There’s a reason why Macs have become the runaway success that they are today. As the saying goes, their products "just work". It can be argued that the hardware’s near mythic reliability comes from a combination of Cupertino’s chic industrial design and the elegant strength of the code used to create OS X. That said, Apple’s not the only one able to crank out a nice little bit of all right. Microsoft has earned their share of pain after inflicting gems like Windows ME, Microsoft Bob and Windows Vista on unsuspecting consumers, but from the look of things, Redmond’s days of flinging flaming electronic turds on the public may be coming to an end. While it ain’t OS X, the stability seen in Windows 7 shows that Microsoft’s software engineers are willing to learn from their mistakes, and Windows Phone 7 is surprisingly pleasurable to use. In June, Microsoft officially announced the existence of a new operating system currently under development. It’s named -- you guessed it -- Windows 8. From what we’ve seen it’s shaping up to be a pretty slick operator, but will it be able to go blow for blow with Lion in areas the areas of feature set and functionality? Based on what we know about Windows 8 so far, let’s take a look.

Platforms

From what we’ve seen with Lion, Apple’s opting to keep their computer and mobile operating systems separate -- at least for the time being. While there may be a number of iOS-like features in Lion, such as Launchpad, we don’t think you’ll be seeing OS X on an iPhone or iPad anytime soon. That’s the domain of iOS, and with the massive update the operating system is due to receive in the days to come, it looks like Cupertino plans on keeping their mobile computing eggs in that particular basket for the foreseeable future.

With Windows 8, we’re seeing a very different platform strategy. According to Microsoft, their next generation operating system won’t only work on Intel and AMD powered desktops and laptops, it’ll also run like a champ on hardware ARM, making Windows 8 a tasty choice for tablet manufacturers to consider. Whether or not the operating system will become Redmond’s One OS to Rule Them All and supplant Windows Phone 7 on handsets next year as well still remains to be seen.

Backwards Compatibility

While it’s unfair to demand that Apple and third-party developers maintain legacy support for each and every piece of hardware or software they’ve ever rolled out, PowerPC software aside, Lion does a pretty fair job at handling most of the apps designed to run on its predecessor, Snow Leopard. While some users might be outraged by Apple’s decision to drop the support for PowerPC only software, it’s best to bear in mind that the company did veer away from that hardware close to six years ago. That they added Rosetta support to OS X for as long as they did shows that Cupertino cares about their customers.

Microsoft won’t be leaving their Windows 7 customers in the lurch either. The software giant has assured PC users that their Windows 7 compatible software will still be useable with Windows 8 under a special "legacy mode". Does that mean that individuals rocking Windows 8 on their tablets will have access to a full-blown desktop version of Microsoft Office? Only time will tell.

App Store

For those of you who didn’t get the memo, the iTunes App Store has made Apple a scandalous amount of cash. Having seen iOS applications generate the billions of dollars in revenue, it’s no wonder that Apple saw fit to include a Mac App Store to their operating system as one of the final tweaks to Snow Leopard, as well as including it as a centrepiece in Lion.

Fun fact: Microsoft loves money too. As a result, during the D9 Conference this past June, the company announced that a Windows-centric software portal would play a prominent role in Windows 8. Even as you read this, if you listen closely, you may be able to hear the whispered prayers of PC users pleading for Microsoft’s online shopping experience to not suck as much as Games for Windows.

Interface

Lion’s chock full of multi-touch goodness, enabling users rocking a Magic Trackpad or the Trackpad built into their MacBooks to tap and swipe their way into Computing Nirvana. Some users love Apple’s take on gestured-based computing. Others? Not so much. Love it or loathe it, multi-touch makes up a huge amount of Apple’s plans for how we interact with both our mobile and desk-bound hardware.

The same can be said with Microsoft and Windows 8. Thanks in no small part to the operating systems tablet-friendly architecture, Windows 8 is being designed for interaction with keyboards (both real and virtual), mouse, joystick, trackpad and touch screen. This past week, we also caught a glimpse of Windows 8's take on the Start menu for users rocking it in legacy mode. Gone are the pastels and goofy looking icons of Microsoft's past. In their place, we see a high contrast black and white menu with slick, modern looking icons that in our opinion would be much easier on the eyes for users attempting to access their old Windows 7 programs on a tablet in direct sunlight. This says to us that Microsoft is paying close attention to the little things this time around.

Cool Stuff

Most of us purchase Apple products for their physical durability and the reliability of their software. That doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t dig the company’s gear for all the cool stuff it can do. During the Leopard and Snow Leopard era, the killer functionality for OS X came in the form of productivity features like over-the-air backups courtesy of Time Machine, Spaces and the often underappreciated Dashboard. With Lion, Apple’s software engineers introduced us to a variety of new features, including physical media-free file transfer via AirDrop, autosaves for a wide variety of programs, and of course, the bacon-saving Versions that no one anywhere can say anything bad about ever.

No doubt Windows 8 will have its fair share of innovative tweaks and perks as well. Even though the OS is not slated for release until some point in 2012, Microsoft has already given prospective users a taste of what they can expect: Each of the tiles in the interface set to replace the OS’s long-standing Start Menu will provide users with up-to-the-minute program information. To take action on the information you’re fed, just tap the appropriate tile and the associated application will open. The OS also appears to offer some intriguing multitasking capabilities. In Windows 8, Snap is designed to allow you to work with a second program on your screen at the same time without having to switch between application windows. This, no doubt, will be a welcome feature for users working on smaller screens as well as those who prefer to get their productivity on with the assistance of a tablet. 

The Winner? It's Anyone's Guess

So which OS will come out on top as the dominate presence in the computing world in the years to come? It’s hard to say. Microsoft has some fresh and tasty options on offer for consumers next year, and the fact that their software is designed to operate on the wide variety of devices its destined for has us intrigued. No matter how much we love our Macs (and we do -- we really do), we have to admit that some of what Microsoft’s cooking up sounds intriguing.

That said, features we've seen in Lion like Launchpad and Mission Control hint that there may be a number of future tweaks on the way that would make future versions of OS X much more tablet friendly, and could easily have the makings of a "professional" level mobile OS. With Apple's track record of tiering their hardware (i.e. The MacBook and MacBook Pro of days gone by), we wouldn't put it past Cupertino to inject a more robust tablet computing system into the marketplace to go alongside their widly popular and powerful iOS counterparts.

What do you think? Does what we know about Windows 8 so far sound like it has the chops to win the hearts and minds of computers or has Apple got this one all tied up with Lion?