Comments on: Microsoft is really milking the kid thing

The next ad in its "rookies" campaign features a 7-year-old using Windows Live Photo Gallery to stitch a panorama photo.

[Mr. Dee]

What happened Ina, accidentally deleted all the comments?

[8301]

I'm guessing the comments consisted mostly of inane Windows vs. Mac arguments, so I suppose the real question to ask would be: Was anything of value really deleted?

[t8]

Microsoft paid Ina to delete them.

[Splashes]

<blockquote>"The 6-year-old that can fix my cellular modem networking issues, that kid I'll hire."</blockquote>

Bingo. The niftiest photo app in the world won't do much good if your printer driver is no good. And when every person watching this commercial can recall a dozen horror stories about their own PC and a hundred from their friends, a 30-second commercial (no matter how cute the kid) won't help. Microsoft's marketing dept. has a thankless and impossible task: selling mediocrity.

Mediocrity was good enough when the entire industry was mediocre. The fact that momentum has sustained Microsoft this long, is more of a condemnation of the rest of the industry than vindication of Microsoft's strategy of stagnation.

I have to assume there are thousands of talented and innovative people working at Microsoft. The only explanation I can come up with for why Microsoft is unable to ship products that are both innovative and useful, is that Ballmer and his similarly clueless executive team are primarily motivated by the bottom line rather than excellence.

I have great hopes for Microsoft. Those hopes might possibly begin to be realized when Ballmer is dumped and replaced with someone who isn't a used-car salesman at heart.

[Mr. Dee]

Printer Driver? Splashes, its time to get rid of the Windows 95 PC. We are in the year 2009, welcome.

[Inconnux]

I have tried to setup a plot printer (specialized large paper printer for AutoCad) that is 3yrs old under Vista... NO DRIVERS AVAILABLE... Just because your hardware works, doesn't mean that other people haven't had major problems with Vista.

I agree, Ballmer is not qualified to run the worlds largest software company... he is an embarrassment to the company

[Mr. Dee]

Have you thought about check the manufacturer of your plotter? Well, for a Company that is making over 60 billion year, Ballmer seems to be doing a good job. I think we have a lot of misconceptions about Microsoft. We conclusively believe because they are large in both work force and market share they are some how evil. Microsoft is a business, it help build this industry and legitimize it at the same time. So before you people go off on a tantrum about MS this and that, you need to stop and think, would you even own a computer if it weren't for Microsoft? I know if Apple was the only one around, computers would be for people like Paris Hilton and Kanye West and a select few of the aristocrats. Microsoft help make computing a comedity, accept that.

[bananaphonerules]

Inconnux:

How is the lack of a specialized printer's driver Vista's or Microsoft's problem?

Shouldn't you contact the manufacturer of the printer?
If its that specialized I'd assume you paid enough money to afford support?

[Inconnux]

Yes I checked the Manufacturer and their solution is to buy a new printer.

What I was trying to get at is that when XP came out you could use the previous (win2k) driver. Because they royally !@#$! up Vista, you can't do the same. It isn't ancient hardware and under previous Microsoft OS's you could use drivers for one OS version earlier. That is something that is directly related to Microsoft.

[rhsc]

Iconnux : write your own driver, it's not that hard

[dragonbite]

How about VMWare with your older OS (that has drivers) and CAD program? Work on the program in your version of choice and then try printing it on the CAD VM.

And how is the Printer's refusal to develop drivers for older systems while trying to push newer printers onto you a Microsoft thing? It's the printing company's fault/choice to not support newer OSs. They are trying to sell you a new printer in case you haven't gotten the message yet.

Sounds similar to Microsoft's method, except Microsoft is starting to realize it needs to change some of its thinking or it may become irrelevant.

[Maccess]

A free photo editor isn't even a reason to move up to Vista. There are so many freeware and free and open source photo editors for Windows (98, Me, 2000, XP). Many consumers have already moved away from making decision based on software bundled in the box.

If they need a free photo editor, they'll just Google, oops, MSN Search, for it.

Paint.net, for example is an excellent FREE photo editor, less complex than GIMP, which is excellent for the advanced user. DCEnhance is another excellent FREE easy to use basic photo editor.

[rickkw]

Lies!

I see the kid typing on the keyboard, but I only get to see the back of the screen. When I see the screen, it is so up close that you don't see the person typing on the keyboard. Why a seven year old? They would have done this with a one month old. They could have shown that a kid drooling over a keyboard, and over the screen, something magically compose a video and sent to youtube. Sure why not. I bet Apple can't do that.

[J.G.]

(Sigh.) The situation is hopeless. The minute Microsoft is seen with a real estate agent looking at houses in a neighborhood, Cool moves out.

