I agree with tundraboy, and go one further: Steal Mac OS X, don't just COPY it. Use Darwin as the basis of their next OS.
Going UNIX will solve many of Microsoft's problems, and if they go BSD instead of Linux they can finally compete with free.
Microsoft's keys to success are 1. Backwards compatibility (nerds @ work), 2. Direct X (nerds @ play), and 3. Familiarity (non-nerds who only know to hit the "Start" button and/or to look for "the big E".
If they:
1. Make XP available as a VM for backwards compatibility like Apple did with the "Classic" MacOS.
2. Make Direct X 11 available on the UNIX OS first, and
3. Give it the old familiar shell of Win95/98/2000/XP
then they will be unstoppable.
I've always believed that Windows users misdirect the anger and frustration with their machines onto Mac users, and Mac users are a bunch of "I-told-ya-so" types that make people dig in their heels. The kind of people that turn normally rational people into stubborn, competitive jerks.
The animosity starts when the Mac guy says either "I use a Mac" or "Buy a Mac" at the worst possible time: When a Windows user is having trouble fixing their machine. This starts the bad blood that makes The Wars possible, even if it occurred by accident or with good intent.
The Wars start when the Windows guy's machine has a problem, and he realizes he's mentioned it in front of the Mac guy. Even if the Mac guy doesn't take the "I-told-ya-so" bait, the Windows guy feels socially slighted. A weakness has been revealed. He must confront Mac Guy.
Armed with a a news story that's barely half true, and supported by a myth and bad information, he makes a snarky remark.
Any attempt to correct his bad information is dismissed with words like "Kool-Aid" and "RDF", and he laughs as he mentally declares himself victor in this pissing contest.
Occasionally, the Mac guy will have enough hard data readily available to show the Windows guy he's misinformed, but being unable to successfully convince you that your machine sucks as much as his does (and your smile and claims of satisfaction with your purchase decision) just makes him want to "put a lit cigarette in your eye" as one person put it.
In every PC vs Mac argument, one person has turned it into a Team Sport while the other just feels attacked. What most people don't realize is that it happens both ways in equal frequency. The above story could be told with an ignorant jerk Mac user mocking a Windows user with zero problems.
The Wars go both ways. What those experiencing them don't realize is that this argument only exists in geek/nerd circles and no one else cares.
I've always believed that Windows users misdirect the anger and frustration with their machines onto Mac users, and Mac users are a bunch of "I-told-ya-so" types that make people dig in their heels. The kind of people that turn normally rational people into stubborn, competitive jerks.
The animosity starts when the Mac guy says either "I use a Mac" or "Buy a Mac" at the worst possible time: When a Windows user is having trouble fixing their machine. This starts the bad blood that makes The Wars possible, even if it occurred by accident or with good intent.
The Wars start when the Windows guy's machine has a problem, and he realizes he's mentioned it in front of the Mac guy. Even if the Mac guy doesn't take the "I-told-ya-so" bait, the Windows guy feels socially slighted. A weakness has been revealed. He must confront Mac Guy.
Armed with a a news story that's barely half true, and supported by a myth and bad information, he makes a snarky remark.
Any attempt to correct his bad information is dismissed with words like "Kool-Aid" and "RDF", and he laughs as he mentally declares himself victor in this pissing contest.
Occasionally, the Mac guy will have enough hard data readily available to show the Windows guy he's misinformed, but being unable to successfully convince you that your machine sucks as much as his does (and your smile and claims of satisfaction with your purchase decision) just makes him want to "put a lit cigarette in your eye" as one person put it.
In every PC vs Mac argument, one person has turned it into a Team Sport while the other just feels attacked. What most people don't realize is that it happens both ways in equal frequency. The above story could be told with an ignorant jerk Mac user mocking a Windows user with zero problems.
The Wars go both ways. What those experiencing them don't realize is that this argument only exists in geek/nerd circles.
Suicidal Microsoft?
I've Given Up Arguing with Windows Users
I've Given Up Arguing with Windows Users