Comments on: Microsoft goes after Apple online too

In an ad on major news Web sites (for now, those of the Times and the Journal), Microsoft tries to hammer home Windows PCs' price advantage over Macs.

[mpitogo]

There is an old saying "you get what you pay for" and there is a reason why we have BMW vs honda for example. Most people don't need the ultimate computing machine. hheheh ROTFL good ad tho

[joshsc]

You get what you pay for? NOT when it comes to cars, at least in your statement. According ot JD Powers, the most reliable cars in 2008 were: (and notice where BMW and Honda are
1.Lexus
2.Mercury
3.Cadillac
4.Toyota
5.Acura
6.Buick
7.BMW
8.Lincoln
9.Honda
10.Jaguar

http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2008/08/11/most-reliable-cars-2008-edition/

[seven7dust]

and yet people pay more for BMWs !
but do they get bashed like how mac users r getting ?
if something is better or not it's a perception which depends on personal taste
but it's funny that we Mac users are getting bashed for buying wat we consider better for us and more times than not cheaper too !

[CrashPad63]

Seven you stil dont get it. Apple fired relentlessly for years, lies, innuendo and the like. MS comes out with a real world comparison and you dont like it. To late. Apple has lied too much for too long, now is the time for the truth. The distortion feild is dropping. And stop taking this thing personally. Apple is just another for profit company.

[alskiontheweb]

I must say, they are hitting some nerve endings with these spots. Apples are not cheap. What they don't show is how when they get the machine home and find out it's Vista and not XP and can't stand it, how many want to return it for something more usable? Vista is infuriating period...

[Seaspray0]

When vista came out, alot of people didn't like it, including me. I still use XP over vista because of my software requirements/hardware requirements. However, I did learn something from the mojave experiment. Alot of the people screaming vista sux, hadn't even used it. I still prefer XP over vista, but I believe vista got a bad rap it didn't deserve. As for the things I don't like about vista, they have been corrected in windows 7 which should easily be out before christmas.

[tm_anon]

@Seaspray0

The girl in this ad is an actress. We can't believe her testimony for that simple reason. She might actually prefer Windows to OS X but she didn't try them and since she chose which laptop she wanted based on looks, I'm betting she's not exactly technically inclined either.

Now, if MS is willing to use an actress in one commercial, what's to make you think the people in the "Mojave experiment" commercials weren't also actors and actresses? I already know the Mac vs. PC ads were done by two actors, they never pretended to be otherwise. These ads on the other hand, they're make believe but they try and make you think they're real. Apparently you fell for it.

[NotAPC]

Those of us who prefer Macs are generally not buying them because of the logo. That's just silly. We're buying them because our experience using them is better. In my experience, they work much better than Windows machines. The time required to properly maintain a Mac is much lower than that required to maintain a Windows box. Security is better. Performance is better. Weight, quality, and reliability are better. (See Consumer Reports for statistics.) Customer satisfaction is better. The hardware is generally as good or better than what is available on the Windows side. Price wise, you will pay more for some Mac products, and more for some Windows based products. If you are looking for the cheapest computer possible, you will probably not find that from Apple. If you are looking for an outstanding computer, you will find that from Apple. If you are happy with Windows and your hardware, then fine, go with that. If you wish things could be better, you might want to look at Apple's products as an alternative.

When I purchase a computer, I'm not looking for the very cheapest machine. I'm looking for one that will give me the best experience over the time that I'm likely to use it. I go with the platform that gives me the best experience at the time. Apple's products best meet my needs and give me the best experience.

[kcotham]

*THUMBS UP

Well put, well put.

[CrashPad63]

Could not disagree with you more. Bullocks I say.

[msjonker]

Finally, some Windows ads that make sense. Keep this marketing firm!

[kcotham]

Yeah, keep them. They are doing Apples' job for them!

[topgunb2]

Microsoft do not need any ad for windows, the whole world knows about it, apple is the one who needs ads for 90% of people who don't use apple

[edgedesign]

Smart marketing, but the bottom line is... you get what you pay for.

Those inexpensive laptops feel cheap and are usually more bulky than a Mac laptop. All of them run Windows Vista which isn't as user-friendly or as secure as the Mac's OS X.

Yes.... I also own a Vista laptop and I've used both Macs and PCs for years. MS only had a jump on Apple in the late 90's. Now they're having a hard time keeping up (OS and marketing).

[Perry_Clease]

After all the time, and money, they put into Vista I would have thought it to be an OSX killer. Now they are going to try and do that with Windows 7.

[fshea]

Yet Microsoft still has 89% of the OS Market. Yeah, I can see your point here.

You are paying for PC parts these days with an Apple TAX LOGO on it.

[kcotham]

@fshea
I say again, have you ever actually used a Macintosh? You accuse Mac users of just following the hype. Then all you do is spout the latest ad campaign from Microsoft! Do you homework or go back under the bridge, troll.

[dumbspammers]

"Yet Microsoft still has 89% of the OS Market. Yeah, I can see your point here. "

You don't suppose that has anything to do with the *ILLEGAL* marketing tactics that Microsoft has been convicted of in US Federal courts, do you? Naw, the fact that they broke the law to eliminate their competition in the PC OS market couldn't possibly be how they got their monopoly.

When your product can't compete on a level playing field, why just cheat. Yeah, welcome to the world of Microsoft, and AIG.

[seven7dust]

@sghea
since when is marketshare a sign of quality ?
infact Look at the Marketshare of Ferrari BMW and other luxury brands

[mrmuppet]

Of course, Lauren is the real winner here.

She gets "advertising work" to put in her CV and now she can sell her HP, put it together with the $1,000 she wanted to spend before and buy a lovely Macbook instead*.

And, Lauren? Not having the money to buy a Mac doesn't make you uncool - appearing in a Windows commercial does.

*And yes, I know the 17" Macbook is too expensive still. Technicalities...

[kcotham]

They ignore the total cost of ownership, all the headaches involved with using a Windows equipped computer. Their argument is: Apple has what you really want, and if you can't save up and spend the initial cost, settle for this second-rate product that will wind up costing you more in the long run. Keep it up, you are doing Apple's job for them. Free advertising for Apple.

[kcotham]

"According to brand guru Rob Frankel, the ad is typical of Microsoft's weak, misdirected efforts. He predicts it will fail miserably.
"Microsoft has no brand strategy. Never did. They have an identity, but no brand strategy. As a result, Microsoft is never proactive, but always reactive to its competition," insisted Frankel, author of The Revenge of Brand X. "The main beneficiary? Apple, which gets tons of extra media exposure because they're Microsoft's main target."
Frankel said attacking Mac's "higher cost" will fail because it's a misdirected message. As he sees it, Microsoft is making a poor bet that a short-term recession strategy will connect with price-conscious consumers.
"For one thing, most shoppers now know that by the time they add in all the built-in Mac components to a PC, the costs are close. Macs are also retained longer and replaced less often than PCs. And then there's the reliability and repair cost issues," Frankel said. "Another failure, big time, for Microsoft.""

(Jennifer LeClaire, newsfactor.com)

[rnaoncfixd]

Not to mention that the HP that she bought was most likely full of bloatware which the average person doesn't usually know how to get rid of.
Also, how well is her laptop being insured? In the long run, the only real support that she has to fall back on is the Best Buy Geek Squad guys who are notorious for nickel and diming you for everything you've got.

I'm all for diversity with computers and overall it's incredibly stupid to start shouting I'm a PC when you're obviously a human being... unless you really are just an ad robot.

[zap_branigan]

I like when she says "I'm not cool enough to be a mac person" Thats line should be "I'm not smart enough to be a mac person"

It would be great if they did a follow up video of her experience with her $700 laptop in about 6 months... when its riddled with virus's and hardware is falling apart.

[topgunb2]

if you have ever used a microsoft product (servers , mails, exchange etc etc) then you are the biggest hypocrite!

[sandor_f]

what is Dell's or HPs or Sony's price on:

2.0 ghz Core2Duo with 1066 FSB 3 MB L2
2 GB RAM
nVidia 9400M GPU
120 GB hard drive
13" LCD

The prices are not that far off. Now Price out an 8 core workstation - Apple is cheaper than Dell and HP

Apple has never offered extreme-low-end hardware, and i don't think they ever will. that being said, when you compare their hardware to ***identical*** hardware from the leading PC manufacturers, prices are relatively similar.

[Seaspray0]

Because everyone "needs" a computer with 8 cores, right sandor?

[Ethercruiser]

People don't necessarily buy the cheapest computers. Rather ones that work (& look) the best for a reasonable price, even if it winds up more expensive. After years with PC's only & Windows in our family, when my kids went to college they wanted Macbooks. I thought they were crazy, but they loved their Macbooks and when my last PC died (2 hard drive failures in 2 years), I tried an Apple Computer for the first time running the latest OS X PLUS also Windows XP. Now I know why my kids loved their Macbooks.

So... you have to look at overall value, ease of use and computing pleasure.

Well see if Windows 7 wins back some Mac converts.

[kcotham]

"Well [sic] see if Windows 7 wins back some Mac converts".

Highly doubtful. Remember, they had to hire a copywriter to appear in that ill-conceived ad about people switching back. You remember the one, where they got busted because the photo turned out to be a stock photo!?

[djames42]

I doubt Windows 7 will win Mac converts. The vast majority of switchers generally say the same thing. "I wish I'd done it sooner."

I do strongly believe that Windows 7 will *prevent* some Mac converts. There are lots of Windows users on Mac message boards asking questions about the Mac, saying their experiences with Vista were so bad, they were considering switching. Microsoft has, apparently, fixed a majority of the flaws, but the bad PR is still out there, making some who haven't upgraded to Vista yet also considering a switch (as evidenced by Microsoft acknowledging the problem by trying to stem the tide with the über-lame Mojave Project).

There's lots of good PR floating around already about Windows 7. Clearly Microsoft made a really good move releasing its 'beta' en-mass to the public. While it won't likely win many *back* to the Windows platform, it will almost certainly win over potential converts. It will almost certainly be the platform that the corporate world embraces finally, and will mean lots of money in monkey boy's pockets.

[The_happy_switcher]

Microsoft will get a serious ***** slapping soon enough.

[sythara]

are you part of apple terrorists with a plot to bomb microsoft? I've met enough mac fanatics to actually believe its possible, if not probable.

[Draxon]

@Syth Yes CHEAP as in a 17 inch non LED backlit, screen with only 1440 by 900 resolution.

Cheap as in a laptop that weighs 7.7 pounds.

Cheap as runs a limited version of the OS called Windows Basic

So yes the proper word is cheap.

[kcotham]

@AppleRocks1963
I love this guy! Yeah, one of these days the EU and the US DOJ is going to give them a good **** slapping! ;-)

[topgunb2]

don't feel sorry for him, he deserves it

[sanjayb]

Let's see if that red head Lauren is till jumping for joy after a couple of months when she will have to deal with either a software problem or hardware issue. Who u gonna call then? Bill from tech support who is actually Raj from Mumbai??

[wigmo]

I love it!

[snorky22]

How smart of Microsoft! Bragging about the only thing they are not responsible for: the price of the hardware.
I preferred the previous line: hey! windows 7 is coming! soon! forget Vista! Vista never existed!

[hansengj]

You get what you pay for. For less money, you get an unstable Windows OS that naturally degenerates after being up for about a week requiring a reboot and that is slow to boot up or come out of hibernate mode. With a Mac you get an OS that stays up for months on end, boots much faster and comes out of sleep mode in less than 20 seconds after simply hitting the space bar. And switching over to a Mac is not as painful as some would like you to believe. Ask my wife, a simple computer user (email, brower and Word) who will never will go back to a PC again. And neither will I (a Java software developer).

[jture]

Yawn. When I can get a PC that runs the Mac OS - LEGALLY! - then we'll talk. Until then, I'm willing to pay a premium for an operating system that blows Windows' doors off.

[morr1oz]

Hi, I like sex and I also like my Mac rebooting in 25 seconds.

[djames42]

Nice. Thanks for sharing.

[technewsjunkie]

90+ marketshare and Microsoft attacks Apple?
What could they be afraid of enought to spend money defending Windows PCs?

"Value" is more than initial purchase price.