I am surprised by how many people still buy products from Microsoft. They make bad software and even worse hardware. Don't get me started on Windows. Their hardware is a joke. Xbox 360 RROD anyone? Zune leap year debacle anyone? PS3 and iPods are far superior.
So why do the consumers still keep going back to MS after being constantly burnt by them again and again. When will people learn never to buy MS?
People buy Microsoft because Microsoft sells the ONE AND ONLY platform that allows you to run every available software solution on it. Especially when you also use it for business purposes. That is a simple fact and usually already ends the discussion.
Why should I not get you started on Windows? In my experience, Windows performs faster and more reliable than OS X - both on the desktop AND on the server. OS X has better usability and I prefer it as my working horse because of that, but usually everything is slower than on Windows and it also has more glitches than Windows. But I am also a fan of beautiful designs, and Apple has the better graphics designers on its payroll. I also find software written for OS X easier to use and better thought out than comparable Windows counterparts, but it all comes at a higher price and usually with more restrictions.
Xbox 360: I have one and never had a single issue with it. Microsoft has an extremely generous warranty/guarantee policy, so if your Xbox fails, they will simply and without questioning give you a new one. Try that with failing Apple hardware.
The Xbox 360 also has the MUCH better hardware specifications for games. She comes with three very fast CPU cores while the PS3 comes with 9 slow cores. Games usually do NOT take advantage of multiple cores, and the result is very obviously visible when the very same game is available for both consoles: The Xbox version ALWAYS looks better. And is also more stable.
Zune: It's not available in Europe and even if it was, I wouldn't care. I have an iPod Touch and in my opinion it was the biggest waste of money. It's a shut down device that's basically good for nothing, and it's not even fun to use. The joys of using the multi-touch interface are short-lived, and when you begin to actually want to use the gadget for something, you'll quickly find out that there is nothing of any value available for it. You have to jailbreak the device to install useful software for it. Therefor: A waste of money.
Burning their customers: I bought my iPod in January 2008 and already had to pay for the January 2008 software update which was released not even a week after I had bought the iPod. Then I also had to pay for the 2.0 firmware update later that year. Now THAT is being burned by a company.
I did not have to pay for any Xbox 360 firmware updates in the same time frame, and there were quite a few, including one really big one. Guess to which company I am more sympathetic. Hint: It's not Apple.
Then Microsoft also offers full software development kits WITHOUT NDA for their gadgets free of charge. I can use C# - which, unlike Apple's Objective-C, is a widely accepted programming language - and XNA to write apps for Windows, the Xbox 360 AND the Zune. (And when I buy the third party product Unity3D, I can even use C# to program games for OS X and the iPhone/iPod Touch. The SAME programming language for ALL platforms.) And I can also leverage my C# knowledge to write software for Linux (hello Mono) or to develop that huge eCommerce website. Now THAT is an offer that is hard to refuse. And before you say it: I could not use Java for all of these platforms; there's no Java for the Xbox, the Zune, or the iPod Touch/iPhone.
So what was your question again? Why people still buy Microsoft? Because they sell useful PLATFORMS (and not just gadgets).
It's a good thing that this isn't a black and white world. 64-Bit Vista runs great on my Mac Pro, both "in Boot Camp" and in VMWare Fusion, and my Xbox 360 also communicates perfectly well with OS X Leopard.
It's not an either-or choice. Don't restrict yourself. Simply use both and take full advantage of their combined power.
, MGS4)