I was reading an article on news.com.au and it got me thinking. Why do I enjoy Apple products as much as I do?

Well I think it comes down to delivering an exceptional user experience, and you can’t do that unless you control as many aspects of the product as possible. In Apple’s case, that means iTunes, their App Store, the operating system and building their own hardware.

Yes, it can be annoying and get expensive, but for those with an appreciation for exceptional user experiences it is worth it. It seems that Google have come to the same conclusion and delivered the Nexus One, a product that IMHO is the closest thing to an iPhone competitor.

Calling me a “sheep” because I have an iPhone and would consider an Apple Tablet annoys me, a lot – I want an exceptional product & experience, and I trust Apple can deliver it. That doesn’t make me a fan boy – it makes me a “User experience junkie”.

Now, I quite like Windows 7 and thank the stars that Microsoft has been able to deliver a great OS once again. But the issue as I see it is that Microsoft have to many hardware partners, and cannot tightly couple their software to any of them. That means Win7 (albeit good) is more ‘generic’ than the fruit company’s operating system. It also means that one bad product from a hardware partner can be detrimental to the future experience and overall opinion of its software.

I work in software, and use a mac everyday – it’s my OS of choice. But even with a pretty & stable Windows 7, I think I will still stay with my mac. It’s earnt my trust.

The xbox 360 is Microsoft’s flag ship, and when Natal comes out it will set the tone for the gaming industry. It is an exceptional product, with an exceptional user experience.

Working to my point just nicely, Microsoft control every core aspect of this exceptional xbox product.

Q.E.D :)