Some people will doubtlessly say I’m taking this out of context, but that’s not the case. Back in 2004, Microsoft Executive Jim Allchin wrote a scathing email to Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, essentially saying that if he didn’t work for Microsoft, he’d buy a Macintosh straight away. Pointing at the beauty, ease of use, and integration of iLife, he described Apple as simple, focused on the consumers and the businesses that make up their customer base, and focusing on their experiences with their products, instead of cramming tons and tons of features into a package that they feel like they probably should deliver. It’s remarkable, because I tend to feel the same way about a lot of Microsoft products, including Windows XP and Windows Vista, for as much as I like them both. They’re incredible products and incredible pieces of work, but tend to be a big tub of features that independently are fantastic, but aren’t very well integrated into a single user experience like I’ve experienced with products from Apple, for example. Microsoft, I feel, is headed in the right direction towards learning those lessons that Allchin recommends that they should take to heart.

Even so, I don’t think that Apple fans are taking this email the right way. I’ve seen some gloating and smug smiles among the Apple and Linux communities, since Allchin describes them as challenges that Microsoft should learn from, but I don’t believe that’s Allchin’s point. I think that while he is indeed praising Apple and Linux developers for their work, his message to Gates and Ballmer also serves as a warning to those same companies that he’s commended-don’t follow in those footsteps. I would specifically direct that warning out to Apple-don’t lose your way. Stay focused on the consumer and the experience of the people who use and buy your products, and you’ll stay on the right track. Unfortunately I don’t think Apple fans will have the kind of patience that Microsoft fans have had with their favorite company.

Even so, Allchin has some serious points, and according to him, after his comments, Ballmer and Gates took his concerns to heart and overhauled the development process for Windows Vista (referred to by its codename in Allchin’s email, “LH,” short for Longhorn) and that Vista is a very strong OS as a result. I would be inclined to agree, and when Steve Jobs welcomed Allchin to the fold in his keynote speech at MacWorld 2007, I found the comment entertaining but unnecessarily snarky. Jobs would do well to, while poking fun, to take the example to heart, and never walk so far down that road that he needs his execs to be so dramatic to drive home the fact that there’s a problem under the hood.

The snippet above is only a part of the entire message, published over at the Seattle Post-Intelligencier.

[ Seattle Post-Intelligencier :: Jim Allchin's Mac Message: The Full Text ]