I was reading an article about Apple today, and I was left with some interesting questions and comments... thought maybe I'd put them out there for people to get feedback.
Steve Jobs was quoted in the article as saying: "I wish developing great products was as easy as writing a check. If so, then Microsoft would have great products." WTF??!?! And you guys wonder why I dislike Apple? How could Microsoft make as much money as it does if it didn't make great products?
Look at it from another perspective: The whole time Microsoft has competed against Sony's Playstation 2, I've never once heard Microsoft say that the Playstation 2 was a bad product. They just talked about wanting to make a better one. Why can't Apple compete that way? Why does it have to be a mud-slinging contest? It just makes Jobs and Apple look arrogant and ignorant for not recognizing the merits of their competitor's solutions, and competing on that basis.
I'm not trying to disparage Apple per-se, I'm just trying to understand why it's ok for Apple to do this, but everyone would scream bloody murder if Microsoft did it. And here's another question:
There has been a lot of talk about the patent for "Back-Side Interface for Handheld Device" as hinting towards a newer, smaller iPhone. But how come I haven't seen anyone compare it to the Sprint UpStage, which at least keeps the controls on the same side as the UI? And what about usability? How easy would it be to use a device when you can't directly see the buttons you're touching?
Just trying to start an intelligent discussion about things I don't understand. I hope the comments I receive are in the same vein.