1. The Microsoft - Apple rivalry goes back a very long way. Each side has loyal followers
arguing with the other side over who is better. Apple products are generally ridiculed for their
price and comparatively restricted ecosystem, while Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS and
Windows marketplace is a laughing stock due to the inferior quality and unavailability of apps
compared to Android and iOS. It is easy to lose logic and rationality in a fight between Microsoft
and Apple. The truth is, Apple has not been able to keep the innovative factor up in their recent
iPhone releases but is still enjoying sales due to the loyal followers, while Microsoft has quite a
lot lined up in the form of Cortana, Surface, Windows 10 but will need consistency to catch up
with Apple.
Desktop/ Mobile OS : Windows 10 vs OS X El Capitan/ iOS 9
Windows 10 is the newest operating system release from Microsoft and aims to unify all
Microsoft devices under one single OS. All the Surfaces, PCs and Lumias will run on Windows
10. Microsoft Windows has always been a platform for the masses and due to its largely diverse
user base and device variants, always lacked the feel of an ecosystem. With the release of
Windows 10, users will feel the presence of a tightly integrated and complementing ecosystem.
The common platform enables developers to create applications that integrate seamlessly with
the user through different devices. The same app on your PC will catch up where you left of on
your Windows Phone, and the common OS will make the experience more seamless than
before. OS X El Capitan does not aim to be a common OS for Apple’s devices but the Apple
system is already better integrated than Windows, with features like Airplay, Airdrop and
Handoff enabling OS X devices to interact with iOS devices. iPhone users can pick up a call on
their Mac if both the devices are on the same network. This could be particularly helpful at home
when your iPhone is charging and you are already working on a Mac. Though all these features
are available on a Windows device with third party solutions or at times, even Microsoft’s own
applications, Apple has done clever marketing by making these common tasks seem easy. At
times, all you care about is getting the work done with zero hassles.
Tablets : iPad vs Surface
Tablets have been around for a lot of years but Apple actually helped the tablet market
gain popularity. The tablet market piggybacked on the popularity of the iPad and a previously
non-existing segment was creating in the market. Apple enjoyed the fruits of its marketing
genius for the first few years of the iPad but now Microsoft has caught up. The latest and best
offerings from both the camps are Apple’s iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4. Both are full
sized tablets with no scarcity of accessories like keyboards, covers, and desk stands. The
iPad’s A9X is enough to compete with the low end Surface Pro, but when maxed out, there is no
matching the i7 U CPU paired with Intel’s Iris GPU in the Surface Pro 4.The Surface matches if
not betters the iPad’s build quality, screen pixel density, battery life, accessories and absolutely
trumps the iPad in terms of usability with its full desktop sized operating system. The iPad Pro is
still sort of a large phone while the Surface Pro 4 can be termed as an underpowered
Desktop/Laptop replacement ;we aren’t sure of the underpowered part though. The iPad has
enjoyed a smooth ride so far but the Surface is not going to let that continue , and it has got the
start right.

2. Artificially intelligent assistants : Siri vs Cortana
This comparison between the digital assistants each company has to offer can get as
thorough as one tries. The comparison is actually very subjective. Some might find Siri’s sense
of humour better than Cortana’s. But then Cortana has come into play about 4 years after Siri.
Both Siri and Cortana have sense of character and personification unlike Google’s ‘Ok Google’.
They behave like humans with their users. There are various humorous replies hardcoded to
predictable questions in both these assistants. They both remember your previous questions
and answer in context with those. Cortana is going to be shipped with Windows 10 on all
devices. Siri is only present on iOS right now, though it might be forming its way to the next OS
X iteration. Cortana is even available on Android and iOS with Microsoft partnering with
Cyanogen to make Cortana more powerful on Android. All in all, it looks like Siri’s creators have
a more humorous approach to digital assistants but both get the work done satisfactorily.
Fitness wearables : Band vs iWatch
Microsoft has ventured into the fitness wearable market with the Microsoft Band. A lot of
companies are making wearables to complement their primary devices and Microsoft had to
catch up with that. The latest offering from Microsoft is the Band 2. Apple has its own iWatch
that works seamlessly with the iPhone, iPod and iPad. Both have activity tracking, heart rate
monitoring, text/ call alerts. The iWatch also has mobile payments integrated into it. Apple
iWatch works only with iOS while the Band 2 works with iOS, Android and of course, Windows
Phone. Microsoft is trying to make its technologies available on all platforms to get maximum
user reach while Apple is restricted to its own ecosystem. That is the premise both the
companies started off with, in the beginning.
Apple had vowed the world with all maiden releases of its products like the iPod in 2001,
the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010, but all subsequent releases have been plateaus with
the innovation factor slowly dwindling. The company still enjoys a very loyal customer following
with people willing to spend upwards of $600 on every iPhone/ iPad release. Apple products
also have a sense of premium-ness, especially in developing countries and the attractive offers
being put up are only helping Apple gain more followers. Microsoft on the other hand, owns a
large majority of the Desktop market but is yet to see significant success with mobile phones
and tablets. The tablet market share of Microsoft is improving faster than the mobile phone
market share. Microsoft seems to be implementing all things that Apple products are well-known
for thus, bridging the gap between the two.