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Microsoft vs. Apple : Who Copies Who?

Long gone are the days when Apple was the most innovative company in the world and the Cupertino-based company is no longer making the headlines these days in the same way it did a few years ago.

There's no doubt, however, the Apple still has what it takes to innovate and bring up something new that's at least as exciting as the iPhone was when it first reached the market.

A few days ago, news that Apple might launch a multitasking feature for iPads led to a never-ending debate as to who copies who, with some people claiming that the fruity company has become so desperate that it needs to borrow some of the features created by its long-time rivals in order to stay relevant in the existing rapid-changing market.

A long time ago, when Apple was referred to as the most innovative company in the world, pretty much everyone in the industry was accused of looking at its products to steal some of its technologies and thus have a chance in the fierce competition in both the smartphone and the tablet markets.

Things have changed with the debut of Windows 8, Microsoft's modern operating system that was no longer just a product designed for PCs, but also for tablets and smartphones, thus offering a unified experienced across multiple devices and state-of-the-art synchronization options that could provide instant access to your apps and files wherever you go.

At the same time, Windows 8 came with a different look as compared to its predecessor, giving up on the very popular Aero effects in the favor of a new flatter design that caused even more controversy among those who were at least considering switching to this new OS version.

The flat look was criticized by some, applauded by many, but eventually, everyone got used to it and, what's more, it somehow started a completely new trend in the tech industry, with many more companies going for a similar appearance for their products.

Apple made no exception to this rule and launched a flat look for iOS 7 which seemed to be more or less inspired by Microsoft's. Needless to say, many Apple fanboys were disappointed with the new appearance of the operating system designed for iPhones and iPads, but eventually, just like in Microsoft's case, everyone got used to it.

This week, some new reports reached the web revealing that Apple might again look at Microsoft's products in order to make its software better. It appears that the iPhone maker is planning to introduce a multitasking feature for iPads, most likely in iOS 8, that seems to be inspired from Microsoft's very own feature that allows Windows 8 users to run two or even three Metro apps side by side.

This particular option is already available on desktops and tablets, including all Surface models, and could soon debut on the iPad as well, if these reports are true.

Of course, reports that came out in the last couple of days accused Apple of copying Microsoft's multitasking feature and there is no doubt that there's clearly some truth behind these claims.

But the question that's actually more important concerns the whole market. Could Apple's decision to bring a similar multitasking feature in iOS 8 harm competition?

I can bet that it won't. While Apple might have to face a new wave of criticism for looking into Microsoft's yard to improve its products, there's no doubt that making the iPad better will actually force Microsoft to continue work on its own multitasking feature and revise it in such a way that it would offer even more advantages over Apple's.

In the process, Microsoft might actually brag about being copied by Apple (as Redmond has used this strategy for quite some time now in its ads), but in the end, the company has no other option than to look into ways to improve its devices and software than Apple's products.

I guess everyone agrees that no matter how bad (or not) Windows 8 is, its multitasking feature, at least on tablets, is clearly superior to Apple's. But with a similar feature also offered on iPad, how could Microsoft sell better if not by rolling out improvements on its side?

So, who copies who? The answer is as clear as it is hard to digest for some people. But in the end, if consumers don't mind, they still buy the product and it's all a win-win situation, could copying competition be considered a bad thing?