Brief: Apple Isn't Above Taking Microsoft Pot Shots

Isn't Apple a little too, well, evolved for this sort of thing?

At a developers conference in San Francisco last week, the sophisticated folks who bring you the Mac took time out from technical presentations for a series of digs at Microsoft, complete with slides and video. CEO Steve Jobs jabbed Redmond for trying to "copy Google and Apple" and noted Apple has shipped five updates to its Mac OS X in the past five years, while Microsoft struggles to release its much-delayed Windows Vista, due early next year. "I guess it's a good example of 'money isn't everything,'" Jobs said.

Apple senior VP Bertrand Serlet flipped a series of slides comparing OS X to Vista, noting Apple already delivers fast file searching, RSS in the browser, and a workable desktop calendar. "Underneath it all, it's still Windows," he said. And a spoof of Apple's "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" TV commercials featured the PC character urging developers to take the summer off to help finish Vista, since "we need all the help we can get."

It wasn't all Windows smashing. Jobs & Co. unveiled features of Mac OS X "Leopard" (dubbed "Vista 2.0" on convention hall banners), including automatic backup software, new animation technology, and more 64-bit app support. Apple introduced Mac Pro, a $2,500 desktop for graphic designers featuring two of Intel's powerful Xeon processors, and plans to ship an Intel-powered Mac server in October. Apple's sniping may not buy it market share, but one thing's for sure: Jobs still gives the best keynotes in the business.