sincerest form of flattery

I hear Microsoft's recent release of its Vista operating software was met with less than enthusiastic reviews. One local mega-electronics store stayed open all night waiting for the invasion of loyal hordes and had about 15 customers who braved the night to examine the new packages. Some of these did not buy anything, saying Microsoft always had bugs and they planned to wait several months for them to be fixed. Folks, if Vista is anything like Internet Explorer, which is pretty much just patches held together with baling wire and spit, you'd be better off taking Consumer Reports' advice and buying a Mac.

"If dealing with a Vista upgrade is more than you want to tackle, there are other options....you can go with Apple.....Buying a Mac will get you a brand that offers & excels in technical support and reliability."

Yes, PC's are cheaper, but this is a case of getting what you pay for. I've owned both PC's and Macs and I believe if you "use a Mac, you'll never go back." And I love my iPod.

Speaking of MP3 players, Bill Gates once dissed the iPod, saying he didn't know why anyone would carry both a phone and a music player. So I'm wondering why the Zune (which was supposed to make us forget about the iPod) doesn't include a phone in its package. Recently Advertising Age published its annual glossary of media technology and the Zune made the Top 10 for 2007. It says that Microsoft’s Zune brand now means something besides a digital audioplayer.

“ZUNE: Microsoft’s new music player. Also [slang]: a poseur; a wannabe. Usage: ‘Dude, you look like such a Zune in that shirt.' "

Which brings up the point that Vista is so Zune. It mimics what Apple has been doing for years. There's finally something resembling Mac's oh-so-cool Dock. There's a search window in the upper left corner instead of the upper right as Mac's is. You can add "gadgets" to your desktop, which seem to be very similar to Mac's "widgets." Not very original. Of course these items will SEEM original to people who have never had the pleasure to operate a Mac.

poor Microsoft. I'd feel sorry for them if they weren't making so much money by being so pervasive. In the meantime here's food for thought: What if Bill Gates had designed the iPod?

ps: No, I don't work for Apple. I'm just a fan.