Apple vs. Microsoft Website

The two giants that pride themselves for producing cutting edge products are Apple and Microsoft. They are leading developers in software and hardware, but what about their websites? How do they both compare, and more important, which one is better and more usable? 
Well, in this blog, I’ll take a look at both websites for closer examination from a usability point of view.


Apple knows the importance of getting the customer’s attention. They know that a clean site really helps. One other thing to note is the lack of content. You’re not distracted by sidebars or extra navigation items. This helps you make the decision of where to go next easier.

Now lets look at Microsoft. It’s certainly good at finding what you’re looking for and getting the results wanted. However, the look and feel of their pages are different. It almost looks like you’re browsing at a different website.

So which site is the winner? If you’re looking at usability alone, Apple comes out ahead. They have a better designed homepage that offers less choice, which means the user needs to think less. 
They also have consistent navigation across all of their pages. The Apple site is generally more user friendly and offers a much better experience to consumers. 
Having said this, the Apple website is much smaller than Microsoft’s site. Unlike Apple, Microsoft hosts many different sites and sections under the Microsoft.com brand. The biggest problem for Microsoft is consistency.
 Every section looks and feels different. There is no global navigation and there are not many visual clues that tell the user that this is a Microsoft site. For these reasons, I think Apple is the clear winner here.



What do you think? Have I got it right?

Please post your comments.