My thought in watching both commercials was: Where you actually see kids doing projects on computers is at the Apple Store.

[bodine465]

Where is this "cool" neighborhood of yours? I live in what I consider a pretty "cool" neighborhood, but it's made up of down to earth people who socialize and help each other, and don't judge. We don't drive pretentious cars that serve only one purpose, to look "cool". We drive cars that can work on Monday and play on Sunday. Best of all, if something goes wrong or we want to customize it, we can crawl under the hood with our hands and do it ourselves. We don't need to take it to the shop because everything is proprietary. And while you may not think my F150 is as "cool" as your Prius, I think it's pretty damn "cool" all the things I can do with it.

The same thing goes with my "uncool" PC computers. I hand built the three that my family uses, along with the home server that backs them all up nightly and streams all my photos and music to my Xbox 360. Very "cool". How many out there have hand built their Macs? Show of hands? Didn't think so. Very "uncool".

I notice that the only term that both you and t8 are able to use describe the advantage of the Mac over the PC is the word "cool". Other than that, you resort to talking smack about the PC with overused cliches and juvenile taunts. Apparently, you don't have the fortitude to stand on your own and set your own definition of "cool", and have to fall in with the flock of other Mac sheep and their "cool" stuff. Remember, you only have one life to live. Stop trying to do what's "cool" and try other things. You may realize that non-Apple things are "cool".

[Stormspace]

Didn't Apple recently ban kids from their stores for posting pictures to Facebook? and Myspace? Seems like Apple doesn't want kids in the store.

[Seaspray0]

J.G. You are confusing cool with being a snob. That's someone who judges other people based on the products they own.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Kid Power !

[t8]

Hi I am a PC. I wear brown suit and listen to brown Zunes and I buy expensive software in a box with really thick manuals. I dislike those Mac guys and all those cool kids with iPods because they laugh at me and think I am an old fuddy duddy. But what they forget is I am fatter than a Mac and if they are not careful I might throw my weight round a bit and crush them if they get me mad.

[bodine465]

Shouldn't you save your juvenile taunts for the online games with the other 12 year olds? Oh, that's right! You can't play online games with a Mac. (I know, WOW in an online game. But really??? You know what I'm talking about)

Come on, get a life. The fact that you use the character that the Mac ad uses to portray the PC confirms that you have no self awareness and have to resort to the images that Apple projects into your head through their lame commercials to make your point. Open your eyes, walk away from the screen, and get outside and do something. You might be able to think on your own soon.

(BTW, I do own a brown Zune. It kicks a**, and the money I saved on it went into a weekend of snowmobiling.)

[t8]

Apple said that Microsoft is not cool, that is good enough for me. And because I can't play online games, I have to vent here.

Actually the truth is I don't own a MAC. I have a Windows XP box & laptop and a Lunux EEEPC.

Not going to buy Vista or a new computer with Vista and not going to buy a Zune, or Microsoft Bob.

[bodine465]

Then we partially agree. I'm running XP on all my machines and don't plan on switching either. But I did D/L Windows 7 beta and I'm planning to assemble a basic machine to give it a try.

Oh, and as far as the Zune, don't knock it till you try it. You might be surprised.

[jscott418]

I think these ads are some of Microsofts best yet! I don't think we can say Microsoft is milking them since they have not been out that long. After all how many years has Apple been milking the PC vs Mac?

[Alhan_Keser]

I feel like I just got guilt-tripped. When the little girl said "I'm a PC and I'm 7 years old" that made me feel kinda bad for enjoying the Mac ads.

[t8]

The strategy worked.

[shikarishambu]

Kids learn, they pick up stuff. Adults are stuck up. I have come across a number of adults who complain about their office provided windows machine because they use mac at home. I had a SVP at my company say she does not know how to schedule a meeting in Outlook because she used to use Mac. And, when I walked her through the process she got stuck up on the "Location" field. Now, what could that be?

[dragonbite]

I have a 6 years old, and he's a Linux (user). Only have to show him once and the user interface is easy enough he doesn't need a lot of guidance.

I can relax a little because I don't have to worry so much about virii, plus I'm right there to make sure he doesn't go to any questionable sites. Plus my content-filtering Linux firewall/router gives another layer of protection for all of the computers in the network.

[Seaspray0]

Have you thought of loading parental control software? It is available... and it would suppliment your firewall.

[Maccess]

You would think that MS would at least showcase their ads on their own video sites instead of their best chum Google's Youtube site. Here the addresses of MS video sharing sites, just in case you've forgotten: http://video.msn.com/

Thankfully, It uses Flash, not Silverlight, which most folks haven't installed.

[Angmarr]

go i love the mac vs. pc war!