Apple vs Microsoft in the Greatest Gadget final: Ultimate grudge match
Old grudges are being dusted off as Microsoft and Apple go head to head in the final of our Greatest Gadget tournament. Which megacorp has the better product? You decide...
Deep down, we knew it would come to this. Samsung, Sony, HTC, Sky, Nintendo: these brands may talk a good fight, but when push comes to shove there are only two tech megacorporations capable of total domination.
Microsoft and Apple. It's the oldest grudge match in tech history, and it's bubbling up once more in our Greatest Gadget tournament, as Apple's iPhone squares off against Microsoft's Xbox 360.
The Xbox 360 might not be the product most people associate with Microsoft -- undoubtedly that's Windows -- but we reckon it's the best thing Ballmer and co have ever produced. A gaming powerhouse that boasts the best online multiplayer of any console, as well as a boatload of brilliant services and features. Oh, and don't get us started on the outstanding controller...
As for Apple, the iPhone has become the flagship product for Steve Jobs and the Cupertino massive -- giving the mobile industry a sorely needed boot up the rear. It introduced a mainstream audience to the glorious world of apps, and we love apps so much that if we could, we'd fill a bath with them and splash around, giggling like infants.
It's no secret that Apple has enjoyed an unstoppable rise in popularity in the last few years (well, if it will keep releasing excellent products), while Microsoft has struggled to overcome the disappointment that was Windows Vista. But when these two corporations inevitably take charge of the Earth and wage an unholy war 'gainst each other, which side will you be fighting on?
Are you a Microsoft Minion? Or an Apple Acolyte? Have your say on the voting page, then let us know who you're backing in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.
- This is the last opportunity to vote, but you'll still be entered into a draw to win an Arcam rCube, a BlackBerry Bold 9700, a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and a MiFi from Three or one of ten Idapt i4 multi-gadget chargers.