Microsoft denies Windows 7 modelled on Mac OS

Microsoft has moved quickly to dismiss comments made by one of its managers earlier this week that the Windows 7 user interface was based on that of the Mac operating system.

In an interview published yesterday on PCR, Microsoft partner group manager Simon Aldous admitted that many people think the Mac OS is "fantastic…very graphical and easy to use".

"What we’ve tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it’s traditional format or in a touch format – is to create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics," he was reported as saying.

"We’ve significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it’s built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance."

However, late yesterday Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc, who runs the firm's official Windows 7 blog, repudiated Aldous, labelling his comments "inaccurate and uninformed".

"Unfortunately, this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7," he wrote on the blog. "I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed."