Yesterday, while giving his keynote to Microsoft's Worldwide Partner's Conference, the company's Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner laid the smack down on Apple, comparing Cupertino's current iPhone 4 woes to the issues the Redmond-based Microsoft experienced with its Vista operating system.   

"It looks like iPhone 4 might be their Vista, and I'm OK with that." Turner, of course, was referring to the reception issues being experienced by a large number of the handset's users.

It's a comment that's been heard around the tech world, inviting commentary from TechCrunch and just about every other tech blog in the universe. Does Turner's statement hold any water? Only if you look at it from a PR perspective.

Vista, released back in 2007, cost Microsoft 6 billion dollars to develop, and due to its myriad of issues, including annoying sky-high hardware requirements, consumer confusion over the different versions of the OS, maddeningly frequent user permission prompts and DRM controls. So infamous was the operating system amongst consumers, that Microsoft opted to drop the Vista name from the product altogether and naming the next iteration Windows 7. The issues surrounding the operating system greatly affected Microsoft's image that only now is the company regaining its past momentum.

What about Apple? iPhone 4--Apple's "Vista"--sometimes has an issue with signal reception if you hold it just so. A software update for the handset has already been released to assist in bringing the problem to heel, and a press conference is scheduled for tomorrow that may very well shed some light on the problem. 

When looked at in this light, as TechCrunch is quick to point out, Turner's statement may soon turn from mud in Steve Jobs' eyes to a serious case of foot-in-mouth disease. Back in 2007, Turner quipped that, "There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.” He went on, “But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I’d prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get."

Well, that turned out well. The iPhone is now the most successful product in Apple's history. 

Let's wait and see what Friday brings.