Apple vs. Microsoft - A Website Usability Study

Apple spent part of its WorldWide Developers Conference this morning detailing Snow Leopard, the upcoming version of its Mac OS X operating system — including plans to release it in September as a $29 upgrade for people running Mac OS X Leopard. That’s about month before Microsoft plans to come out with its new Windows 7 operating system.

Microsoft isn’t yet talking about pricing for Windows 7, but early clues suggest the cost of upgrading to it from Windows Vista is likely to be more than the price of upgrading from Leopard to Snow Leopard. A leaked Best Buy memo, obtained last week by Engadget, said the retailer would presell Windows 7 Home Premium upgrades for $49.99 and Windows 7 Professional upgrades for $99.99.

Mac and Windows fans will debate the relative value of the two operating-system updates, but the bottom line is that each is an incremental advance over its predecessor, said Michael Gartenberg, vice president of strategy and analysis at Interpret LLC in New York.

It remains to be seen how the difference will impact the market, he said, but Apple customers will probably end up happier than Windows customers when they see the upgrade prices. “Apple’s announcement is a much more realistic assessment of how an interim OS upgrade should be priced,” Gartenberg said via phone after watching the WWDC keynote in San Francisco this morning.

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'Internet addiction' linked to Depression
Source: BBC, 9 February 2010
 
There is a strong link between heavy internet use and depression, UK psychologists have said.

Could *You* be more Usable?
Source: UN, 8 February 2010
 
Bet you could.

Stowe Boyd on 'Steampunk' thinking about the Future of Computing
Source: Stowe Boyd's blog via Experientia, 6 February 2010
 
Are established metaphors of user experience holding us back from new ways of structuring our interaction through computers?

Nokia's User Experience Programme
Source: UN, 5 February 2010
 
Nokia has put together a rich and informative website covering the key elements of user experience.

Interfaces magazine: latest issue available now
Source: HCI News Service, 4 February 2010
 
The latest issue of Interfaces is now available in pdf format, free from the Interaction Website.

A Lighter Brigade of Chargers
Source: UN, 3 February 2010
 
Lots of gadgets, one charger. At last.

Mobile Touch Screens could soon Feel the Pressure
Source: MIT Technology Review, 2 February 2010
 
A quantum switch could add pressure sensing to mobile screens.

Usability, Usability, Usability: why the iPad will Succeed
Source: Econsultancy, 1 February 2010
 
The tech critics love it, hate it, love it again, shrug it off. What do usability experts say?

British Airways - at last some good news
Source: Loop11, 30 January 2010
 
In a recent website usability study for the world's leading airlines, the British Airways website proved to be the most user friendly, with Malaysia Airlines and Virgin Atlantic having the lowest user experience rating.

Computation of Emotions in Man and Machine
Source: Royal Society, 29 January 2010
 
Advances in computer technology now allow machines to recognise and express emotions, paving the way for improved human-computer and human-human communications.