Looks like Paul Thurrott will hear the wrath of Mac users again.

Spotlight’s biggest claims to fame, presumably, are its near-instant search results and support for document meta data, both of which are, again, planned features of Longhorn. But no matter. While Apple has been busy copping Windows features since Jobs returned to Apple in late 1996, the company’s tiny market share ensures that very few people will benefit from Spotlight, despite Apple claims that it will deliver on desktop search a year before Microsoft ships Longhorn.

Link to MacNN article. | Link to WinSuperSite Article

Let me first say that both companies copy each other. For example, Apple borrowed Fast User Switching, Microsoft borrowed iMovie. Apple added integrated faxing into the OS after Windows did, Microsoft borrowed the idea of the iTunes Music Store. That said, should Thurrott even bother to say that “Apple has been busy copying Windows since Jobs returned to Apple”? And has Apple really been copying Windows all that time? I don’t see Apple copying the Windows XP look and feel, the Windows XP task-based UI, or even the Taskbar (The Dock is evolved from the NeXT Dock, which came long before Windows 95 and I’ve heard some argue that the Dock inspired the Taskbar).  Mr. Thurrott, let’s remember that the BeOS had a database file system, (or at least database-like; I don’t know the technical details; if you do, let me know) long before Tiger and Longhorn. Let’s keep in mind that Copland was supposed to have some of the features that will make their way into tiger, such as smart folders.

In other words, neither Apple nor Microsoft is onto something “new” in the truest sense of the word. So, Mr. Thurrott, please keep that in mind before you start saying that “Other companies began copying the Microsoft desktop search strategy.” Microsoft may be pushing improved desktop search, but it is not a Microsoft innovation at all.

No, what will be the most important thing here is the implementation. This is where both Apple and Microsoft can be truly innovative. This is where both can take an idea that has been around and make it into something awesome. And I think both can do it.