Apple Vs. Microsoft: Get Over It

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Microsoft recently launched a "PC vs. Mac" site. If you're expecting a snappy comeback to the longtime series of "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" commercials put out by Apple featuring the dowdy middle-aged PC and the cool blue-jeaned shaggy Mac, think again. Microsoft's site is devoid of humor or personality. It features dry, shallow and highly organized reasoning to promote buying a Windows machine over a Mac.

This is irritating on so many levels.

First of all, why now?

But more importantly, memo to the world: the days of dividing computing into two worlds, namely Apple vs. Microsoft is over.

I can tell you that everytime that I blog critically about Microsoft, I am accused of being an "Apple apologist" and kissing Steve Jobs' bum (that one made me giggle, however). If I breathe a word of criticism regarding Apple, I am equally accused of being a Microsoft stooge.

For a writer, this is validation that I'm doing something right to equally piss off everyone.

But, the knee jerk reaction to assume criticizing one is elevating the other makes no sense in today's landscape.

Here's why:

1. Pardon the pun, but its comparing apples and oranges. Apple doesn't even consider itself a computer company anymore. It now considers itself a mobile device company (that does still have a Mac arm). Microsoft may be a lot of things, but I don't think anyone would describe it as a mobile device company.

2. What about the other guys? Where does Google, Nokia, HP, Dell, or Research in Motion, to name a few fit into all of this? There is no "either/or" dynamic between the two companies.

3. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Microsoft and Apple are not each other's greatest threat. They actually share a greatest threat - Google.

Please follow me on Twitter @oricchio, if you are so inclined.

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio