David Morgenstern of ZDNet writes about the why Apple shines and Windows fails by looking at their human interface principles found on their developer sites.

Apple’s Human Interface Design Principles features 13 topics:

• Metaphors
• Reflect the User’s Mental Model
• Explicit and Implied Actions
• Direct Manipulation
• User Control
• Feedback and Communication
• Consistency
• WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
• Forgiveness
• Perceived Stability
• Aesthetic Integrity
• Modelessness
• Managing Complexity in Your Software

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Design Principles features only 5 topics:

• Top Guidelines Violations
• How to Design a Great User Experience
• Powerful and Simple
• Designing with Windows Presentation Foundation
• First Experience

The Apple principles are actual principals for user interaction while the Windows version seems more like hints and suggestions.