It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and the initial reactions to yesterday's product reveal by Microsoft certainly has echoes of Apple's hardware line-up. But instead of mocking the similarities, Apple should be welcoming Microsoft into the fray. Not only will the new hardware benefit Microsoft, but it will also help drive Apple forwards, and give both companies more opportunities to weaken Google.
Take the Surface Book, which is getting most of the attention. Microsoft has already put this next to the MacBook Air as a competitive match-up. Microsoft is happy with the areas that the Surface Book will win in, highlighting the graphical capabilities of the combination, the flexibility of the Surface Pen, and the unique design cues. With such a balanced ground, Apple can also take the Surface Book and put it up against not just the MacBook Air but the new MacBook to push the message of thin and powerful with its latest ultra-portable laptop.
Both the Surface Book and the updated Surface Pro 4 also validate the iPad Pro (and the iPad Pro validates the Surface hardware in the opposite direction). Apple has stressed its detachable keyboard for the larger tablet just as Microsoft does, and the mix of touchscreen and qwerty input in a commercial space that has long struggled to stand out as one that is suitable for the mass market. With two heavyweight devices now marking out this territory it has the best chance possible of creating a larger market.
The Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 not only validates Apple's strategy of ultra-portable, it also gives Cupertino a yardstick to measure its own efforts in laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Given the criticism from some quarters that Apple is delivering the minimum viable updates to its hardware when releasing new models, the pace of innovation and distribution will be under pressure to speed up now that there is a competitor sharing the space.
Apple has spent some time educating users about Continuity, the ability to pass data between two different pieces of hardware while working on them - such as moving a document for editing from a Mac to the iPad, or sharing the cellular connectivity of an iPhone with a MacBook. This is a different approach to portable information than Microsoft, which is pushing both the idea of the Windows 10 smartphone devices being able to act 'like a PC' through its Continuum technology or the shared online data space of OneDrive.
That again matches up well with Apple's use of a user's iCloud account to offer the transfer of information between two devices, but Microsoft is going one step further through the use of universal apps.
Having one operating system across its entire platform was one of the key selling points in the new Lumia 950 and 950 XL smartphones. Powered not by a variant of Windows Phone but by Windows 10, Microsoft is hoping that universal apps for desktop and mobile will become the norm. If you want a contrast with Apple, here it is. iOS has Windows absolutely smashed in terms of third-party app support, but Apple is not as strong in the Enterprise as Microsoft. Just as Microsoft is having to try to match Apple in the mainstream apps, Apple is going to have work to build up more skills and connections in the enterprise market.
Of course one way of doing this is to have Microsoft Office available on the iOS and OSX platforms, which works out nicely for both Apple and Microsoft. Apple gets access to a recognised ecosystem, while Microsoft can bolster its own efforts to bring users to its cloud-based services.
Microsoft and Apple are in competition with each other and there will be a natural tendency to pitch them into heated comparisons, but the real target should not be to take each other out - Holmes cannot work without Moriarty, Bond cannot be Bond without Blofeld, and Cook needs Nadella is the latest regeneration of Apple and Microsoft that will keep the story flowing.
With Microsoft engaging heavily in hardware it will provide contrast for Apple's devices, as well as stopping complacency in Cupertino, which should allow even more creative thinking to be seen in Apple's consumer products. Both companies will be motivated to outdo each other over the coming years, and they can now work on maximizing their own strengths while dialling back on the ambitions to be everything to everybody... sometimes a competitor's focus allows you to put your stress on a different and more worthwhile area.
And in all of this the other well-worn cliché of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' places Google into focus.
Apple is in the middle of constricting Google's advertising inventory through the introduction of ad blocking hooks in iOS and bringing publishers to the Apple Store and subscriptions, as opposed to Google's ad-supported model. With the hardware advances in the iPhone and iPad space Google's Android partners have to invest more to maintain parity with iOS - and that means less money is being spent on new areas which could threaten the iPhone's dominance of the premium market.
Microsoft is transitioning from being an OS-led company to a Cloud-led company with a strong second string of hardware. The comparisons with Apple, one of the most respected hardware manufacturers on the planet, gives the Surface range instant credibility. While the Lumia name might not be as strong as iPhone, it continues to provide an alternative to both iOS and Android while maintaining data portability with both the desktop and the cloud. Microsoft is also working to become an established provider on Android, with numerous deals to bundle Outlook, OneDrive, Skype, and other apps on manufacturers' handsets.
Both Apple and Microsoft are looking to temper Google's ambitions. What was left unsaid during Microsoft's launch event yesterday and Apple's event during September was not just the new features and options for consumers, but the defensive actions being taken by both companies... defensive actions that are designed to neutralise Google's threat to each company over the long-term.
Of course Apple and Microsoft are in competition, but each company's real enemy is Google. They will spar with each other, they will throw barbs, but the real wrath is being targeted on Mountain View.
