In Stephenson's essay, he poses both sides of one of the world's largest debates: Apple vs. Microsoft. Clearly, I favor Apple given the fact that I am writing this post on my new Macbook Pro with my iPhone 4 sitting on the table next to me.
When I found out that this essay was written in 1999, I was shocked at how well Stephenson seemed to predict the future in terms of new technology that hadn't been developed yet (in his terms, the technosphere). As we all know Apple won the race to this "new technology" with the initial dominance of the iPhone, to which Microsoft only responded with the Windows phone. Clearly, however, the iPhone is still by far the most popular smartphone.
Apart from smartphones, however, the newest innovation that has sparked continued competition between the two companies has been in the field of tablets. The Surface has, in my opinion, surpassed the iPad in terms of capabilities. The Surface has all the same processing power as a running windows on a computer, whereas the iPad is still completely app based.
It seems that there has been a total switch of roles in terms of apps between Microsoft and Apple. Previously, as Stephenson stated, Microsoft was focussed more on apps, but now it seems that Apple has gone over-the-top in terms of apps. Everything about apple products depends on being able to run certain apps whereas Microsoft has focused on other aspects for products.
Despite some deficiencies in Apple’s current platform of running software, people will always seem to be drawn to the aesthetics of Apple products. The company has been able to create an incredibly loyal user base because of this. Apple’s sleek designs and ease of use have always been main selling points. Although apps are a bit cumbersome, they are incredibly easy to use. Each app has its own specific function with allows the user to differentiate almost without thinking where to click or touch to find what they want to find.
Stephenson had a great point in saying that both companies needed to keep an open mind in a sense by continuing to research and develop new technologies and not become fossilized. Although Apple had a jumpstart with their touch screen iPods and iPhones, Microsoft seems to currently be winning the race in terms of more sophisticated and advanced technologies. On one hand, Apple continues to rely on running apps whereas Microsoft is trying to go above and beyond apps.
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