VHS beat Beta
PCs beat Macs

There is so much wrong with that statement. First of all, Macs *are* “PCs.” These days they are the same architecture. The OS is what’s mainly different. (A superior OS in my experiences, but we’ll leave that out of this…) Second, Apple hasn’t been “beat” by anyone. They’re still around, they’re still making computers, and they’re gaining marketshare. Betamax is dead. Big difference.

Oh, and don’t forget “iPod beat Zune” and “iPhone OS beat Windows Mobile.” ;)

Well, spell checking is one thing, but idiot checking is quite another.

“Had their been a list of 5 things not to say” you mean “there.”

“Hey, this stuff happens, especially during the spontiniety of Q&A.” Don’t you have spell checking software?

VHS beat Beta
PCs beat Macs
Blu-ray beat HD-DVD.
Google beat LiveSearch

Instead of being politically correct, You spoke truth. Don’t be embarrassed.

The whole story makes me think of how market leader names often take over categories of products. People say kleenex instead of tissue, band-aid for bandage, that sort of thing. It happens all the time, but for public speakers these cultural conventions are a kind of land mine.

I mean, if I had said “Live search” every time I meant to say search during the talk, I’d seem phony for being so Microsoft specific and cramming their brand name in places no ordinary person would use it.

Either way it’s a tricky thing. I’d never want to disrespect who was inviting me to speak, but at the same time I wouldn’t want to be phony or not myself as I doubt they want that either.

:-)