Why is Microsoft truely better than Apple?

agree with Tim, even though i am a Apple fan-boy.
fair enough, different companies, serving their products to different markets.
Theres little overlap there at the desktops, but the type of people using Microsoft and Apple products just differ.

There is no 'better' company.
Just make a choice based on which company has the software you like most ;)

Just throwing some operating system stuff out there:

The main reason Windows has such high market share in the desktop realm is that Microsoft is very nice to developers. By this I mean they have lots of SDKs, give developers licenses for software, and even encourage hobbyists to develop (Visual Studio Express). They guarantee (in a sense) that third party software will remain operable for a decade at least, because they keep new versions backwards-compatible with the old.

This is in fact one of the reasons Windows is kinda bloated and buggy. There are lots of examples of Microsoft adding software specific checks to new versions of runtimes, APIs, etc to make sure popular programs still run. For example, an old version of SimCity referenced a memory address outside what it had allocated. Windows had a check for this version of SimCity and let the game use that unallocated memory even though it was a SimCity bug and a fluke that it worked on the old version of Windows.

Other examples are how Microsoft has written libraries that emulate the implementation of their old libraries. Particularly some old applications were written using undocumented (non-API) library structures. When these libraries were updated, Microsoft went through third-party software to see if it needed undocumented parts from the old API to function, and added compatibility layers as necessary.

Apple is generally not as good with developers. Just look at the iPhone, it was out for a year before the SDK was released. That being said, there is also the popularity breeds popularity thing. Windows holds the market share, developers can reach a large audience on Windows, there are lots of other developers and resources for developing on Windows, etc, etc. This works against Apple. Mac has a smaller market share. Fewer people develop on Mac. Apple steps in and writes their own software suites (iLife, Final Cut, etc.). Basics are covered, developers have fewer "general audience" targets to hit. Less development means less development communities, resources (yes, I know most of Apple's development stuff is stolen from BSD and open-source, large communities but generally Mac-non-enthusiasts; besides, graphics is Apple custom).

Another success orgy: iPhone. The iPhone was such a hit that despite Apple's glacial SDK release, they have tons of development going on. Everyone wants an iPhone*, everyone wants to hit mobile-computing consumers, everyone wants to develop.

Disclaimers: lots of opinion up there, so should you disagree, shout it out and we'll discus.

Because Microsoft is more open than Apple for Developers and Customers.

Because Microsoft actually gives you a choice on how you want your desktop to look and feel. And there's more and better software and third-parties for Windows-PC's than for Apple's PPC's

Why does one have to be "good" and one "bad?" True, Apple is pretty closed but that also allows them to control the entire user experience end-to-end. Microsoft, as an example, doesn't make the computers their software runs on, and relies on those third parties to write drivers to interface to the operating system. Some are better at it than others (not that all APIs are perfect, either). ;) But because of the more open model, it's easier (in my personal opinion) to develop software on the Windows platform, and as a result there are more programs available on Windows than on Mac.

The reason I prefer MS is because I don't like Apple. It's marketing campaigns such as the "mac vs pc" ones spread a lot of FUD, lies and general crap about Windows. A company who lies about its competitors isn't very good...A CEO who includes a specific timeslot in every WWDC just for trashing it's competitor is not very secure...And last of all, a user base of people who switched cuz they just aren't bright enough to use Windows (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tq7yy...) cannot be a very smart user base.

Not convinced? Bonus reason: apple fanboys are 10 times more annoying than windows fanboys =) lol

Microsoft is not "truely better than Apple." Microsoft has a larger market share, doesn't require people to buy ridiculously expensive products to use its OS and has a more open ended product, as well as a much more generous CEO. That's about it for their advantages. Granted, those advantages are huge. Apple has the edge on ease of use, stability, and innovation. Personally I prefer PCs, I'm a big time gamer and one mouse button sucks for my favorite game, Starcraft, as well as no IPX on any recent OS for classics like Warcraft 2. Just get whatever is better for your needs, there is no objectively superior company between those two.

There is no one answer.... only developers care about SDK's and API's, and only business people care about market shares and propriety... but it all comes down to the basic end user. Are you a gamer? Need to do lots of spreadsheets? Graphic Designer? Hardcore developer? Just want to surf the net? Check some email? Print reports? I'm a hardcore mac fan (i have MY reasons) and an aspiring developer but I don't pretend microsoft is inferior, just a different way of thinking.

It has loads of viruses?
Or is it the fact that they copy Apples OS?
maybe its that they refuse to admit that they screwed up Vista?
I can only hope that the next version of windows (After 7) goes its own way instead of being a rubbish looking mac look-alike.

This discussion is clearly biased from the structure of the questions. Why not rephrase it by asking which company is better and for what reasons? What do these companies do poorly? Instead, why have you chosen such a narrow route?

AND for the record, I favor Microsoft, but you are clearly in favor of leading an ignorant discussion.