Edible Apple

And as the iPhone antenna grandstanding continues, Microsoft executive Kevin Turner took some time during his keynote speech at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference to diss the iPhone 4 by comparing it to Windows Vista. Company pride, ya’ll.

“It looks like the iPhone 4 might be their Vista, and I’m okay with that,” Turner said.

Well, the difference here is that the primary people complaining about Vista were people who felt that they got ripped off and received a buggy and shoddy product. A lot of the noise surrounding iPhone 4 signal problems seem to be coming primarily from talking heads and tech bloggers. While some iPhone users are undoubtedly experiencing antenna-related problems, affected users can return the device for a full refund. It’s not really the same thing as being stuck with a sluggish OS that you can’t really get rid of.

The iPhone to Vista comparison will certainly garner some headlines, but the iPhone 4 is the fastest selling product in Apple history, and Apple is still, even in the midst of this antenna controversy, struggling to keep up with surging demand. If anything, Microsoft is desperately searching for a product that can sell as briskly as the iPhone 4.

Computerworld reports:

Earlier in his talk, Turner poked fun at the reception problems that have dogged Apple’s iPhone 4 since its June 24 launch. “One of the things I want to make sure you know today is that you’re going to be able to use a Windows Phone 7 and not have to worry about how you’re holding it to make a phone call,” Turner said, referring to the Microsoft mobile operating system set to debut on smartphones this fall.

Windows Phone 7. Yes, of course. He must mean that uninspiring, too late to the party mobile OS that will inevitably be the latest mobile effort from Microsoft to fall flat on its face.

But hey, it’s a Microsoft conference so it’s only natural to expect a few jabs at Apple tossed in for good measure. I mean, it’s not as if Apple is above taking below the belt shots at Microsoft. It’s all in good fun, really, but with Apple consistently selling record numbers of iPads, Macs, and iPhones, the folks in Cupertino are clearly having the last laugh.