Microsoft's Mac Team: 'We're The Coolest'

Microsoft's Mac Business Unit recently kicked off the biggest hiring spree in its 11 years of existence. Ironically, the group's attempts to lure talent sound a lot like Apple's own efforts to highlight its position as the Arthur Fonzarelli of the IT industry.

In a recent post to the Office for Mac Team Blog, Craig Eisler, general manager of the Mac Business Unit, announced the hiring campaign and highlighted the unique place the group occupies within the Microsoft galaxy.

"We are the brightest, coolest, and most interesting business unit at Microsoft— if we do say so ourselves," Eisler said in the blog post.

Although presented in tongue-in-cheek fashion, Eisler's description is reminiscent of Apple's tendency to contrast its own coolness with Microsoft's plodding nerdiness. But to Apple partners, the coming expansion of Microsoft's Mac Business Unit is a sign of the robust health and continued emergence of their preferred platform.

Office 2008 for Mac has been selling "really well" since its launch in January, according to Sonny Tohan, CEO of Mac Business Solutions, an Apple specialist based in Gaithersburg, Md.

"Microsoft finally started taking advantage of some of the core technologies and user interface features in OS X," Tohan said.

George Swords, marketing manager at PowerMacPac, an Apple solution provider in Portland, Ore., says the addition of support for Exchange in the iPhone and the coming proliferation of other iPhone apps will keep Microsoft's Mac Business unit busy for the foreseeable future.

"Microsoft needs to compete in a space of growth since the PC market is in a state of decline, and I'm sure they're looking at writing applications for the iPhone," Swords said.