Certainly much of the Apple brand revolves around being superior to its counterparts. This belief generates a sense of elitism among Mac users, not all of course, but a decent number. The "I"m a Mac" ads have portrayed PC users to be as "uncool" as a dirty sock, and though this may not have originally been the case, due to the propagation of the ad itself, it would seem like this is the case presently.
As Apple products have developed a sub-culture it seems that Microsoft was not to be left behind. At PDC2008 an alpha version of Windows 7 was presented and has been met with positive reviews and praise amongst most, such has not been the case with a Windows operating system in quite some time. People are voicing their satisfaction with the new "Superbar" and the refinements to the Aero experience seem to be a welcome addition. Though hard to believe, there have even been posts on web forums in which Mac users have stated they will consider moving to Windows once Windows 7 is launched.
Will Microsoft catch up to Apple with the release of Windows 7? The release of Windows 7 will be met with the release of Apple"s new OS, Snow Leopard. Until information on the new features of Snow Leopard are released, it may be too early to make that call.
Many PC users have argued that they don"t need to feel "cool", and that"s certainly fine. However, if the only thing separating Windows and Mac becomes user experience, then it would seem that whichever offers the best and makes the user "feel" as if they are having fun while computing will be the chosen OS.
Can Microsoft climb to the top of the "coolness" ladder with Windows 7, or is Apple hiding something that will once again throw it over the top? Whatever the answer may be, users of both platforms seem to be in for an exciting future.