If you’re doing the things well, you use standards, well table-appropriate-use with a little of table-less in web pages, there’s no need to do anything else, you muts tidy your HTML code and not to compress it (that’s my impression) but, it depends on the developers.

I’m a linux user, so I have no wish to support one or the other.

In Apple’s defense, their code is simple and easy to read. However, it looks like almost all of their code is generated using Javascript, which is HORRIBLE. Have you paid any attention to how many js includes exist in their source? Another thing about this, is that the validator will not pick up on Javascript, so any code generated with it, will not be parsed. In reality, their entire page may be filled with errors, validators are never 100% accurate.

In Microsoft’s defense, most of their website seems to have been developed server-side, meaning that the page is most likely cached, saving on server side, and client side CPU cycles. There is however, more in terms of graphics, text, and code, meaning more bandwidth for the user. Also, the fact that they are starting to use Silverlight more and more, just means more plugins for the end-user to download, and maintain with patches.

Now, in criticism of both companies..

Neither page is without errors. I don’t care if one has less than the other, they BOTH have errors. I’m a web developer, and I always aim for clean code. There is also, always a way to do something correctly. Neither company has taken the care to exercise good design. The w3c validator is also, not a good tool for deciding whether a page will work the way it’s meant to. I’ve written w3c compliant code on many occasions, only to find that it didn’t load or function properly in Safari, or IE. The only true way to evaluate the quality of a webpage, is to do so manually, through observation of the code, load speed, memory usage, and browser compatibility.

From an aesthetic standpoint (being a graphic designer), neither website catches my eye. The apple website has followed the same visual formula for YEARS. They got lucky with one design theme, and they’ve stuck with it since. Microsoft’s site looks plain and boring, and an overuse of one colour is a bad habit (eg: blue, blue and more blue).

Just my 2 cents.

My two cents.

I’m no Apple fanboy (I think the damned things are priced way too highly, and I don’t like not being able to tinker easily with the insides), but in this case, Apple wins hands down.