretty pathetic. Instead, opt for "clean, fast and functional." You know, sort of like XP SP2, but with a better file system and safer security. Having said this, I would suggest keeping much of the functionality that Vista has to offer. However, by dumping the ridiculous specifications requirements for running Vista at its best, you end up with a higher adoption rate.

I believe Microsoft is just now coming to grips with the fact that their biggest competitor is their own Windows XP. Those people who are using Windows XP right now have no real motivating reason to upgrade; short of being able to play with "Gadgets" and other frivolous crap. If they wanted this sort of thing, they more than likely would have gone with OS X on the Mac.

People who choose Windows do so because it's what they know and because of the software selection. Rather than accept this, Microsoft chooses to interpret what their next OS should offer versus what people actually want.

In my previous article on Microsoft, I explained that Microsoft is not offering potential Vista Beta testers an opportunity to fully explore the Vista Beta as they are not even able to get it downloaded. Then I went on my rant regarding protecting a brand versus making your product accessible.

However, now I feel that their problems are much larger than this. Aside from alienating the tech community even further, Microsoft also faces the challenge of making sure they can illustrate why Vista is worth the hassle of an upgrade. Thus far, their PR department has produced nothing. Let's explore this further...

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